"Health from Food" Series丨What foods are good for people with high uric acid?

The 2021 China Hyperuricemia and Gout Trend White Paper states that with the improvement of living standards, the number of patients with hyperuricemia in my country has reached nearly 180 million, becoming the "fourth high" after the "three highs". Hyperuricemia (HUA), commonly known as "gout", is a disease caused by purine metabolism disorders in the human body. Diet control is crucial for patients with hyperuricemia.

Limit intake of high-purine foods

Common high-purine animal foods include animal offal, red meat (pork, beef, lamb, etc.) and some seafood (shrimp, scallops, river crabs, yellow croaker, grass carp, sardines, anchovies) and thick broth. Patients can take in protein mainly from eggs and milk, and selectively eat seafood with low purine content such as monkfish, prawns, red king crabs, sea cucumbers, squid, etc. High-purine plant foods include kelp, seaweed, laver, dried mushrooms (dried shiitake mushrooms, dried hazel mushrooms, dried hericium erinaceus, dried black fungus), beans (soybeans, mung beans, bean curd, etc.) and some fresh vegetables (such as celery, spinach, broccoli).

Quit smoking and drinking

Smoking can cause poor microcirculation, which can lead to vascular spasm and cause pain. Therefore, try not to smoke during an acute attack of gout.

Long-term drinking will cause lactic acid accumulation in the body and inhibit the excretion of uric acid. Therefore, patients with high uric acid levels must quit smoking and drinking, especially avoid drinking liquor and beer.

Low in salt, sugar and fat, avoid spicy food

Maintain a low-salt, low-sugar, low-fat diet. It is recommended that the daily salt intake should not exceed 6 grams (about 1 beer bottle cap); reduce the consumption of processed foods with high salt content, such as pickles, ham, noodles, candied fruits, oyster sauce, soy sauce, etc.; eat more light and easily digestible foods, such as fresh vegetables and fruits; do not eat spicy and irritating foods to avoid increasing uric acid levels.

Increase your water intake

Patients with hyperuricemia should drink more water, ensuring more than 2000 ml of water per day. They can drink plain water, light tea, and unsweetened coffee, and avoid sugary drinks, fruit juice, and thick broth.

Proper cooking reduces purine content

Purine is a water-soluble substance that is more soluble in water at high temperatures. When cooking fish and meat, you can blanch them in boiling water before cooking, which can reduce the purine content in such foods and also reduce some calories.

Control the total calories of three meals a day

Generally speaking, high uric acid levels mainly occur in obese people, so if patients want to control the progression of the disease, they must control their total daily calories and keep themselves at a healthy and ideal weight.

Finally, a special reminder: some people forget the pain after the wound heals. They can control their diet and cooperate with treatment when they have symptoms, but once the symptoms are relieved, they start to eat and drink a lot. This will not only cause the disease to recur, but also cause damage to the body. I hope everyone will learn from the pain, control uric acid, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

This article was scientifically reviewed by Xin Xiaowei, nutritionist and deputy director of the Nutrition Department of the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.