Approximately 1 in every 363 people in the US have gout. So it is not surprising there are a lot of people looking for the best diets for gout, and the relief they can offer.

If you've had a gout attack you know just how painful it can be - a swollen, red, hot-to-the-touch, painful and stiff joint or joints. Once someone has had gout, they will do almost anything not to go through it again.

Urate crystals forming in the spaces between your joints and in the soft tissues surrounding the joints cause gout. These crystals have sharp, jagged edges that dig into the joint, causing inflammation and pain.

One of the differences between gout and 'normal' arthritis is the swiftness in which symptoms present themselves. Usually a gout sufferer has no idea that an attack is looming and will wake up in the middle of the night with a very sore joint, usually the big toe. This can be pretty worrying when the initial attack occurs, as many people don't associate the symptoms with arthritis, but as perhaps an infection or bite of some sort.

In order for urate crystals to form in the joints a person needs to have hyperuricemia. This condition, although not dangerous in itself, develops when there is an excess of uric acid in the blood stream.

When accumulation of uric acid in the blood reaches saturation point, urate crystals form. They strike the foot and ankle joints commonly, as these joints are cooler than the rest of the body and urate crystals need a cooler environment in which to form.

Uric acid is formed during the breakdown of purines in the body. Purine is found naturally in the body and also eaten in the food we eat in our diets. They are particularly high in animal proteins. For this reason, following a gout friendly diet is advisable if you've had a gout attack or gout runs in your family.

Unfortunately, some people are predisposed to gout, as their bodies do not efficiently eliminate uric acid. These people need to be especially careful with their diets to keep the levels of purine in the diet low.

Uric acid is dissolved in our blood and from there taken to the kidneys to be processed and eliminated in urine. If there is a problem with the processing function, either too much uric acid is produced, or the kidneys can't keep up, a build up occurs leading to hyperuricemia.

By avoiding foods high in purine we can help to reduce the amount of uric acid produced by the body.

Purine is found in a lot of what we eat, however, there are some purine-rich foods that are best avoided by gout sufferers - Some of these are:

red meats
offal
processed meat
some shellfish
gravy
yeast and yeast extracts
alcohol

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When adopting a diet for gout you should look to avoid or severely restrict your intake of purine rich foods and eat instead a low fat, low purine diet. This doesn't have to mean dull and boring though, as there are many foods that fall into this category.

You'll notice that alcohol is on the foods to avoid list. This is because it raised uric acid production and alcohol like beer is high in purine. When having an attack all alcohol should be avoided.

Once your symptoms have disappeared you could introduce some alcohol back into your diet, however, it should only be in moderation or you may run the risk of inducing another attack.

Staying sufficiently hydrated is very important for everyone, but more so for gout sufferers as it helps to dilute the uric acid and allows the kidneys to flush excess uric acid through your system faster.

By working out which are the best diets for gout and knowing what to avoid you increase your chances of removing your gout symptoms quickly and efficiently.