Can you eat eggs and milk for gout? An expert busts myths

An expert's opinion on why eggs and milk are actually GOOD for gout.

By: Sandhya Raghavan | | Updated: March 16, 2017 10:19 am

Milk and eggs, two food items that are often believed to worsen gout, are actually good for you. When we talk about gout, words like uric acid and protein are often thrown around. Those suffering from gout may have heard a million times about why they need to stay off proteins and how it could be bad for them! It is frustrating indeed, especially when they have to hear, No eggs for breakfast! and Stay away from milk! every single day. A gout-friendly diet is already restrictive. A wide variety of Indian staples such as spinach and lentils are off limits. With such limited options, gout suffers often face the problem of finding satisfaction from meals. High satiety foods like milk and eggs always get a bad rap because they are good sources of protein, hence bad for gout. Also Read - World Diabetes Day: Steps to improve metabolism for the prevention of diabetes

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What we need to know is that it is not the protein but the purine in these foods that make gout worse. To weigh in on this matter is expert Geeta Shenoy from Dietitian Geeta Shenoy’s Nutrition & Wellness Clinic, Chembur. Also Read - Treatment for liver disorder during pregnancy ineffective: Experts

Eggs

The biggest mistake we make is that we paint all proteins with the same brush. Contrary to popular beliefs, not all protein-rich foods have high purine. Some proteins like vegetable and cereal proteins are not considered bad for gout, says dietician Shenoy. Eggs contain very less purine, which makes them ideal for gout sufferers. With options like fish off limits, eggs are also a good source of omega 3 fatty acids. They are also full of essential B vitamins like choline, biotin and folic acid. Read: Dos and don’ts for gout.

Milk

Studies have proved that milk is, in fact, good for reducing uric acid levels in the blood, thus lowering the severity of gout. [1] Milk also provides enough calcium for building their bone density and keeping uric acid at bay.

Since most of the flesh foods like chicken, beef and offal are banned, protein intake of gout sufferers is very little. To make up for that loss, they should include milk and eggs in their diet. Read: Recipe for spicy egg pancake and healthy multigrain paratha for gout.

How many eggs and how much milk can you have per day?

You can have 400 ml of milk daily, recommends Dietician Shenoy. She says having one egg daily is perfectly fine. Gout sufferers can also have egg whites instead of whole eggs, she says. Including milk and eggs is an important step in ensuring that you meet your protein requirements while following a highly restrictive diet. Read: Expert tips to live well with gout.

References:

[1]Loenen, H. M., Eshuis, H., L wik, M. R., Schouten, E. G., Hulshof, K. F., Odink, J., & Kok, F. J. (1990). Serum uric acid correlates in elderly men and women with special reference to body composition and dietary intake (Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System). Journal of clinical epidemiology, 43(12), 1297-1303.

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Published : March 8, 2017 4:22 pm | Updated:March 16, 2017 10:19 am

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