Pork has moderately high amounts ofpurinescompounds that produceuric acidwhen digested.
If you have gout, it is important to maintain a low-purine diet.
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What Causes Gout?
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Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis.
It is resulting from excess uric acid orhyperuricemia.
When your body breaks down purines, uric acid is produced as a waste product.
Excessuric acidcan form needle-like crystals between joints, causing joint pain and gout.Pork has moderately high amounts of purines.
This is because it’s a source of lean protein, like poultry.
Pork is an excellent source of nutrients including:
It also contains zinc and potassium.
The following cuts are good sources of lean protein:
These cuts can be part of ahealthy gout diet.
People who are overweight orobeseare at higher risk for gout and gout attacks.
Avoid pig organ meats, which are all high in purines.
These include:
The AHA recommends limiting your serving of pork to 3 ounces.
This is about the size of a deck of cards.
If you have gout, avoid high-purine cuts of pork and high-purine pork products.
Choose cuts and pork products that have less purine and eat them in moderation.
Research has shown that rinsing foods with water before cooking can reduce total purines.This includes pork products like bacon.
For this reason, you should avoid stewing pork or using one-pot recipes.
It’s best to cook your pork alone and then add it to your meal.
Some people may be able to handle higher amounts of purine.
Others will need to be more selective with their food choices to avoid a gout attack.
Monitor your purine intake to understand how your body responds.
If you’re having trouble managing your diet, talk to your healthcare provider.
Summary
If you have gout, you’re free to still eat pork.
Limit your consumption to lean cuts like sirloin and eat small portions.
Avoid organ meats and processed pork products.
Choose cuts that are low in purines.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gout.
American Heart Association.Saturated fat.
Cancer:Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat.
Arthritis Foundation.How fat affects gout.
U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central.Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, mechanically separated, raw.
Semantic Scholar.Reduction of purine content in commonly consumed meat products through rinsing and cooking.
