What to Eat — and Not to Eat — to Avoid Getting Gout

Getting older brings many joys in life, but the aches and pains aren’t one of them. For many men, there is a specific kind of pain that typically hits in their 40s through their 60s: Gout, which is a common form of inflammatory arthritis.

There’s no need to downplay it — gout is an incredibly painful, chronic, disabling disease. Acute gout, also known as gout attacks, are episodes of severe pain, redness, swelling and an inability to tolerate pressure on or use of your joint. The pain can be so intense that it wakes you up from sleep — and it can last for hours, days or even weeks.  

So, what, if anything, can be done about it?  

What to know about gout

Gout is caused by an excess buildup of uric acid in the body, which is a waste product created by your body when it breaks down natural chemicals. When you have high levels of it in your blood, it can form urate crystals. These crystals then build up in your joints and tissues — most often in your big toe — causing inflammation and joint damage (technically, it can affect any joint in the body, but it’s less common for that to happen).  

If you’ve ever heard that your diet or lifestyle choices caused you to develop gout, that’s not entirely true — diet and weight is just one factor that can increase the risk of developing gout, but it’s not the whole of it. Pattie Malone, MD, an urgent care and family medicine doctor at multiple UW Medicine Urgent Care locations, says this is a common misconception.  

“While diet plays a very important factor in contributing to gout, resting the blame on someone’s diet ignores a person’s underlying risk factors and genetic predisposition,” says Malone.

This means that by nature, some people are more likely to get gout than others: men; those who have kidney disease; those who are older; and specific populations such as Pacific Islanders, Black Americans and Americans of Asian descent.  

How to manage or reduce gout attacks

Gout is a chronic condition that can be managed, much like hypertension and diabetes. And while nothing you did specifically caused your gout to develop, Malone says some lifestyle changes can help reduce the occurrence of acute gout attacks.

Avoid certain foods and drinks

You don’t have to give up your favorite foods or completely change your diet, but it’s important to be aware that certain foods and drinks are more likely to cause attacks. This happens because these foods are high in purines, a chemical compound that turns into uric acid when your body metabolizes it.  

And because excess uric acid leads to gout, Malone says avoiding some of these foods and drinks can help prevent gout attacks:

• Minimize intake of beer and liquor
• Foods and beverages that are high in fructose (sugary juices or sodas, candies and ultra-processed foods
• Red meat
• Some seafood (shellfish, tuna and sardines)

Make some easy diet swaps

To reduce the number of gout attacks you have, try adding these low-purine foods to your diet:  

• Low-fat dairy products
• Coffee
• Soy products (such as edamame, tofu or tempeh)
• Nuts
• Vegetables

Take some over-the-counter medication

There’s no need to push through the pain — when a gout attack starts, go ahead and take some pain medication.

“Over-the-counter ibuprofen or naproxen taken early in an attack can help reduce pain and swelling,” says Malone. “Don’t wait for a prescription from your doctor; these over-the-counter medications work.”

Schedule an appointment with your doctor

Wondering when to see a doctor about gout? The first time you have an attack, if possible.  

While there are medications to treat gout, your doctor may not always prescribe one, depending on the severity of your attacks. However, getting an expert’s opinion is an important step in getting a definitive diagnosis and ruling out a possible infection.  

Malone says you should talk with your doctor about starting a daily medication to lower your urate levels if:

• You’ve been diagnosed with gout and have had more than two attacks a year.
• Your doctors have found evidence of gout-related disease on an X-ray.
• You’ve developed a tophi, which is a white or yellowish nodule near a joint caused by crystal deposits.

There’s no need to tiptoe around these symptoms (no pun intended), and there’s no shame in experiencing them either. While there may be no definitive cure, taking these steps can help you lead a more pain-free life.