Dietary Management of Uric Acid Levels

One of the hazards of becoming older is getting aches and pains on a more frequent basis. You might be puzzled when your doctor tells you that one of the causes of joint pain is high levels of uric acid in your blood. Uric acid is produced in the body through the breakdown of foods that contain nitrogen compounds or purines. When they accumate in the blood faster than your body can eliminate them through the kidneys and urine, the uric acid levels in your blood spike. If your kidneys are not functioning properly, they would be inefficient at excreting uric acid and this can also increase uric acid levels.

High levels of uric acid lead to the formation of crystals in the bones causing them to become stiff. It can also cause fatigue and in the long run lead to gout. Kidney stones can also be formed from such crystals.

High levels of uric acid can be effectively managed with a few dietary changes.Here are a few dietary changes that you can make for better management of your uric acid levels:

1. One of the first changes that you must make include drinking large amounts of water, about 12-15 glasses per day so that the kidneys can eliminate uric acid through the formation of urine.
2. Drinking less alcohol, coffee and tea will help as they are beverages that can promote purine production. Taking in these liquids might mean that you drink less water.
3. Another step you can take is to stop intake of foods having animal proteins like mutton, beef, duck, herring, sardines, prawns, crab and organ meat. All these proten containing foods lead to high level of uric acid in the blood.
4. Salt and processed foods also promote high uric acid levels and it would be better to keep these at minimal levels.
5. Eat more vegetables that are low in purine. These include green vegetables, beetroot, carrot, and lettuce. This does not mean that all vegetables are fine. Cauliflower, spinach, green peas and mushrooms that you might think are healthy but they have high purine content and it would be wiser to avoid them as far as possible.
6. Fruits like apples, guavas, papaya, bananas and cherries will help to reduce the buildup of uric acid in the blood.
7. Olive oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids should be used as a dressing for all your salads.
8. Fiber rich foods like oats can help minimize uric acid levels in your blood.

Effective diet management should be combined with regular exercise and proper intake of the prescribed medications to keep your uric acid levels at normal levels.