Gout is a painful form of arthritis that is most often associated with the collection of uric acid in the joints of the body. While human beings secrete uric acid as a matter of daily living, when it becomes excessively abundant in the human body, it may result in the medical condition that is known as gout. Physicians have shown that increased levels of uric acid in the blood first and foremost results in the crystallized forms of kidney stones, and then later on also cause arthritic conditions. Interestingly, when it attacks the joints, it usually only attacks one joint in particular, and is most often found in the joint of the big toe, although it may also present at different spots in the body.

For a long time it was believe that what was to blame for the inflammation was diet, for gout suffers used to be found amongst the obese and otherwise overweight. Many folk tales sprang up around diets for gout sufferers, such as a complete abstinence from alcohol and an increased intake of berries that were thought to neutralize the harmful effects of the uric acid inside the body.

It is true that there is a much favored diet for gout sufferers. While it may not reverse the illness altogether, it does go a long ways to helping with the management of the illness in its chronic phase, when flare ups are a usual occurrence, and the sufferer will want to prolong the time between outbreaks. Recommended diets for gout usually involved the following:
•A strict avoidance of alcohol. If you are an alcoholic, you will need to get help immediately to quit this substance.
•Any diet for gout will include the insistence of drinking at the very least eight glasses of water a day. While some moderate dieticians will allow you to drink other liquids, the more hard-lined purists insist on water, to also help flush out other problem substances from the body.
•Exercise regiments are included in your diet for gout. Obesity has been shown to be a factor in the build up of uric acid in the blood stream, and subsequently a normalization of weight must be strived for when attempting to contain flare ups and limit them in occurrence.
•Protein may be the enemy. While this might be a hard pill to swallow for the Atkins and South Beach diet aficionados, protein has been shown to increase the harmful substances in your blood that will cause gout to flare up again. Thus, these proteins should be enjoyed only in moderation. This goes for meat, fish, and even beans and lentils!
•When you do eat protein, limit it to such proteins as tofu and low fat milk products, such as yogurts, and also egg and even peanut butter.
•In a diet for gout, carbohydrates are actually your friends, as long as they are the healthy version of breads, rice, veggies, and especially fruits.
Strawberries and cherries are said to have specially uric acid lowering properties, and for this reason they should be part and parcel of your gout related diet. Go for the fresh fruits rather than the prepackaged, canned varieties, since a lot of the natural goodness is lost in the canning process.