Now that the holiday feasts are over and the New Year is here, it’s a good time to take stock of your diet and consider healthy changes – especially if you have gout.

Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis that can unleash intensely painful flares in individual joints, often in the big toe. An estimated 8 million Americans experience gout attacks, which can last for a few days. The condition can also become chronic and lead to the destruction of joints. Although there’s no cure, there are medications to control gout, as well as lifestyle changes you can make to manage the condition – and reduce or even eliminate attacks.

Gout develops对于血液中尿酸水平高的人;尿酸会在软组织和关节中形成针状晶体。当身体分解一种叫做嘌呤的化学物质时，就会产生尿酸。嘌呤自然存在于你的身体中，但也存在于某些食物和饮料中。如果你的身体不能有效地清除尿酸(它会被肾脏从血液中清除，并通过尿液排出)，血液中的尿酸会积聚并达到可能导致问题的水平(超过6毫克/分升)。

One way to minimize the risk of a gout flare is to cut back on high-purine foods. The DASH diet – a low-sodium diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables over red meats and processed foods – is recommended for people with gout. The Mediterranean diet – which emphasizes fruits, veggies, whole grains and healthy fats – may also help.Find more gout info here.

For specific foods and beverages, keep the following tips in mind:

Worst Foods & Beverages for Gout

• At the top of the list of what to avoid is booze. Beer and liquor readily convert to uric acid and they slow down its elimination. Studies have shown mixed results about whether wine is OK in moderation.
• 喝含糖饮料，如含高果糖玉米糖浆的苏打水、果汁或其他含糖饮料，与痛风有关。值得注意的例外是:樱桃，尤其是酸樱桃，可能对痛风有益。
• Go light on red meats, particularly organ meats like liver, tongue and sweetbreads, which are all high in purines. Also avoid or minimize the amount of bacon, venison and veal you eat.
• Maybe surprising: Turkey and goose are very high in purines. Chicken and duck are better bets.
• Some seafoods also are high in purines, including anchovies, sardines, mussels, scallops, crabs, lobsters, oysters and shrimp.
• Some vegetables are on the watch list, too: Consider cutting back on mushrooms, asparagus and spinach – but veggies of any kind are much less likely to trigger a gout flare than alcohol or organ meats.
• Learn more about foods to accept or reject here.

What’s Left?

There are also many things you can add to your diet to help avoid or manage gout. Drink plenty of water, milk and tart cherry juice. Drinking coffee seems to help as well. Be sure to talk with your doctor before making any dietary changes.

Get your New Year off to a great start, whether it’s changing your diet, getting in a more positive frame of mind, or embracing a feel-good hobby. Live your best life in 2020!Join the Live Yes! Arthritis Network FOR FREE.我们的社区在这里帮助你。