Escapees Rainbow Plantation

This winter has been spent here in So Alabama near Gulf Shores. It has been a little cold for me but we knew this would happen more or less; however, Covid-19 has forced us into “protect thyself” mode. Now, it seems to be reaching Spring and we have had several very pleasant days in the 70±° with mostly sunny skies and winds less than 10mph and open windows with the exhaust fans on.

We will have reached maximum Pfizer Covid-19 protection levels next week so we feel a bit more secure in that regard and we plan to go out for a sit down meal next week in celebration of the 1 year isolation release. We plan on masking in larger social groups and when inside: That includes Big Box stores for food and building supplies.

My gout has resurfaced the last week so I must be getting too free with high purine items and it did not help that I bought a 12 pack of Sierra Nevada. I got through 8 bottles before the twinges started in my right top foot at night so I now have 4 bottles I will not drink. Today I have reviewed the gout diet and will have to cut back on several items like processed meats that I love. I published my guide list on this site in the AM.

I have officially reached the Spring time antsy stage, sometimes called cabin fever, so I am looking at smaller type motorcycles in the 250-300 cc class. One of my grandsons is interested in bikes so I thought I would like to get another one after a 20 year hiatus. The big criteria is that it is fast enough to go 70+ mph to keep up with traffic and that it is light enough to potentially be trailer-able on the tongue of the tow dolly. That means about 250# more or less. This, in turn, may precipitate getting a small class 4×4 truck that I can carry the motorcycle in.

Here I am dreaming of this summer and the freedom from cold. We shall see what the Summer/Fall brings this year.

Purine Levels of Food Types

Plant-based Diets and Gout

Gout has long been known as the “disease of kings” as it is most common in overweight or obese men who consume rich foods, and excessive alcohol. It is also associated with hypertension and renal impairment. Diet can help to reduce the incidence of gout, and can play an important role in the treatment of gout.

Generally, with active disease, dietary purines are restricted. In the body, purines are metabolized to uric acid. Purines can elevate uric acid in the blood. Although normal levels of uric acid can assist in scavenging free radicals, higher levels increase risk of gout. The richest dietary sources of purines are organ meats and small fish (internal organs are eaten with the fish). Diets rich in plant foods are not associated with increased risk of gout, even when higher purine plant foods are consumed. Generally, plant foods are less concentrated in purines than meat and seafood. Dairy products are low in purines and have not been found to increase risk, although high fat dairy products may contribute to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, so low or skim milk products are preferable to higher fat options.

Common Myth – Beans and Gout

It is commonly believed that beans are high purine foods and should be avoided by people who are at risk for gout, have high uric acid levels, or who have active gout. This is because most tables listing the purine content of foods list the amount of purines found in 100 grams (just over a half cup) of dried beans. When 100 grams of beans are cooked, the yield is about 1 1/2 cups of beans. A typical serving of cooked beans is about a half cup, thus the figures shown in most tables are triple the usual serving size. Using a one-half cup serving size, the purine content of beans ranges from about 20-75 mg per serving. See the chart below for the purine content of specific legumes.

Dietary Guidelines for Gout Prevention and Treatment

1. Avoid very high purine foods and limit high purine foods to not more than a serving per day (see chart below). Avoid meat extracts, broths, bouillon and gravy.
2. Avoid rich, high-fat, meat-centered meals. Rely on plant foods as your primary sources of protein.
3. Eat several servings of fiber-rich plant foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, each day.
4. Minimize intake of refined carbohydrates, including both starches (white flour products) and sugar.  Concentrated fructose can increase uric acid levels and increase insulin resistance.
5. Drink 2-3 L of fluids each day. Most of this should be water. 
6. Avoid alcohol, as it tends to interfere with uric acid excretion.
7. Maintain a healthy body weight. If you are overweight, aim for a slow gradual weight loss of ½-1 kg (1-2 lbs) per week. Rapid weight loss from fasting or severely calorie-restricted diets is not recommended as this can raise uric acid levels and aggravate gout.
8. Increase your physical activity. (Check with your doctor first if you are currently not active).

Purine Content of Common Foods

Avoid very high purine foods (>200 mg purine per serving)
Minimize high purine foods (>100 mg purine per serving)
Moderate medium purine foods (50-100 mg/serving)
Enjoy low purine foods (< 50 mg/serving)

* Fruits and vegetables with moderate purine content: broccoli, peas, artichokes, apricots, mushrooms, spinach, bananas and green peppers.