A condition characterized by intense swelling and pain in your joints and bones is called arthritis. High levels of uric acid in your blood can contribute to an arthritic condition called gout. The acid causes sudden and severe episodes of inflammation, pain, redness, and warmth in your joints due to the needle-like crystals formed by the acid in your joints.

You cannot completely eliminate the occurrence of gout by your diet but you can certainly control most of the symptoms and pain. Being overweight and losing weight increases and decreases the probability, respectively, of developing gout.

Here are ways to manage arthritis pain through food.

Goals of gout diet

• To achieve and maintain a healthy weight along with good eating habits
• Avoid most food with purines
• Include food that can maintain uric acid levels

Foods to consume

Vegetables
A diet comprising of a lot of vegetables can never go wrong. It is extremely beneficial to a patient with gout. Contrary to popular belief that vegetables aren’t good for people who have gout, due to purine content, it has been found that there is no correlation between gout risk and intake of these vegetables.

Cherries
In 2010, a small study proved that people who take two tablespoons of concentrated cherry juice for a few months reported an experience in which gout attacks reduced by over 50%. Another study in 2012 proved that, after observing two sets of patients, one who ate cherries and the others who didn’t, the former set of patients experienced fewer gout attacks. According to research, cherries reduce uric acid concentration in your blood, thereby reducing a lot of gout symptoms. Cherries are also found to directly act against inflammation.

Water
Drinking water is a great way to manage arthritis pain. The more water you drink, the fewer gout attacks you experience. Consult your doctor to determine how many gallons of water you must drink each day, as you might have other underlying medical conditions.

Dairy
Low-fat dairy products can help in reducing the concentration of uric acid in your blood. According to an observation, people who took low-fat dairy every day experienced fewer gout attacks and symptoms. They also had controlled the concentration of uric acid in their blood. Milk is high in protein and scarce in purine which makes it an excellent food item to help manage arthritis pain caused by gout.

Caffeine
Drinking coffee reduces the risk and worsening of gout in both men and women. People tend to take over five cups a day as it helps with gout. However, caffeine is harmful to your body in other ways so it’s always best to consult your doctor and find out how much coffee is advisable to be taken per day.

Other food items you can include in your diet to help manage gout are complex carbs, vitamin C, among others.

Make sure to avoid certain food products that worsen your condition or increase the risk of you acquiring it. Food to look out for are saturated fatty food, red meat, seafood, high purine food products, alcohol, sugar, and sweetened beverages.