A List of Purine Foods

What exactly are purine foods and what does it do to the body? Usually, when someone is watching purine levels in the food they eat, they may be suffering from gout. Gout is a form of arthritis which occurs when crystals of uric acid gather in a joint, bringing tons of pain. The affected joint will also show signs of inflammation. A person usually suffers from gout when they either overproduce the uric acid or have issues eliminating the uric acid from the body. 

The joint that may be affected the most is the big toe. It is more likely to accumulate the uric acid crystals. There are plenty of other joints that can suffer from this condition. When a person is having a painful gout attack, the pain could suddenly arise and have quite an intense effect on the body and person. You can tell when a joint is affected because it will usually be red, swollen and tender to the touch. Sometimes a person may have a low-grade fever.

Purine is a compound that can be found in animal protein. This compound turns into uric acid within the body. Some of the things that increasing uric acid levels is obesity and a diet high in purines. To ease the negative effects of gout, a person should be aware of foods which contain high purine levels. A low-purine diet can help ease some of the pain and complications that comes with this condition. A list of foods to be aware of, can be found below. They are separated into three categories: high-purine foods, moderately-high purine foods and low purine foods. 

Foods with high purine levels should be completely avoided.

Foods with HIGH Purine Level

Alcoholic Beverages 
Organ Meats 
Liver (calf or beef)
Kidney 
Some Fish and Seafood 
Anchovies 
Sardines 
Herring 
Mussels 
Codfish 
Scallops 
Trout 
Haddock 
Meats 
Bacon 
Veal 
Venison 
Brains
Consommé
Goose 
Gravy
Mackerel 
Mincemeat
Partridge
Roe
Shrimp
Sweetbreads
Yeast
Yeast Extracts
Smelt

Foods with MODERATE Purine Levels

Vegetables 
Asparagus 
Kidney beans 
Lentils 
Lima beans 
Mushrooms 
Spinach 
Meats 
Beef 
Chicken 
Duck 
Pork or Ham 
Bouillon 
Some Fish and Seafood 
Crab 
Lobster 
Oysters 
Salmon
Turkey
Grouse
Wheat Crackers
Wheat Bread
Dried Peas
Soy
Spinach
Tripe 
Oatmeal
Nuts
Peanut Butter
Pasta (sauces are separate)
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Lentils
Mushrooms
Coffee
Tea 

Foods with LOW Purine Levels

Soda
Butter
Cereal
All Kinds of Cheese
Cocoa
Corn
Cornbread
Eggs
Fruit Juices
Ice Cream
Milk
Noodles
Jello-O
Fruits
Refined Wheat Flour
Tapioca
White Bread
White Crackers
White Rice 

There are a few books that you can check out at the library that deal with purine foods and the diet one should adhere to when they are restricting purines from their way of eating. They are:


Gout Hater's Cookbook II: The Low Purine Diet Cookbook 
by Jodi Schneiter

Gout Hater's Cookbook I 
by Jodi Schneiter

The Metabolic Typing Diet: Customize Your Diet to Your Own Unique Body Chemistry 
by William Linz Wolcott, Trish Fahey

The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimum Health: Restore Your Health by Creating Balance in Your Diet 
by Christopher Vasey