Holidays are a time to get together and share happy times and delicious foods. Way too many delicious foods. Fatty foods. Sugary foods. Rich drinks laced with alcohol.
If you’re one of the nearly 4% of women and men in the United States who have gout, it may seem that the holidays were designed to torture you. How can you maintain a purine-free diet when purines are on display in all their glory at every work party, holiday get-together, and family dinner?
You don’t want to be a sourpuss with two sticks of celery on your plate. And you don’t want to dictate to anyone who invites you to a party what they should serve. Still, you need to keep your uric acid levels below 6 mg/dl.
So, can you participate in the holidays without being a Grinch or triggering a flare? The choices don’t have to be so extreme.
Dr. Kimberly Bolling and our team at her Bowie, Maryland, office want you to enjoy the holidays as fully as you can. However, we know that’s hard to do if you’re in pain from a gout flare.
Follow these holiday tips to learn how you can enjoy yourself.
Start any holiday feast by scouting the buffet or dining table for dishes filled with cruciferous vegetables. This family of veggies contains a compound called sulforaphane, which can lower inflammation. Load up on:
And don’t forget, sauerkraut is made from cabbage, so that counts, too.
If you’re a guest, you can bring a dish or a beverage that’s gout-friendly and delicious, too. Instead of wine (you must avoid alcohol), tote a bottle of tart cherry juice. Some studies suggest that cherries and tart cherry juice lower uric acid.
You might also bring or make a form of low-glycemic, low-purine cherry pie or fruitcake. Get creative with baking and casseroles so that you know you have at least one dish that’s gout-friendly, but still a crowd pleaser.
If they’re topped with marshmallows, scoop those off, but otherwise, sweet potatoes are a good choice at any feast. Whether baked, mashed, or whipped up into a pie, sweet potatoes are full of fiber and beta carotene.
Sweet potatoes do have purines, but the purines in most vegetables don’t seem to affect gout at all. If you’re not a sweet-potato fan, most whole grains are also good for gout.
You don’t have to cook a holiday turkey or ham this season. Scour the web or your cookbooks for lavish recipes for fatty fish, such as salmon. King Salmon is the fattiest, most delicious, and has a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. Buy it wild-caught, if possible.
Avoid seafood, though; it can be high in purines. Garnish your delicious fish dish with plenty of vegetables.
More than ever, you need to stay hydrated if you have gout. Winter’s winds make it easy to reach for an alcoholic beverage that warms you up, but you must resist if you want to stay flare-free.
Absolutely avoid beer, which has a double-purine whammy in both the purine level in the alcohol as well as purines from malt. If you must drink, take a glass of wine and nurse it well.
Ideally, though, drink water, seltzer, fruit-infused waters, tea, and coffee. Put them in a fancy glass and garnish with fruit to be extra festive. The good news is that black coffee may actually help you eliminate uric acid, so feel free to have a cup or two.
The good news is that the choices you make to take care of your gout are healthy choices for almost anyone. So, if you’re hosting a party, feel free to fix only gout-friendly dishes.
If your imagination is running thin when it comes to making holiday dishes gout-friendly, look at the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet. The Nordic diet also emphasizes fish (not seafood!), and might also give you ideas for dinners or dishes.
If you’re still concerned that gout may ruin your holidays, give us a call. We may be able to prescribe medication that temporarily lowers your uric acid levels to reduce your risk of a flare.
Call our team at 301-352-0090 for a gout evaluation and treatment today, or click here for our appointment form.
