When you have had aches and pains for a few weeks or even months, you might wonder if there is something more serious going on with your body than just aging. In order to rule anything out, you might want to check with your doctor. And if the doctor tells you there is gout in your system, then you will have a reason for all of your aches and pains. What is gout? Can it go away? What can you do to lessen the pain?

Symptoms of Gout

There are a few symptoms of gout the doctor will ask you about. Do your feet or other joints hurt as soon as you roll out of bed in the morning? Does the pain increase throughout the day, as you are active and only go away with rest? Do you feel worse after certain meals? Depending on what your answers are, the doctor might order more tests to determine if you have gout. They may order a blood test, xrays or even a urine test.

When you have gout, that means your body has a higher than normal amount of uric acid in the system. Uric acid produces crystals that get deposited in the joints throughout your body, which make it hard and painful to bend the joint, resulting in a lot of joint pain. Uric acid comes from certain foods you eat. By eating those foods, you can unknowingly make your pain greater without even knowing it.

Foods that turn in to uric acid in your body contain a lot of purines. The purines are broken down and turn in to uric acid. SO, to keep the uric acid levels down, you can simply choose to eat foods with low or no purines in them. The good gout food list includes ones high in vitamin C and D, such as citrus, broccoli, strawberries, tomatoes and melons.

Foods that are high in purines and should be avoided include fatty foods, ice cream, salad dressings, oils and highly processed food. Other foods to avoid include peas, lentils, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, sardines, anchovies, mussels and cod. If you do eat these foods, try to do so in moderation so there isn’t a jump in your uric acid level and you feel gout in feet or other places and have a lot of pain during the next day as the food processes out of your system.