Purine, or purines are found in every plant and animal – including us – on earth. Foods high in purines are greatly emphasized as the culprit for the cause of gout and gout attacks. Let’s change your mindset about that; while a diet high in purines is not the direction we’re headed, living with some sort of purine fear isn’t either. As far as purine definition goes, there are some good things to know.
The purine content of many meats, especially organ meats, as well as some fishes and seafood, various vegetables and some grains, is particularly high – maybe that’s how they came up with the name “Purina” for the dog food. Should us “gout-ers” avoid them? Probably . . . at least for a while.
Purine definition involves a healthy dose of technical chemistry, a good piece of information to know about in relationship to gout, is that the uric acid is produce by the liver in the process of metabolizing purine rich substances. Being careful about what meats you eat and how often is important but not the only thing.
Fear of Purines
Personally I found there to be little or no value in getting all bunched up about how much purine concentration certain foods have, as much as how often I eat foods that have a higher purine content. Here’s an example:
- If I have steak & lobster for dinner one night, I make sure that I don’t have shrimp or a lot of beans the next day.
Learning that whatever your eating should be more live foods; fruits and vegetables than anything, else is a good rule of thumb to live with. Fruits and vegetables are low, or lowest on the scale of purine content . . . not to mention generally more alkalizing and full of antioxidants.
What is more important to realize about purine rich foods is that, while they do cause the body to create more uric acid, they are not the only thing to get focused on to remove gout from your life. Your body is having a hard time dealing with and eliminating an over-abundance of acidity in general. Purine-rich foods have just added to the load and sometimes assist in the boil over. (gout attack)
When seeking purine definition, it always brings concern about meats and shellfish. What’s important to note is that there is an incredible purine content in many different kinds of beans. Even soy products can have enough that you should pay attention to the frequency you eat tofu, or even beans and rice. Do not try to replace meat protein with protein from beans . . . take it from me.
I’ve found more success with myself and the people I work with in focusing on the acidic accumulation of the body; both minimizing the addition of it and the elimination of what has already accumulated.
Limiting purines is only a portion of the gout prevention program.
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