Healthy Habits to Fight Gout

So you might be a gout sufferer worrying about how to reduce uric acid in your body, but you don't want to resort to taking pharmaceuticals right away. That is a very smart and healthy way of thinking, as drugs might have side effects in the long run that might harm you. Luckily for you there are natural and healthy steps you can take to lower the risk of having painful gout attacks. Just make it a habit to follow these tips.

1. Drink plenty of water. Yes, it's as simple as that. Water dissolves uric acid and helps the kidneys and your excretory system maintain a healthy level of it in your body. Make it a point to drink 2 - 3 liters or 8- 10 glasses of water daily, evenly spaced throughout the day. I know I don't have to remind you to not try to drink it all at once.

2. Maintain a healthy body weight. Gout patients are typically men who are in their 40′s and are slightly to morbidly overweight or obese. Exercise regularly and maintain a proper healthy nutrition to reach and maintain your ideal weight. This will help reduce your uric acid levels. However, crash dieting or a sudden drop in your weight is counterproductive and may actually increase the concentration in your body and cause gout attacks. Also, make sure you don't overuse the gout affected areas of your body during exercise.

3. Watch your purine intake. Uric acid is the byproduct formed when your body breaks down and metabolizes purines. Purines are organic compounds found in the genetic structure of plants and animals. That means all kinds of food have purines, though some foods contain more purines than others, and as a result produces more uric acid when they are digested.

It is just common sense to watch what food you eat and know what foods to avoid with gout. You can also take up a low purine diet, where you eliminate foods with high purine content from your diet. This will help lower your uric acid levels and prevent your gout from acting up.

The most important factor for these tips to work is discipline. It might mean saying no to your favorite dish or dragging yourself to the gym or health club. But I am sure you'll agree that this is a worthy trade-off to the excruciating pain of suffering from gout.