Gout diet can be complicated, but do not worry.
I am here to make it easy for you to choose food that helps your gout.

Note, it’s YOUR gout diet.

Most of what you read about gout diet does not apply to you.
Gout diet must be personal.

Gout affects everyone differently, and everyone has different tastes.
I urge you to start with what you like to eat.
I will help you find ways to eat your favorite foods that make your gout better.

Everyone seems to think that gout is a disease caused by food. It is not! Your diet can affect gout, but it is only part of the story.

In these gout diet guidelines, I explain all the different ways that food can affect gout – good and bad. These are good reference pages that reflect current scientific research. But if you do not know where to start, then the best place starts with yourself. If you go to the gout forum, tell me some facts about your gout, some ideas about your favorite foods, or some of your worries about what you can eat, I will help you find the right guidelines that suit your situation. That way, you can focus on what matters to you, and safely ignore food facts that are not relevant to your gout. All you need to do is ask about your gout diet in the gout forum (link near end of this page). But first, you should read What Gout Foods Can I Eat?

Gout Diet Preparation

I’ve written these gout diet pages for people who have a confirmed gout diagnosis with a personal treatment plan. You should study the Gout Symptoms pages, and the Gout Treatment pages before you study this Gout Diet Section. If you do not do this, you risk wasting your time making dietary changes that do not help you. Gout diet should help your treatment plan, not replace it! Without a treatment plan, you cannot tell if your diet is helping, or making gout worse.

I can help you create a personal gout treatment plan, but if you are determined to focus on diet without a treatment plan, please look at Diet For Gout Sufferers.

Gout Diet Topics

There is a lot of information about gout diet here, so I have divided it into subsections:

  1. How food affects gout
  2. Food as gout treatment
  3. Medical Food Issues
  4. Good Gout Food
  5. Bad Gout Food
  6. Other Gout Diet Pages
  7. More Gout Diet Help

How Food Affects Gout

What are sensible gout diet restrictions, and what are ludicrous limitations. The articles in this part of the Gout Diet section deal with how food affects gout.

Sensible Gout Diet Restrictions
An overview of the way food affects gout. Why dietary restrictions for gout are only sensible if you have a gout treatment plan.
How Purines Affect Gout
You need to know how purines affect gout before you start planning any gout diet changes. Most advice about purines is out-of-date, so check this guide before you waste any more time.
Diet For Gout
When you plan a diet for gout patients, the emphasis must be on the patient. The diet for gout pages help you start by recognizing the individual needs of each gout patient, then planning slow but steady improvements. You get individualized gout diet plans that work.

Food As Gout Treatment

Given that food can play a part in a good gout treatment plan, this subsection looks at the way you need to incorporate diet and lifestyle changes in your recovery and maintenance plans.

Gout Foods – The Best Approach
If you want the best gout foods, you must change your gout diet to suit you. Don’t be a gout sheep – follow your own needs.

Medical Food Issues

Medical aspects of foods for gout sufferers.

Diet For Gout Patients
An overview of how some gout diet and lifestyle issues directly affect gout treatments.
Gout Diet Menu
Alkalizing influences and approaches.

Good Gout Food

Some foods are more beneficial than others. This subsection highlights food and associated lifestyle changes that can help gout, including recipes.

Gout Diet Foods To Eat
An overview of foods that are beneficial to gout sufferers.
Gout Food Recipes
Enjoy your gout food with these recipes. Let GoutPal adapt your favorites for your best gout diet.
Cherry Juice For Gout
Cherry juice for gout seems the ideal gout treatment. Gout studies show cherries lower uric acid, ease inflammation, and reduce gout pain. Will it work for you? See the Cherry Juice For Gout guidelines. Also see Is there a Cherry Juice Gout Cure? and Gout, Cherries & Cherry Juice: Your Thoughts.

Bad Gout Food

With good planning, you can enjoy most food, but some foods need careful handling and there are hidden dangers in many common food items. This subsection deals with food that can be bad for gout.

What foods cause gout?
High purine foods, eaten over many years, are bad for gout. However, there are four more bad food groups. Some of these might be worse than purines for your gout. See which foods cause gout, and make your gout diet safe.
Foods To Avoid With Gout
An overview of foods and dietary habits that should be restricted or avoided, with additional pages detailing key problems:
Purine Rich Foods
Purine rich foods tables are often used by gout sufferers. But don’t waste time on pointless purines that have no effect on gout.

Other Gout Diet Articles

These are pages that relate to gout diet, but do not fit neatly into any of the above categories. Most are general nutrition guides and food composition tables. They are listed separately on the Diet For Gout Sufferers & Other Gouty Lifestyle Issues page. The other gout diet articles listed below include some old style pages that I am in the process of reviewing and reformatting. I will incorporate these into the new website structure during the next few weeks.

Purine metabolism
High Purine Foods Myths
The foods that cause gout are not simply high purine foods
Learn the foods that cause gout and you can manage your diet to avoid attacks. But don’t believe everything you are told – it’s not just about avoiding purines.
Delicious Recipes For Gout Help You Eat Yourself Better
Do not think that only low purine recipes are good for gout. These recipes for gout explode the myths and bring you tasty meals and snacks for a winning gout diet (or even a weight losing one).
What Is Uric Acid Food?
Do you want to know more about uric acid food. Remember that it is important to manage your whole diet, but here are some gout foods that every gout sufferer asks about.
Purines and Pyrimidines and Other Gout Diet Research
Purines and pyrimidines are at the heart of gout diet studies, but there are many more interesting topics. See these investigations dispel all gout food myths.
GoutPal Diet Help
GoutPal Help for Your Gout Diet

Gout Diet Plans

You should work with health professionals to:

  1. Establish healthy eating patterns (search for Gout Foundation Diet).
  2. Monitor and manage your uric acid levels. Including agreeing a target level.
  3. Measure how diet changes can improve your uric acid test results.

You can use GoutPal plans to support your relationship with health professionals. So for gout foundation diet support see GoutPal Plan for Gout Foodies. Or for uric acid diet support see GoutPal Plan for Gout Dieters.

More Gout Diet Help

As you can see, there are many gout diet issues, but I urge you not to become obsessed by food.

Especially avoid connecting specific foods to gout – it is your whole diet that matters, not just one or two food and drink items.

You need to assess your current diet, in the context of your height, weight, lifestyle, and health. Then develop a plan to gradually improve any weaknesses.

You can get updates to current discussions about gout diet, and other gout issues, from my Gout Forum Update Service:

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If you want more information about aspects of gout other than diet, see the Gout Guidelines Introduction. But for personal help, ask about your gout diet in the gout forum.

Leave Gout Diet to browse the Gout Guidelines Introduction.

Please remember: to find more related pages that are relevant to you, use the search box near the top of every page.

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