Purines are in many different types of food, and are broken down to produce uric acid, a substance we all have in our body. However, when you eat foods with too many purines, you run the risk of increasing the uric acid levels, that can lead to health conditions such as gout or kidney disease. To stay healthy, it's important to identify these ingredients and moderate their intake in your diet, and at OneHowTo.com we'll explain the foods that are high in purines.
Meat, organs and guts
Meat is one of the foods that are high in purines. Therefore, consumption must be controlled due to its high content of saturated fats and cholesterol that can be harmful to your health if consumed in excess.
This includes:
- Veal and Beef
- Pork
- Chicken, turkey and duck
- Hunting animals such as rabbit, boar or deer
- Sausage
- Organ meats like heart, liver or tongue
- Guts
Other meat products
Besides eating the aforementioned foods, also be aware of other meat products. For example, broths and soups, or derivatives and meat concentrates, which also tend to be very high in sodium and that can increase blood pressure if consumed frequently.
Seafood
Seafood is another food high in purines, that if consumed in excess, can significantly increase the chances of developing uric acid problems, so it's important to moderate the consumption of the following foods:
- Shrimp, prawns and lobster.
- Shellfish such as mussels, clams, oysters or scallops.
- Crab and other crustaceans.
Blue, fatty fish
Although they are an important source of health, as they give us essential fatty acids like Omega-3 and vitamin E, blue fish also contains a fairly high level of purines, so it's essential to moderate your intake, especially when it comes to the following:
- Smoked salmon and salmon in general
- Sardines
- Herring
- Anchovies
- Tuna, especially if packed in oil
- Cod
Certain vegetables
Not only are animal proteins responsible for causing uric acid levels to increase more than normal. But some vegetables should also be consumed in moderation to maintain balanced purines in your diet. Therefore, we recommend restricting the intake of:
- Legumes such as lentils, peas, chickpeas or beans
- Asparagus
- Spinach
- Cucumber
- Cauliflower
Alcoholic beverages
Alcoholic beverages are very harmful for people with high uric acid levels, and for those who should moderate their intake of foods that are high in purines. In general, it's recommended not to drink to excess, especially avoiding beer.
If you need to lower your uric acid levels, you may want to know what food is good to lower uric acid.
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to Foods that Are High in Purines, we recommend you visit our Healthy living category.