Many people don't know that gout is actually one of the many forms of arthritis; hence gouty arthritis. In fact it's probably the most painful form of arthritis. But it can be managed, so that you need not suffer frequent attacks. Here you'll discover how diet can help you to beat your gout...

1 - Symptoms

Gouty arthritis symptoms are typically; redness, swelling, stiffness, heat, inflammation and great pain. Gout appears mostly in the big toe, but it also appears in the foot, ankle, knee, hand, wrist, etc.

2 - Causes

Let's just remind ourselves what causes gouty arthritis: The actual symptoms are caused by microscopic crystals -- they can be seen in an x-ray -- that form in your joints. These usually occur when you have high uric acid in your blood. And uric acid is a byproduct of the breakdown of 'purines' in your body. These are chemical compounds that are part of your normal metabolizing process.

But purines also exist in our foods, and at varying levels. If your diet is high in purines, your body will manufacture more uric acid. So if your body produces more uric acid than your kidneys can cope with you end up with high uric acid in your body, leading to gouty arthritis.

3 - Gouty Arthritis Diet

It makes sense if you're a gout victim to look closely at your diet, and adjust it where necessary. High purine foods to avoid in your diet are within the following food groups; red meat, game, organ meat, poultry, seafood, dried legumes, yeast and alcohol, especially beer.

Food types that make up a good gouty arthritis diet are things like; essential fatty acids, complex carbohydrates, low-fat dairy products, high vitamin C foods, green leafy vegetables (but not cauliflower, asparagus, mushrooms, or spinach), fruit and plenty of water.

But be careful changing to a gouty arthritis diet too quickly during an actual attack because such a sudden change will make your symptoms even worse for a while. Make the change gradually over time.

4 - Other Issues to Address

There are many other underlying issues to address. For example there are lifestyle issues, weight issues, stress, some drugs, family history of arthritis / gout, medical conditions, etc., that can all conspire to trigger the conditions that give rise to gouty arthritis.

And recurring gout can eventually cause kidney problems, hypertension and permanent joint damage. Plus, once you've suffered an attack, your chances of having more are much, much higher. So, as well as doing all you can to eliminate the symptoms, you need to do even more to prevent further attacks ruining your health...