Diet plays a significant role in the effective treatment and prevention of gout. Let’s take a look at some foods for gout, according to Ayurveda.
A proper diet allows longer remission of symptoms and keeps blood uric acid under control.
So what are the best foods for gout? And what exactly is gout?
Gout is a form of arthritis. It is a metabolic disorder of uric acid.
Gout is primarily associated with high uric acid levels in the blood (hyperuricemia) that causes joint pain or arthritic symptoms.
Gout can be correlated to Vatarakta (gout) in Ayurveda which is caused by excessively aggravated Vayu (Vata) and vitiated blood (Rakta).
Here is a list of foods for gout, recommended in Ayurveda for different types of arthritic gout (Vatarakta) or accumulation of crystals (uric acid or urate) in the joints.
For those suffering from gout the following foods should be included in the diet.1,2,3
Old barley, wheat, wild rice (Nivara), red rice (Sali), rice harvested in 60 days or short grain rice (Shashtika) and puffed rice (Laja) as they are easily digestible. Read more about rice and its benefits here.
Look for ancient grains when shopping for old barley. Red rice can be found in specialty stores and local natural grocers.
Legumes and pulses are known as Shami dhanya varga.
These include Pigeon peas, Bengal gram and green gram or mung beans which are wholesome and delicious when cooked (Mudga).
Lentils (Masura) of all kinds are readily available. Moth beans (dew beans, Turkish gram or Makustha) prepared with ghee in liberal quantity are also supportive.
Gallinaceous birds are heavy-bodied, ground feeding birds. The most commonly consumed of these birds is quail.
Other gallinaceous birds include wood pigeons, grey pigeons and wild sparrows. And if you’re willing, wild cock, partridge, lark, and pecking birds (Pratuda) like peacock, hen and parrot.
Traditional leafy greens include kale, collards, chard, spinach and arugula. You may also try small water clover (Marsilea minuta), black nightshade (Makoi, Solanum nigrum), goose foot (Bathua, Chenopodium album), malabar spinach (Basella rubra), sizzled with ghee and a pinch of black salt.
Bitter gourds include bitter gourd (Momordica Charantia), amaranth greens (Amaranthus), elephant yam (amorphophallus campanulatus), ginger (Zingiber officinale), fenugreek leaves (Trigonella feonumgreacum), pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica), ash gourd (Banincusa hisipida), spinach (Spinacia Oleracea), sickle senna (Cassia tora), bottle gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris) and cucumber (Cucumis utilisimus).
Fruits good for gout include grapes, berries like currants, cherries, cranberries, pears, prunes and large raisins.
In the case of gout, the best dairy foods for gout include cow’s milk, buffalo milk, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk as well as butter and ghee.
Drink plenty of fluids, particularly water.
Mix a tablespoon of castor oil in the beverage of your choice. This could be your morning cup of tea or coffee or a juice, or you could mix it in a glass of milk last thing at night. Castor oil is a purgative. Be forewarned, loose stools may naturally result from taking castor oil.
Please consult a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner before following the above-mentioned dietary guidelines and foods for gout.
References
1 Charaka samhita chikitsa sthana 29 verse 50-53, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series, Varanasi.
2 Sri Lakshmi pati Shastry Yogratnakar chapter vatarakta Pathya Apathya Chowkhamba Prakashan, Varanasi.
3 Dr. Rohit Ranjan VATARAKTA (GOUT): CAUSES, SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT WORLD JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES.
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