In the treatment of hyperuricemia there are two clear objectives, increase the excretion of uric acid by urine and customize 100% of the person’s diet so that it is not rich in purines.
The problems of high uric acid are directly related to poor diet, since the purines that produce it are found basically and mainly in what we eat. For this reason, in this article we propose some foods that will help you to improve this situation.
It is true that in the interior of our body levels of this acid also appear without outside help. However, under normal conditions, 80% of uric acid levels can be controlled by following certain diets.
What does it mean to have high uric acid?
If we exceed the uric acid in blood, it will be deposited on the joints in the form of crystals, causing inflammation and pain.
Hyperuricemia consists of having high uric acid in the blood. The most feared symptom of this disease is the attack of gout, which occurs when uric acid is deposited in the joints. Gout causes an extremely high pain that you should try to avoid as much as possible.
With a good diet, prescribed by a nutritionist, it is possible to decrease the levels of uric acid in the blood and increase the control of the situation to prevent the occurrence of gout attacks.
What is considered an elevated level of uric acid?
According to health specialists, the correct levels of uric acid are those that are between 2.4 and 5.7 mg / dl in women, and between 3.4 and 7.0 mg / dl in men. Therefore, any value that exceeds these limits is considered an indicator of hyperuricemia and should be treated in time before the condition can worsen.
What foods to consume if I have high uric acid?
In our diet, we must reduce those foods rich in purines, since when degraded in the organism, they result in hyperuricemia. Fortunately, there are some foods that can help lower uric acid if you consume them on a regular basis:
Foods low in purines that we can consume
Dairy products are considered low purine foods, so they are recommended in a diet for hyperuricemia.
There are foods with low concentrations of purines in their composition and we can include them in our diet without problems. These foods are:
- Dairy products
- Vegetables: except for some mentioned below
- Roots and tubers
- Fruits rich in vitamin C
- Nuts without salt
We must pay attention to all foods because they all contain purines, to a greater or lesser extent, but with proper planning, we can achieve great results in our analytics.
Foods with medium purine content
Mushrooms are moderate consumption foods in a diet for uric acid, as their presence of purines is limited.
Then we have foods with lower purine concentrations and that their consumption can be a little more flexible compared to the previous list. These foods are:
- White meats
- Mushrooms and asparagus
- Legumes: except for beans and lentils
- Cauliflower
- Spinach
This type of food can be included in food, but its consumption should not be abusive.
What foods should be avoided?
Red meats, along with fish and seafood, should be avoided altogether if we want to reduce uric acid in our blood.
Animal fats and foods rich in purines are those that should be limited. These include the viscera, concentrated broths, sauces and soups made with pieces of meat. Also fish, mainly blue fish such as sardines, anchovies, anchovies, red mullet, prawns or mackerel.
The alcohol and processed products are not recommended to lower the levels of uric acid in the body or prevent it from rising, so it is better to eliminate them or limit their consumption a lot.
Aspects to consider with high uric acid
·        Fruit consumption
In the case of fruits, we must have them well controlled because on the one hand they are very good (they have a low amount of purines), but on the other they have high concentrations of fructose, which generate purines in the body.
·        Types of cooking
The type of cooking in hyperuricemia can also be important. If the food is boiled, it is possible to reduce the number of purines in the food. A boiled or cooked dish is a better option than those dishes fried or cooked with large amounts of oil, for example.
·        Drinks
- The best drink to drink is water. We must increase our water consumption if it is not enough. Trying to drink at least 2 liters of water a day, according to the recommendations. If we take a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, in addition to broths, soups or infusions, we also include water to our body.
- While these tips can help you lower your levels of hyperuricemia, it is important to consult with your doctor, who will perform an evaluation and can prescribe the most appropriate treatment for your condition.