re introducing animal proteins

[Dorian Kramer]

I am looking to reintroduce some animal protein into my diet, so I am guessing I should start with chicken, I am wondering about portion size, if it should be skinless, boneless, also frequency(no more than how many times a week), any other safer proteins to add?

[Keith Taylor]

It’s very hard for me to take one food item, such as chicken, and give sound advice that suits your individual diet. Of course, the Internet is full of people who think otherwise. Some will tell you to avoid all meat. Others will say small amounts of chicken in moderation are OK.

I say, it’s all about balance. Small amounts of chicken in a balanced meal as part of a healthy eating plan are OK. A meal that is almost all meat is never good for gout sufferers. This raises as many social issues as it raises health issues. Many people see the healthy approach to meat eating as too restrictive. There are various recommendations about how much meat you should eat per day / week / month. I believe the best approach must be personal.

To keep it as simple as I can for now, I recommend a maximum of one or two 4oz portions of chicken per week. Then compare uric acid test results to try and see the effect. This is hard, because other changes in your diet might affect results. Therefore, you get better data by repeating 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off.

Protein is mainly good for gout because it encourages uric acid excretion. But there are two potential problems:
1. Protein is acid forming, so it meat should always be balanced by 4 times more plants (all part of alkalizing gout diet menus, which I’ve touched on before)
2. Total calorie intake is important because excess food produces more flesh in your body, and that meat becomes a rich source of uric acid. Therefore, removing skin, and cooking methods that don’t involve added fat are important.

Safer proteins are those that do not contain animal proteins. Skim milk, whey protein, and fava beans have all been shown to have uric acid lowering properties.

I think this is just a start, Dorian. I’ve been very busy this week, but I hope I can find more time after next week to provide more detailed help if you need it. I’m thinking of recipes for meat with good acid alkaline balance and better protein balance. Also, some of the research that I put on GoutPal.com about weight loss and lower uric acid is a bit dated. I must see if there are newer, and better, references.

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