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Excess uric acid can cause an inflammatory condition called gout, which may impact your quality of life. Reducing these acid levels effectively helps minimise gout pain so you can continue doing the things you enjoy. 

Read our concise rundown on how to get gout relief by lowering your uric acid levels with dry fruits. You’ll also find foods to avoid with gout to reduce pain and put gout into remission for a healthy and happy lifestyle.

What causes high uric acid levels?

Some foods you eat, such as alcohol, red meat, and sardines, contain a compound called purine. When the body breaks down purine, it creates uric acid. The kidneys then filter out uric acid and flush it from your body. However, when you have too much of the acid, it builds up and causes a chronic condition called gout.

What is gout?

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Gout is a type of arthritis caused by excess uric acid. The acid transforms into needle-shaped crystals in the joints, triggering inflammation, irritation, and pain. You may suffer from gout attacks, which is when the arthritis flares up for one-to-two weeks, causing throbbing and, sometimes, excruciating pain.

It’s most common to experience gout in the feet, especially the big toe. Uric acid reacts to heat, leading to the formation of sharp crystals in cooler body parts. Your big toes are the furthest away from your heart, making them most susceptible to the crystallisation. However, the condition can affect any of your joints, including gout in your knees, ankles, elbows, and fingers.

Signs of gout

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Gout symptoms vary from person to person. However, general signs of gout include:

  • Swollen, red, and warm joints
  • A throbbing sensation in your joints 
  • Tender joints
  • Chills or a fever
  • Generally feeling unwell

Best dry fruits for gout

Gout is not curable, but the right gout treatment can put the arthritis into remission, which is when the symptoms lessen or disappear. One of the most effective treatments is following a gout diet that reduces uric acid and that includes dry fruits. So, which dried fruits should you eat for gout remedies?

Dates

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Dates are a dark, sticky fruit with a rich, caramel-like flavour and are extremely low in purines. Dates are excellent for treating gout because of their high fibre and potassium content. This increases the pH levels in urine and helps the kidneys get rid of purines to reduce gout symptoms.

Ways to eat dates:

Walnuts

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Whenever you look up healthy foods, walnuts are sure to be there, and for good reason. They are bursting with the fatty acid and protein, omega-3, which is found in many nuts and seeds. It’s a fantastic anti-inflammatory to reduce the swelling from gout in your knees, big toes, elbows, and other joints. Walnuts also contain all nine essential amino acids, which is excellent news for your overall health.

Ways to eat walnuts:

  • Crushed over porridge
  • Sprinkled into salads
  • In a trail mix
  • In energy balls
  • Chopped into whole-grain baked bread

Almonds

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Almonds are a sweet, creamy nut that contains magnesium. A deficiency in the mineral magnesium can trigger inflammation, worsening gout symptoms. However, incorporating enough into your diet will lower uric acid levels and improve blood flow to help your kidneys remove uric acid buildup.

Ways to eat almonds:

Cashews

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Cashews are effective at reducing LDL (low-density lipids) that can cause high-cholesterol, a condition which is often associated with gout. When cholesterol is too high, it activates your auto-immune response and creates swelling, particularly in the joints. However, a handful of cashews a day can help reduce high cholesterol levels and improve gout pain.

Ways to eat cashews:

Flaxseeds

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Flaxseeds, also known as linseeds, are a small golden seed found in the herb Linum Usitatissimum. Similarly to walnuts, they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids to minimise swelling in the joints and ease tenderness. Regular consumption of flaxseeds helps reduce uric acid levels to lower the chance of developing gout and decrease gout symptoms.

Ways to eat flaxseeds:

  • Whizzed into smoothies
  • Sprinkled over cereal or porridge
  • In a salad
  • Flaxseed tea
  • Baked into whole grain bread

Recipe inspiration: Fruity Flax Flapjack.

Extra foods to lower uric acid

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Dried fruits aren’t the only thing you can include in your diet to reduce uric acid levels and naturally decrease gout. Here are some of our other top picks:

  • Tart cherry juice - High in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant to protect against pain and swelling caused by inflammation.

Recipe inspiration: Cherry Juice Mocktail.

  • Coffee - An exceptional anti-inflammatory and natural pain-reliever
  • Green tea and matcha - Potent antioxidants that defend against free radicals to lower the risk of inflammation.

Recipe inspiration: Matcha Mighty Quinoa Porridge.

  • Dark chocolate - Two squares of dark chocolate a day can increase blood flow to your joints and minimise swelling and pain.
  • Whole grains - A great alternative to refined carbs like white bread and pasta. Whole grains are high in fibre and improve heart and gut health for better circulation, which reduces swelling.
  • Drinking plenty of water - Water helps your kidneys flush out excess uric acid. You need about 2 to 2.5 litres of water a day, which you can get from plain water or coffee, breakfast tea, and herbal tea (just be sure to avoid added sugars or full-fat milk).

Foods to avoid with gout

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It’s critical to know what foods to incorporate into your diet to lower uric acid for gout. However, it’s equally important to understand foods that cause gout so you can live pain-free. Here are the top foods that contain high amounts of purine, which triggers gout:

  • Red meat
  • Specific sea foods (such as sardines and tuna)
  • Alcohol 
  • High-fat dairy
  • Sugary foods
  • Processed food 

Lower your uric acids naturally with Grape Tree

Incorporating a healthy gout diet by avoiding specific foods and choosing low-purine options is the best way to treat gout. Check out our dried fruits, nuts, and seeds to improve gout naturally with Grape Tree.

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