When too much uric acid causes a health issue like kidney stones or gout, your doctor may recommend a low-purine diet.
On a low-purine diet, you focus on eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and fewer high-purine foods, such as red meat, seafood, and alcohol.
Here’s what you need to know about following a low-purine diet plan, including what foods to eat and avoid, and how to stay on track.
Why Eat a Low-Purine Diet?
A low-purine diet can lower levels of uric acid, a waste product formed when the body breaks down purines. Substances found in many foods and drinks, purines account for 15% of the body's uric acid.
Doctors link high uric acid levels in the blood (hyperuricemia) and urine (hyperuricosuria) to gout and kidney stones. Often, they recommend a low-purine diet along with medication. But sometimes, people can reduce their uric acid levels through diet alone.
Purines and gout
Excess uric acid forms painful crystals in the joints of people with gout. Not everyone needs to follow a rigid gout diet, but avoiding foods high in purines can help prevent future attacks and joint damage.
Low-purine diet for kidney stones
When crystals collect in the kidneys, they cause kidney stones, severe pain, and urinary problems. Because a low-purine diet helps to reduce uric acid levels, it can ease symptoms and lower the risk of having more kidney stones.
Sometimes, doctors advise people who've had an organ transplant to eat a low-purine diet, too.
Low-Purine Diet: Foods to Choose and Avoid
Consider the following information when choosing which foods to include in a low-purine diet and which to avoid:
Breads, cereals, rice, and pasta
Low-purine diet guidelines for this food group can include the following:
- Consume no more than six to 11 servings each day.
- Examples of serving sizes include one slice of bread; 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal; 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta.
- Choose:
- All enriched breads, cereals, rice, noodles, pasta, and potatoes.
- Limit your intake to two servings per week: whole-grain breads and cereals, wheat germ, bran, and oatmeal.
- Avoid:
- High-fat breads like French toast, biscuits, muffins, and pancakes.
Fruit
Low-purine diet guidelines for this food group can include the following:
- Two to four servings each day is best.
- Examples of appropriate serving sizes include one medium-size piece of fresh fruit, 1/2 cup of canned fruit, and 3/4 cup of fruit juice.
- All fruit and fruit juices are good choices for a low-purine diet.
- You will want to avoid avocados, though, because they’re high in fat.
Milk and dairy products
Low-purine diet guidelines for this food group can include the following:
- No more than two servings each day.
- One cup of milk or yogurt is best.
- Skim or low-fat milk and low-fat yogurt are good.
- Avoid whole milk, cream, and sour cream.
Vegetables
- 3 servings each day.
- Serving size = 1 cup raw. 1/2 cup cooked or chopped.
- Choose:
- All vegetables
- Limit to 2 servings per week: mushrooms, dried peas and beans, spinach, asparagus, and cauliflower.
- Avoid high-fat cooking, such as au gratin, fried foods, and cream sauces.
Meats, Poultry, Fish, Dried Beans, Peas, Eggs, and Cheese
- Total of 6 oz daily.
- Serving size = 2-3 oz cooked. 1 egg.
- 1 oz of meat = 1/2 cup cooked beans, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, or 1 oz of cheese.
- Choose:
- Beef, veal, pork, lamb, poultry, fish.
- Eggs.
- Peanut butter, nuts.
- Low fast cheese.
- Limit to 2 servings per week: dried peas and beans.
- Avoid:
- Sweetbreads, liver, kidneys, brains, heart
- Anchovies, sardines, herring, mackerel, scallops, mussels.
- Goose.
- Gravies, meat extracts.
- Mincemeat.
Fats, Condiments, and Drinks
- Choose:
- Salt, herbs, spices, and condiments.
- Carbonated drinks, coffee, cocoa, and tea.
- Soups made with low-fat milk and vegetable-based broth.
- Limit to 3 teaspoons daily: butter, margarine, oils, and mayonnaise.
- Avoid:
- Baker’s and brewer’s yeast.
- Alcohol.
- Meat gravies.
- Meat stock-based soups such as bouillon, broth, and consommé.
Snacks, Sweets, and Desserts
- Choose:
- Gelatin, ice milk, vanilla wafers, angel food cake.
- Low-fat frozen yogurt.
- Avoid:
- High-fat desserts, such as ice cream, cookies, cakes, pies, doughnuts, and chocolate.
- Mincemeat pie.
Sample Menu for a Low-Purine Diet
Breakfast
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup farina
- Berries
- White toast with jelly and one teaspoon of margarine
- 1 cup 2% milk
- Coffee
Lunch
- Hamburger (3 oz) on bun
- Baked potato with one teaspoon of margarine
- 1 cup fruit salad
- 2% milk
Dinner
- Tossed salad with fat-free salad dressing
- 1/2 cup chicken breast (3 oz.) without skin
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1/2 cup broccoli
- Dinner roll with 1 teaspoon of margarine
- 1/2 cup sherbet
- Iced tea
Tips for Following a Low-Purine Diet
Quick tips when you're on a low-purine diet:- Avoid or limit alcohol — Alcohol increases purine production, leading to higher uric acid levels in your blood and urine.
- Don't crash diet — If you're overweight, lose weight gradually. Rapid weight loss can increase uric acid levels.
- Don't take yeast supplements — Baker's and brewer's yeast supplements are high in purines.
- Eat enough carbs — They help your body get rid of extra uric acid.
- Hydrate — Drink 8 to 12 cups of fluid daily to help reduce kidney stone formation.
- Limit high-fat foods — Fat holds onto uric acid in your kidneys.
- Limit meat — Eat a maximum of 3 ounces per meal.
Common Mistakes on a Low-Purine Diet
When on a low-purine diet, be careful that you're not:- Eating too much fat — Fat slows the elimination of uric acid from the kidneys.
- Overlooking sauces and gravies — Many sauces and processed foods contain hidden purines.
- Skipping carbs — Healthy carbs like rice and pasta can help your body excrete uric acid more efficiently.
