Can you eat lamb when you have gout?

In this article we are going to answer can you eat lamb when you have gout, what is lamb, what is gout, what food you can eat when you have gout, and what food you can’t eat if you have gout.

Can you eat lamb when you have gout?

Yes, you can eat lamb when you have gout but in moderation, if you can avoid it is better. Lambs and other types of meat such as beef contain the highest amounts of purines. Eating too much lamb can trigger a gout attack. 

The safest meat to add to your diet when you have gout is pork and chicken which has less purine content. 

What is a lamb?

Lamb or also called hogget or mutton refers to the meat of domesticated sheep. The sheep in their first year of life is called lamb while in their second year is hogget. When it is older, it is called mutton. 

  • Lamb: a young sheep under 12 months with no permanent incisor teeth in wear.
  • Hogget: a sheep with no more than two permanent incisors in wear.
  • Mutton: is the meat of the female or castrated male with two or more permanent incisors. 

Lamb is the most popular and expensive of the three types of meat. Lamb meat is taken from the animal between one month and one year old. It is tender meat and it can be sorted into three types of meat

  • Forequarter: it includes the neck, shoulder, front legs, and ribs up to the shoulder. It contains more connective tissue than some other cuts. 
  • Loin: includes the ribs 
  • Hindquarter: includes the rear legs and hip

The cuts of the lamb according to the UK, Canada, and Commonwealth countries include

  • Scrag end 
  • Middle neck
  • Best end
  • Loin
  • Chump
  • Leg
  • Shank
  • Shoulder
  • Breast

Lamb chops are cut from the rib, loin, and shoulder areas while the rib chops include a rib bone and the loin chop includes only a chine bone.

What is gout?

Gout is a type of arthritis that can affect anyone. It is characterized by sudden and severe pain, swelling, redness, and tenderness in one or more joints. It is characterized to affect the big toe of the feet. 

Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid or hyperuricemia. Uric acid is produced naturally by our body and it breaks down to purine. You can also ingest purines in some food you eat. When uric acid levels are high, uric acid crystals form and build up in joints, fluids, and tissues within the body.

Attacks because of gout usually happen in the middle of the night with the big toe swollen and tender.  Symptoms of goats include

  • Intense joint pain, especially in ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, and fingers. 
  • Lingering discomfort
  • Inflammation and redness
  • Limited range of motion

Is lamb healthy to eat when you have gout?

Lamb is a healthy protein to eat but it has a high content of purines. 100 grams of lamb contains 258 calories, 25.6 grams of protein, 0 grams of carbohydrates, and 16.5 grams of fat. 

Lamb is primarily composed of protein and when cooked, is about 25% of lean protein. Protein is essential for the proper build and repair of tissues when pregnant. Because of its high content of protein, lamb is one of the highest foods with purines.

Uric acid is created from purines found in different foods. Daily food intake should not create more than 300 mg of uric acid to prevent a gout attack. 

Purine/100 g foodUric Acid/100 g food
Mutton chop61146
Lamb76182
Beef liver231554
Pork63150
Chicken with skin 125300
Salmon68163
Halibut123294
Milk00
Brussels sprouts2560

Based on this table, you can eat some proteins but you need to moderate your intake to prevent gout attacks. 

What food should you avoid if you have gout?

When you have gout you should avoid eating food high in uric acids such as red meat, most sea foot, and high-fat dairy products. Also, you should avoid cooking vegetables with high-fat butter, cream, lard, grease, gravy, and fish sauce. 

Vegetables high in oxalates such as beetroot and okra are also discouraged from consumption. Asparagus, spinach, kale, cauliflower, and mushroom contain a moderate amount of purines but according to Mayo Clinic, the purines in vegetables do not increase the risk of gout or recurring gout attacks. 

What food should you add to your diet to control gout?

Tart cherry juice is one of the most effective ways to decrease uric acid and ease gout symptoms. Also, foods that are high in vitamin C can help to decrease and ease gout symptoms. Some food you can include are

  • Oranges
  • Grapefruit
  • Strawberries
  • Tomatoes
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Low-fat dairy

Follow this link for a fool list of how much purines food has. 

Conclusion

In this article we are going to answer can you eat lamb when you have gout, what is lamb, what is gout, what food you can eat when you have gout, and what food you can’t eat if you have gout.

Citation

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/gout-diet/art-20048524

https://www.daniellewis.com.au/health-information/gout/

https://www.livestrong.com/article/332741-what-meats-cause-gout/

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