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Recipe

A low-purine day

Most gout advice is a long list of forbidden foods. The evidence suggests fructose, alcohol and fluid intake move uric acid more than moderately high-purine vegetables ever did.

Time
Across a day
Serves
1
Protein
Fibre

Ingredients

  • Breakfast: poha or upma with vegetables, and low-fat curd
  • Through the day: 2–3 litres of water, started early
  • Lunch: roti, a light vegetable sabzi, curd, a small portion of dal
  • Evening: cherries or a citrus fruit, and milk or chaas
  • Dinner: khichdi or roti with vegetables, kept light
  • Avoid: organ meat, shellfish, beer, sweetened drinks, fruit juice

Method

Step 1

Fluid first. Two to three litres a day. Uric acid leaves through the kidney and dilution is the most direct lever you have.

Step 2

Include low-fat dairy daily. Curd, milk or chaas. Dairy is associated with lower uric acid, which surprises most people.

Step 3

Cut sweetened drinks and juice entirely. Fructose raises uric acid directly. This is usually the largest single change available.

Step 4

Keep dal moderate rather than absent. Plant purines have not been shown to raise gout risk the way animal purines do.

Step 5

Vitamin C daily — amla, citrus, or cherries where available.

Diet supports treatment for gout; it does not replace it. If you are on urate-lowering medication, continue it — never stop or change a prescription on dietary grounds.

Why it works

Fructose, not vegetablesSweetened drinks and juice raise uric acid. Palak and dal, long forbidden in popular advice, have not been shown to.
Low-fat dairyConsistently associated with lower uric acid in population studies.
FluidDehydration concentrates uric acid, which is why attacks often follow a hot day or a night of drinking.

Nutrition, per serving

Approximate values. Actual figures vary with portion and ingredients.
EnergyProteinCarbohydrateFatFibre
varies

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Who this recipe is for

This recipe is used in our plans for the conditions below. Each page sets out the symptoms, the tests worth having and how the condition is treated.

Gout Joint pain Osteoarthritis

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This recipe is general nutrition information. It is not a treatment for any condition and it does not replace advice from your doctor. Never change prescribed medication on the basis of a dietary change.

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