What should I not eat if I have uric acid?

 

The uric acid is a substance found in the organism from anyone and that arises when purines break down. Likewise, uric acid levels can also increase due to the intake of foods rich in purines.

In this sense, in any generic blood test, one of the values ​​to analyze is the uric acid levels in the blood. It is one of the elements that are studied to determine that there is no health problem.

Although, sometimes we can present uric acid levels above the values ​​considered healthy. Thus, this fact is a risk factor for the development of a disease such as gout and also poses a risk to cardiovascular health.

Hyperuricemia problems

Gout is the most common disease that arises from excess uric acid in the blood and is closely related to diet. Actually, it arises when the body is not able to correctly eliminate the excess uric acid through the urine.

When this happens, this acid accumulates in the bloodstream, causing a kind of small crystals that lodge in the joints. They cause severe pain and inflammation.

With all this, when a person has high levels of uric acid, it is important not to consume food rich in purines, since otherwise it could cause an even greater increase in these values.

Thus, these are some of the foods rich in purines that should not be consumed in case of high uric acid levels:

• Any type of seafood. They are an important source of purines.
• Red meats, such as veal, beef, pork, or lamb.
• Blue fish. The tuna, sardines or salmon stand out.
• Fatty sausages, such as chorizo, salami or sausages.
• Do not abuse legumes.
• Fatty and highly cured cheeses.
• It is also important to avoid asparagus, spinach, leeks, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

In addition, in this situation, it is important to limit as much as possible the consumption of industrial pastries, dehydrated foods and the intake of alcoholic beverages.

Foods to reduce uric acid

Likewise, there are also a series of foods that help reduce uric acid levels in the body. Within the diet, the best products to achieve this objective are fruits.

Among the fruits, apples, cherries, orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, raspberries, strawberries and red fruits stand out. The consumption of certain vegetables is also important, such as onions, squash, artichokes, celery or carrots.

In any case, before a gout attack, there are different habits that can help relieve pain and reduce uric acid levels beyond diet. Among them, the following stand out:

• Apply cold for 20 minutes to the affected area to reduce inflammation. Repeat this action at least 3 or 4 times a day.
• Drinking citrus fruits or citrus juices promote drainage and provide an anti-inflammatory effect. Pineapple, banana and apple are other recommended fruits.
• Drink draining infusions such as horsetail. Taking this type of infusions helps to eliminate excess uric acid through the urine.

On the other hand, oil massages on the affected joint are essential to relieve pain. In addition, taking a tablespoon a day of baking soda can help reduce pain due to its alkalizing effect.