Shocking! 4 seemingly healthy vegetables are actually "gout bombs"! See if you are eating them?

As we all know, gout and hyperuricemia are related to excessive purine intake. Controlling purine intake in diet can reduce the increase of uric acid to a certain extent.

Many people know that animal offal, seafood, etc. have high purine content, but plant-based high-purine foods are often overlooked.

01

These vegetables have higher purine levels than meat

The purine content of meats such as pork, beef, mutton and chicken is moderate, containing approximately 100 to 150 mg of purine per 100 grams.

The purine content of the following vegetables is far higher than that of meat, and gout patients need to limit their intake.

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1. Asparagus

Asparagus is high in fiber and rich in vitamins, and is the first choice for many people to lose weight and reduce fat.

But the purine content of every 100 grams of asparagus is as high as 500 mg, even higher than that of ordinary seafood.

Xia Wenlong, chief nutritionist at Zhejiang Provincial Tongde Hospital, told the Daily Business News in 2019 that asparagus should be blanched before cooking, which not only reduces purines but also removes oxalic acid. [1]

2. Nori

Many people don’t know that the purine content in seaweed is higher than that in pork liver.

According to the "Chinese Food Composition Table (6th Edition)", every 100 grams of dried seaweed contains 415 mg of purine, which is a high-purine food. Excessive intake can easily increase the uric acid level in the body.

3. Dried beans

Wu Yihao, a resident physician in the Department of Cardiology at the First People's Hospital of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, published an article in Health Times in 2017 stating that

When it comes to the purine content of plant foods, various native legumes are relatively high in purines.

However, tofu and soy milk, which are made from peeled soybeans, do not contain very high levels of purine. [2]

4. Dried mushrooms

In addition, Dr. Wu Yihao reminds that gout patients should pay more attention to mushrooms, which are overlooked high-purine foods.

Although the consumption of dried mushrooms is small, they are still a food that needs to be restricted for patients in the acute stage of gout due to their relatively high purine content. [2]

02

High uric acid levels can be safely eaten with these vegetables

Huang Runyue, chief physician of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, published an article in Health Times in 2022 stating that increased uric acid is the main cause of gout. In addition to drug treatment, diet therapy is an important part of gout.

Eating more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products is good for relieving gout.

The following three kinds of vegetables can be eaten regularly, both during the acute phase and during the remission phase of gout. [3]

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1. Cabbage

The purine content of cabbage is 12.6 mg/100 g, and the calories are 71 kilojoules (based on 100 g of edible part).

Reason for recommendation: Cabbage contains a variety of vitamins and minerals and is alkaline. It can alkalize the urine in the body and promote the excretion of uric acid. It is suitable for gout patients to eat regularly.

2. Water spinach

The purine content of water spinach is 22 mg/100 g, and the calories are 84 kJ (based on 100 g of edible part).

Reason for recommendation: The pectin contained in water spinach can accelerate the excretion of toxic substances in the body, and the lignin can enhance the activity of macrophages, kill bacteria and reduce inflammation, and promote intestinal peristalsis, which has a positive effect on preventing and treating gout combined with constipation and intestinal diseases.

3. Cabbage

Cabbage contains 9.7 mg of purine per 100 g and 92 kJ of calories (based on 100 g of edible part).

Reason for recommendation: Cabbage basically contains no purine and contains a large amount of vitamin C, which helps the human body excrete harmful substances.

Eating cabbage regularly can nourish the marrow, benefit the joints, strengthen the tendons and bones, benefit the five internal organs, regulate the six internal organs, clear away heat and relieve pain. Moreover, the purine content in cabbage is extremely low.

03

Don’t believe any of these dietary misconceptions about high uric acid!

Myth 1: Animal foods are all high-purine foods

Some patients believe that animal foods are high in purine, so they stay away from animal foods such as fish, meat, eggs, and milk in their diets.

This understanding is incorrect.

Liu Peng, chief nutritionist of the Clinical Nutrition Department of Peking University People's Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2014, pointing out that

Animal food refers to a large category of food including fish, meat, eggs, milk, etc., which are rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

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Many of these foods do contain large amounts of purines, such as animal offal, broth, various meats, and most fish.

However, milk and eggs are low-purine foods and are high-quality proteins rich in essential amino acids, so gout patients can eat them.

Myth 2: Tea and coffee are good for uric acid excretion

Dr. Liu Peng said that strong tea, coffee and other beverages themselves do not increase the purine content, but they can excite the autonomic nervous system, aggravate gout, and may also induce acute gout attacks. Gout patients should try to avoid drinking them. [4]

Myth 3: Gout patients should eat more whole grains

Chen Yao, chief physician of the Endocrinology Department of Fujian Provincial Second People's Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2013, stating that gout patients should eat more fine grains and less coarse grains as the purine content in coarse grains is higher than that in fine grains.

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Common coarse grains include sorghum, corn, millet, brown rice, malt flour, oatmeal, etc.; common refined grains include refined rice, white flour, etc. [5]

Myth 4: The longer the soup is cooked, the better it is

Guan Yang, attending physician of the Nutrition Department of the Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, wrote in Health Times in 2017 that the nutritional value of soup has nothing to do with the cooking time. The soup will have a delicious taste as long as it is cooked for a while.

Moreover, studies have found that the longer the soup is cooked, the more delicious it tastes and the higher the nucleotide content in it.

Purine, which causes gout, is the final product of nucleotide metabolism. This means that the longer the soup is cooked, the higher the risk of inducing gout. [6]

References:

[1] Daily Business News, April 20, 2019, "The right way to eat fresh and tender asparagus: the right way to enjoy its nutritional and delicious taste"

[2] 2017-12-19 Health Times: "Don't Ignore Purine in Vegetarian Food"

[3] 2022-04-19 Health Times "Gout patients should eat more vegetables"

[4] 2014-10-13 Health Times: "To prevent gout, you must first eat right"

[5] 2013-11-07 Health Times: "Patients with Gout Should Eat More Fine Foods and Less Coarse Foods"

[6] 2017-08-29 Health Times: “Attention: Don’t make three mistakes when drinking soup”

Source: Health Times

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