How Food Affects Uric Acid Levels

When you start to do any research about what to do about gout, (as I’m sure you have since you’re here now) you find an abundance of information about uric acid levels and high purine foods. This is an important part of understanding how to treat gout, but it is not the complete picture.

It is essential to get your head wrapped around the concept of purine rich foods for a simple reason; they produce acidic waste and raises uric acid levels. What often gets overlooked however is that ALL foods produce some kind of waste or byproduct that may be vital, or detrimental to what our bodies need in the way of minerals and nutrients.

The Controversy About Uric Acid Levels and Gout

It all goes back to the conversation about how the cell membrane works and what is happening at the cellular level – or more specifically, the health of our cells. In our modern world, so many different toxic substances infiltrate our inner environment causing all kinds of difficulties for our liver, kidneys, pancreas, and other organs. The over-abundance of toxic materials and elevated uric acid levels compromise the way fuels and nutrients get INTO our cells to be utilized or burned, as well as what happens to the waste, or byproducts, or ash GETTING OUT of the cells.

The other critical factor about how fuels and nutrients get into the cells and the waste products get out, is the medium of water that they both travel in. It’s called the Interstitial Fluid or Inner Sea. Each cell actually “floats” in a layer of water, receiving fuel and removing waste. This is why dehydration can have a serious role in causing gout and affecting uric acid levels.

Acid/Alkaline Balance

I talk all the time about the need to “alkalize” in order to free yourself from gout pain and to prevent future gout attacks. The reason for this is simple: as I said earlier, all foods produce some type of waste or byproduct and more technically, it’s referred to as “ash”.
Some foods will produce a neutral ash, some an alkaline ash, and some produce an acidic ash. They all have value but the proportions are what cause the problems. Without making it too complicated, our bodies and our blood function at a slightly alkaline level. Depending on an unlimited number of factors, there can be a need for the body to utilize different essential alkaline or acid minerals in order to maintain pH balance in the body. The kidneys manage this…under normal conditions.

But what is “normal”? A diet of processed foods? Polluted smoggy air? Water treated with toxic chemicals? Stressful, busy lives? A sedentary life sitting at a computer? Sleepless nights filled with anxiety? If you have gout, (which is why you’re here) how many of these describe you?

They all add to the difficulty your body goes through trying to manage the pH of your body chemistry.

How Different Foods Affect UA Levels

This is a quick guideline to reference in regards to what foods produce neutral, alkaline, or acidic ash:

• Neutral

High-quality, real butter, and whole, raw milk are neutral because they burn completely or almost completely.

• Alkaline

Most fruits and vegetables leave an alkaline ash. This is because they predominately contain the minerals; potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium. Some nuts like almonds, chestnuts, and coconuts are also alkaline ash foods.

• Acid

Typically breads, cereals, fish, meats, eggs and poultry are acid ash foods. This is because of high amounts of chlorine, sulfur, and phosphorus. Also Brazil nuts, peanuts and walnuts are acid ash foods.

Beans and legumes can be problematic because they are often high protein foods that have a corresponding high purine content. Some can be alkaline ash producing while others are acid ash producing.

Synthetic Chemicals Play a Part in UA Levels

What further complicates this issue and makes it increasingly difficult to measure and understand, are all the additives that are found in our foods today.

There are several sources to contend with:

• Synthetic fertilizers in the soils our plants grow in,
• The herbicides and pesticides that are sprayed on them, and
• The additional flavor-enhancing and shelf-life boosting non-natural substances they’re combined with.

Our bodies are not designed, equipped or prepared to handle these foreign materials.

Add to that list drugs – both pharmaceutical and recreational. Slowly those unrecognized elements confuse the body’s natural ability to function properly.

This brings home the importance of eating real, natural foods. Some of the acid-forming foods play an vital role in the proper functioning of our bodies – but not in over-whelming quantities. Many of the most important vitamins for strong kidney health are the fat soluble vitamins found in high quality meats, especially grass-fed beef.

Making the commitment to eliminate processed foods and fast foods from your diet is the one of the best things you can do to prevent gout. The less metabolism-confusing substances that your body has to deal with, the better.

Eating “live”, nutritious fruits, vegetables, and meats and proteins in the right proportions can help to clean out toxic, acidic wastes that are upsetting the pH balance of your inner environment. 80% alkaline-forming fruits and vegetables and 20% acid-forming proteins in the right proportion. High quality butter and raw, whole milk will help to supply some of the fat-soluble vitamins as well.

   ☆ The foods you eat can make a difference in your UA levels.