If you suffer with gout then you will know firsthand that it can be an excruciating condition to contend with. Never leave a gout attack unattended. You should see a doctor as soon as possible. But once your gout symptoms ease, it does not mean that your battle with gout is over. Your doctor may prescribe chronic medication that you need to keep taking to prevent attacks. And you will have to make certain lifestyle changes to reduce the chances of having another attack.
Living with gout often involves many of the same diet and lifestyle measures that are advised for a range of health conditions. You may have heard the importance of eating right, drinking enough water and reducing alcohol intake. It is not just your doctor telling you to keep healthy. These dietary and lifestyle measures can make a major difference in managing your gout. It can decrease the frequency of gout attacks and assist in reducing the amount of chronic medication that you use for gout.
Living with gout often involves many of the same diet and lifestyle measures that are advised for a range of health conditions. You may have heard the importance of eating right, drinking enough water and reducing alcohol intake. It is not just your doctor telling you to keep healthy. These dietary and lifestyle measures can make a major difference in managing your gout. It can decrease the frequency of gout attacks and assist in reducing the amount of chronic medication that you use for gout.
Here are a three simple lifestyle measures that are very effective in gout management. Always speak to your doctor before you make any major changes in your diet and lifestyle. As an older person, there are many other factors to take into consideration that could affect your body or the management of other chronic conditions that you may currently have.
1. Increase Your Water Intake
Gout is a result of uric acid building up in your body. The best way to eliminate uric acid that is already in your system is by expelling it through urine. The more water you drink, the more frequently you urinate. Even if you drink sufficient water of about 1.5L to 2L per day, this may not be enough. Gout sufferers need to double their daily water intake. But speak to your doctor before consuming very large amounts of water. As an older person, especially if you are on chronic medication, drinking too much of water can be a problem for your other conditions.
2. Reduce Protein In Your Diet
Uric acid is the byproduct of protein metabolism. When your body breaks down protein then one of the components is purine. It is this purine when metabolized that gives rise to uric acid in the body. In order to reduce uric acid in your body, you should decrease your protein intake. Meat is one of the main sources of protein in the human diet. But dairy, certain legumes and soya are other major sources of protein. Control your protein intake by switching to a diet that is more abundant in fresh fruit and vegetables. These foods also have other benefits for gout sufferers.
3. Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol is one of the problem beverages. Not only does it concentrate the amount of uric acid in the body by causing your body to lose water without uric acid following suit, but alcohol breakdown can also yield byproducts that play a role in gout attacks. Beer appears to be more of a problem than other alcoholic beverages but this does not mean that you can consume more of the other types of alcohol. Instead moderate your alcohol intake, drink less often and if possible even stop alcohol consumption altogether.
Source: http://www.seniorhealth365.com
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