Gout is a type of arthritis caused by too much uric acid building up in the joints. Uric acid is formed when a substance called purine breaks down, which can be found in different foods.
By reducing the amount of purine in your diet, you can effectively manage gout symptoms and prevent flare-ups, along with taking prescribed medication.
A Mediterranean-style diet is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which can help reduce inflammation and alleviate gout symptoms, further supporting your gout management efforts.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of following a diet for gout, including a sample 7-day plan featuring daily meals and a corresponding shopping list.
Best Foods for a Gout Diet
The general principles of a gout diet follow typical healthy diet recommendations, with some extra things to consider.
Foods low in purines include:
- Low-fat and nondairy fat products: low-fat yogurt, skim milk, low-fat cheeses like mozzarella and eggs
- Fresh fruits and vegetables: research shows that even high-purine vegetables like spinach and asparagus do not trigger gout attacks (1).
- Nuts, seeds, and legumes
- Whole grains: such as brown variations of rice, bread, and pasta
- Lean meat: such as chicken and some seafood. Red meat is fine occasionally in smaller amounts
Foods to Limit on a Gout Diet
Generally speaking, high-purine foods are the main offenders.
These are classified as foods with more than 200 mg of purines per 100 grams (2). Moderately-high purine foods which contain 150 – 200 mg of purines and foods containing lots of fructose should also be avoided.
The foods that fall into these categories include:
- Organ meats: Examples include liver, kidneys, sweetbreads and brain
- Game meats: Examples include pheasant, veal and venison
- Certain seafood: these include anchovies, shellfish, sardines and tuna
- Sugary foods and beverages: These include sodas, fruit juices, bakery goods, candy and sweetened cereals
- Alcohol: In particular, Beer and distilled liquors are associated with a frequency of gout attacks. Moderate wine consumption seems fine.
- Refined carbohydrates: Examples include white bread, pasta and cakes
- Processed foods: These include sausages, bacon and ham
Although refined carbohydrates are low in purines, they can still raise uric levels (3).
Some types of seafood contain more purines than others.
The worst for people with gout are trout, scallops, sardines, mussels, mackerel, herring, haddock, cod and anchovies. Salmon and certain types of shellfish such as crab, lobster, oyster and shrimp are lower in purines.
However, the overall health benefits of eating fish in smaller amounts, particularly fatty fish, may outweigh the risks for people with gout.
What’s the Best Diet for Gout?
We highly recommend following a Mediterranean diet if you want to help manage gout.
It contains all the foods that are recommended to eat and avoids all foods mentioned. The only alteration needed would be to only eat certain seafood such as salmon.
Although it is best known for improving health and reducing heart disease risk, studies have found it can help the reduce risk of hyperuricemia (excess uric acid) and therefore, prevent and treat gout (4, 5, 6).
It’s regularly rated as one of the best diets to follow, both because of how healthy it is and how sustainable it is to follow over the long term. US News ranked it as the number 1 diet.
This is great for people who want a long-term solution that they can stick to forever rather than a short-term fix.
Various leading organizations also support eating a Mediterranean diet to help with gout, including:
If you want more information on the Mediterranean diet itself, check out our full guide on what the Mediterranean diet covers here.
Gout Diet Meal Plan
Sample Menu
In the meal plan are recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Blueberry Blues Porridge | Greek Salad | Haddock Risotto |
| Tues | Basil & Spinach Scramble | Falafel Wraps | Eggplant & Lentil Bake |
| Wed | Tomato & Watermelon Salad | Carrot, Orange & Avocado Salad | Mediterranean Chicken, Quinoa & Greek Salad |
| Thurs | Blueberry Blues Porridge | Mixed Bean Salad | Grilled Vegetables with Bean Mash |
| Fri | Basil & Spinach Scramble | Panzanella Salad | Salmon & Chickpea Salad |
| Sat | Tomato & Watermelon Salad | Spiced Carrot & Lentil Soup | Chicken Gyros |
| Sun | Blueberry Blues Porridge | Moroccan Chickpea Soup | Spicy Mediterranean Beet Salad |
Snacks are recommended between meal times. Some good snacks include:
- A handful of nuts or seeds
- A piece of fruit
- Carrots or baby carrots
- Berries or grapes
Day 1: Monday
Breakfast: Breakfast Blues Porridge
Nutrition
- Calories – 347
- Protein – 15g
- Carbs – 42g
- Fat – 15g
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients (for 2 people)
- ½ cup (50g) porridge oats
- ⅚ cup (200ml) milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- ⅛ cup (25g) chia seeds
- ¾ cup (150g) blueberries
- ⅓ cup (25g) flaked almonds
Instructions
- Mix the porridge oats, milk, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt and chia seeds in a bowl and soak for one minute. Once the oats have softened, add some of the blueberries.
- Place the mixture into two bowls and add any remaining berries and almonds.
Lunch: Greek Salad
Nutrition
- Calories – 273
- Protein – 6g
- Carbs – 14g
- Fat – 24g
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients (for 2 people)
- ⅘ cup (120g) cherry tomatoes,
- 1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ⅓ (60g) or about 16 Kalamata olives
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ⅓ cup (50g) feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and lightly season. Serve with wholemeal bread.
Dinner: Haddock Risotto
Nutrition
- Calories – 508
- Protein – 40g
- Carbs – 46g
- Fat – 15g
Prep time + cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients (for 2 people)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large leek, thinly sliced
- ½ cup (100g) risotto rice, such as arborio or carnaroli
- 1 ½ cups (350ml) vegetable stock
- ½ cup (125ml) milk
- 9-10 oz (280g) smoked haddock,
- skinned and cut into large chunks
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 ⅔ cups (50g) baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400F (200C). Heat the oil in an oven-proof dish over a medium heat. Cook the leek for 4-5 minutes, until just tender. Add the rice and stir for 2 extra minutes.
- Add the stock and milk, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the haddock on top. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 18 minutes until the rice is tender.
- Add the Greek yogurt and spinach and season. Cover the pan again and leave to rest out of the oven for 3 minutes before serving.