Can't eat bean sprouts if you have gout? Nutritionist: Doing this before cooking is safer

Spring is the peak season for gout, which comes and goes like the wind, causing severe pain in the toes, redness and swelling in the joints, and excruciating pain. We often hear that people who are in the acute stage of gout should avoid eating "sprouts". What foods are sprouts? Can people with gout eat bean sprouts? Let the nutritionist explain below.

Gout now tends to occur in younger people, and many patients even have obesity, high blood lipids, high blood pressure, etc., which is mainly related to current eating habits. In particular, more and more people are found to have excessive uric acid levels during physical examinations. If they do not pay attention to their diet, gout is likely to occur.

Gout patients should stay away from high-purine foods

How to stay away from high-purine foods? One of the sayings is that people with gout should avoid eating bean sprouts. Is this correct? Chen Linzhen, a nutritionist at the New Nutrition Food Generation, said that because plants need a lot of nutrients for cell growth and division when they germinate, they contain rich DNA and RNA, and the components of DNA and RNA include purine. Especially the sprout tips will produce more purine, such as bean sprouts (a general term for soybean sprouts, mung bean sprouts, etc.), asparagus, alfalfa sprouts, etc., which are sprouted vegetables.

But in fact, many studies in recent years have found that this type of plant-based purine does not affect the regulation of uric acid in the body as significantly as purine from animal sources. The 2016 Taiwan Gout and Hyperuricemia Guidelines state that patients who are in the process of a gout attack are restricted from eating the above-mentioned sprouts. Nutritionist Chen Linzhen said that for friends who have a history of gout or a family history, there is no restriction on eating plant-based sources of purine. For example, a portion of it in a lunch box or stir-fried bean sprouts that are often seen in teppanyaki are all acceptable amounts, so there is no need to worry too much.

If you are worried that plant purine may affect your uric acid level, do this before cooking**

Bean sprouts are a good source of vegetables. For example, mung bean sprouts contain more vitamin C than many vegetables. The vitamin C content in 100g of mung bean sprouts is even higher than the same gram of lemon. As mentioned earlier, plant sources of purine do not affect uric acid regulation as significantly as animal sources of purine. However, if you are still worried that the purine in soybean sprouts or mung bean sprouts may affect uric acid levels, you can remove the purine-rich tips of the bean sprouts before cooking to make "silver sprouts", which will taste better. Whether it is made into a cold salad with black fungus, stir-fried bean skin and silver sprouts, or boiled corn silver sprout soup, it is a great choice.

If you are still worried that the purine in soybean sprouts or mung bean sprouts may affect the uric acid level, you can remove the purine-rich tips of the sprouts before cooking.

In fact, compared to the sprouts mentioned above, gout patients need to pay special attention to the restrictions on plant-based food sources, such as dried mushrooms, seaweed, kelp and other dry goods. This is because the moisture of the ingredients will be lost after being exposed to the sun, which will concentrate the amount of purine in the ingredients. In addition, these ingredients are often used as soups, so it is easy for high amounts of purine to be directly consumed into the body. Therefore, it is especially recommended that gout patients limit their intake of such foods.

In addition, gout patients need to pay special attention to avoid high-calorie diets. High-calorie diets are usually accompanied by high protein and high fat, which have a greater impact than sprouts. They should also avoid drinking alcohol. The following are the dietary principles that gout patients should pay attention to:

【Dietary tips for gout patients】

Avoid fish, meat, and high-purine foods

A big meal is inevitably full of meat and high-fat cooking methods. The animal protein provided by meat, after being broken down in the body, will produce the so-called purine, which will form uric acid after being metabolized by the body. People with a history of gout are not as good as ordinary people in metabolizing uric acid. The uric acid that cannot be metabolized will remain in the blood, and there is a high chance of gout attacks.

But this does not mean that gout patients cannot eat meat at all. We still need enough protein to maintain the functioning of our bodies. It is recommended to avoid proteins with high purine content such as offal and seafood, and choose low-fat meat (including: chicken breast, lean pork, etc.). Seafood can be selected from sea cucumbers and jellyfish skins with low purine content, and eat them in moderation. The recommended protein intake for one meal is 2 servings of low-fat meat (60 grams, about the size of three fingers times two). You can also choose fresh milk, yogurt, eggs and other low-purine protein foods as replacements.

Avoid high-fat foods such as fried foods

Too much fat in food will inhibit the metabolism of uric acid in the body, making it more difficult for the body to metabolize uric acid and increasing the chance of gout. Therefore, the amount of cooking oil should be appropriate. It is recommended that half of the dishes should be cooked using low-oil cooking methods, such as steaming, boiling, baking, braising, and cold dishes, and avoid frying or deep-frying foods.

New Nutrition Food Generation nutritionist Chen Linzhen.

Sufficient intake of vegetables and fruits

Eating more vegetables and fruits can keep the urine alkaline, which is beneficial to the metabolism of uric acid and prevents the deposition of sodium urate crystals in the joints that cause gout. It also provides rich fiber, which can speed up the metabolism of fats, cholesterol, etc., and thus reduce obesity, which is one of the risk factors for gout attacks. In addition, fruits can provide vitamin C. Studies published in the International Journal of Rheumatology in 2012 and 2015 showed that vitamin C can increase uric acid metabolism, and found that people with vitamin C deficiency have higher levels of uric acid in their blood.

Drink enough water

Uric acid is excreted from the body through our urine, so water plays a very important role in the excretion of uric acid. The daily water intake should reach 2000 to 3000 c.c. It should be noted that beverages such as coffee and tea can achieve diuresis if consumed in moderation, but water needs to be supplemented more to avoid insufficient water in the blood, which will increase the concentration of uric acid in the blood.

Alcohol is strictly prohibited

Especially for people who suffer from frequent gout attacks, they need to strictly limit their alcohol intake, especially beer. Studies have shown that drinking alcohol increases the amount of uric acid in the blood. In addition, the lactic acid produced by the metabolism of alcohol can also make uric acid metabolism difficult. Many acute gout attacks are caused by drinking alcohol, so it is important to limit alcohol intake if you want to avoid gout attacks.