{"id":54973,"date":"2024-10-25T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/?p=54973"},"modified":"2026-09-15T00:42:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T07:42:04","slug":"diet-and-gout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/blog\/diet-and-gout\/","title":{"rendered":"Gout Diet: Top Foods and Lifestyle Changes to Manage Symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1765, the British parliament enacted the Stamp Act, which levied high taxes on American colonists. The measure passed largely because its key opponent, William Pitt the Elder<\/a>, was debilitated by a severe flareup of gout.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for the British, the Stamp Act turned out to be a huge mistake. Instead of putting the Americans in their place, it unified the 13 colonies in opposition to British rule under the slogan \u201cNo Taxation Without Representation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eight years later, Pitt was again indisposed due to a gout attack. This time, parliament defied his wishes by levying a heavy tax on tea imports to the American colonies, triggering the \u201cBoston Tea Party,\u201d a shocking act of defiance that hastened the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n

Gout may not always lead to such world-shaking events, but it’s still a big deal to those who suffer from it. The pain, swelling, heat, and eventual disfigurement that can result from gout attacks can also lead to chronic osteoarthritis and reduced mobility.<\/p>\n

In fact, gout is the most prevalent cause of chronic inflammatory arthritis<\/a> in the United States.<\/strong> Globally, about 1\u20134%<\/a> of people suffer from gout.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also one of the most well-documented diseases throughout history. Our knowledge of gout, its causes, and its famous victims precedes colonial America by thousands of years.<\/p>\n

The Disease of Kings<\/h2>\n
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Chronique d’ Angleterre (Volume III) – caption: ‘Richard II dines with dukes’ – British Library<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The earliest written descriptions of the condition come from ancient Greece, where it was known as \u201cpodagra<\/a>\u201d or the \u201cfoot-trap\u201d due to its tendency to strike the joint of a big toe first. Hippocrates (the fifth century BC \u201cLet food be thy medicine\u201d guy) referred to it as the \u201cunwalkable disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some Greek physicians prescribed cures that one might consider extraneous (and extreme), such as a shock from a torpedo fish (an electric ray that can put out around 220 volts).<\/p>\n

But gout was known as the \u201cdisease of kings\u201d for a reason: few commoners could afford the rich diet and copious amounts of alcohol that were associated with the condition.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These days, though, many people in industrialized countries can consume diets far richer than those of past royals. As a result, gout is also prevalent among us common folk.<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll examine what causes gout and the role of diet and lifestyle in managing and preventing painful gout attacks.<\/p>\n

What Is Gout?<\/h2>\n

Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that causes<\/a> joint pain and swelling.<\/strong> It typically begins with the first metatarsophalangeal joint (also known as the big toe) and then can spread to other joints, including the ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows. Symptoms include pain, swelling, redness, and heat.<\/p>\n

Gout develops from deposits of needle-shaped crystals in and around the joint. The crystals are made of monosodium urate<\/a> (MSU, with apologies to fans and alumni of Michigan State and Morgan State Universities), which form when the uric acids in blood rise above normal thresholds.<\/p>\n

Uric acid comes from urate, which comes from molecules called purines. Purines, found in your body\u2019s tissues and many foods, are key DNA and RNA building blocks.<\/p>\n

When too many purines are in your body, either because too much is made or ingested or because too little is removed, urate builds up<\/a> in your blood. When it has nowhere else to go, it turns into those nasty needle-shaped crystals. Unfortunately, they end up in places of slow blood flow, such as the joints and the kidneys.<\/p>\n

The four phases of gout<\/a> are:<\/strong><\/p>\n