These 8 foods are health-friendly, but not if your uric acid levels are high

Pain in the body, swelling in the leg, and crooked joints are some signs of high uric acid in the body. This pain is at times so excruciating that it can hamper your productivity and can be an obstacle in your daily chores. And that’s not the worst part. Do you know if someone has high uric acid and if that person eats healthy things such as pulses, cottage cheese, etc can also mess up with your health?

And if that someone is you, then you need to keep this list of healthy foods that can prove to be worse for your health.

But first, let us tell you about this notorious health problem.

high uric acidYour high uric acid levels must be managed right. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Everything you need to know about high uric acid

If you go by the words of Harshita Dilawri, who is a nutritionist and is also a diabetic educator, a lot of people nowadays are complaining about uricemia or increased uric acid; which is a natural waste product that is discharged from the body following the digestion of the foods that are rich in purines.

Now, purines are chemical compounds that are made up of carbon and nitrogen atoms and are broken down in the body. Having said that, when we engage in excess intake of purine-rich foods, our body may fail to digest it, which may lead to an increase in uric acid levels.

Increased levels of uric acid in the bloodstream can also cause gout. So, watching your dietary habits is of utmost importance when you want to avoid the same.

There are certain foods that you must avoid! Read on to know about such foods.

8 healthy foods that are not good for people with high uric acid

  1. Beverages and fruit juices: Beverages high in fructose and sugar can rapidly increase the formation of uric acid and hence increase the severity of gout disease. Even though such drinks are not high in purine, they can still be dangerous because of their high content of fructose. Such beverages increase uric acid by activating certain cellular processes in the body.
  2. Bread and rice: “Refined carbs such as white bread, cakes, white rice, sugar, and cookies should be seriously dismissed during gout. Such foods are neither high in purine nor high in fructose, but their nutritional value is really low which leads to an increase in uric acid in the body,” suggests Harshita Dilawri.
  3. Cookies: Yeasts such as nutritional yeast, brewer’s yeast, and other yeast supplements are also recommended to be avoided.

    high uric acidHelp your parents keep tabs on their uric acid levels. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

  • Healthy snacks: Processed foods such as snacks, frozen meals, etc. should all be avoided if you have gout. They are unhealthy food items and may worsen the problem of gout in the joints
  • Organ meats and wild game meats: Offal-based foods like kidneys, liver, and sweetbreads are extremely high in purines while gaming meats such as venison (deer), rabbit, or wild-caught birds.
  • Fish and Seafood: “Certain types of seafood are high in purines. These should be avoided on a gout-friendly diet, although other types of seafood may be included in your gout diet. They have moderate levels of purine and can be limited to less than 6 ounces per day in your meal plans,” recommends Harshita Dilawri.
  • Energy drinks: Standard table sugar is half fructose, which breaks down into uric acid. Any food or drink with higher sugar content can trigger gout.
  • Seafood: “Crab, shrimp, oysters, and other shellfish can cause gout flare-ups. Roe and milt are particularly high in purines and should be the first thing you cut out if you suffer from gout,” recommends Harshita Dilawri

    high uric acidSeafood is a big no-no to people with high uric acid levels. Image courtesy: Pexels

    • The bottom line is, that what’s healthy for is not decided by what content it has but by what your current situation is. So be cautious about this.