Gout foods are foods that worsen or improve control of that nasty, painful disease called gout or gouty arthritis.When your body can't handle excess uric acid, it accumulates as sharp little salt crystals in your joints. As the crystals build they trigger an inflammatory response and some of the worst pain you will ever endure. Most gout sufferers can relate to unexpectedly waking up to the excruciating agony of a swollen big toe or a throbbing ankle, knowing they have days of pain and inconvenience before it settles.

To control gout attacks you must reduce uric acid in your body. The simplest way is reducing intake of foods containing purines, which are foods that increase uric acid production. It's vital to discover the gout foods you need to avoid and those that work for you.

Gout Foods to Avoid

Restricting the amount of high purine food you eat, is essential to lowering your risk of gout.

The foods highest in purines are typically protein rich foods, such as certain meats and fish. High levels of refined sugars also help raise uric acid levels. Be careful with:

• Fish & Shellfish such as sardines, anchovies, lobster and shrimp.
• Meats such as bacon, liver, kidney, brains and turkey
• Yeast extracts such as Brewers yeast, marmite, and vegemite.
  

The Atkins weight loss diet is one that gout sufferers are particularly wise to avoid. Not only is it high in purines but it's rapid loss of stored body fats releases more uric acid, directly risking a new gout attack.

Gout Foods You Can Eat

Some experts showed that Cherries and other berries such as Blackberries and Blueberries contain chemicals that help reduce the inflammation of gout and reduce uric acid level. Other foods that are safe for gout sufferers include:

• Non Citrus Fruits such as bananas and vegetables like cabbage and kale.
  
• Vegetable juices such as celery and carrot juices. Tomato's and tomato juices are particularly good at alkalizing blood and avoiding the acid blood levels of gout.
  

Gout Foods: The Truly Ugly

There are some combinations of foods that are almost guaranteed to trigger a gout attack and alcohol is the main culprit. Beer with it's high component of brewers yeast is a common trigger especially if enjoyed with a diet rich in red meat. The effect of alcohol is also seriously increased by it's tendency to dry you out. Just when you need plenty of water in your system to flush out the uric acid, alcohol both dehydrates you and adds more uric acid - a truly ugly double whammy!

If you or a loved one you care for are gout sufferers then you need to develop a lifestyle and diet that eliminates gout. Discovering the foods that influence your gout is a necessary first step in the process.

You can find a good diet plan that provides the best value gout foods at Lisa McDowell's Cure Gout Now.