Uric Acid Blues

The third week of August of every year is usually the time when I have my own personal annual check-up. Yes, the doctor must also check how healthy or how sick he already is. Everything turned out well. 'Fit as a fiddle, as they say....except for my uric acid level, which was a bit elevated this year. The normal levels for men are around 3.4 - 7.0 mg/dL. Mine was 7.88 mg/dL. 'Checked twice by the lab technician, because I said so (a sick doctor is always paranoid), and I wanted to be sure. Arrgggh! The culprits? I have fallen in love (again!) with Italian food lately, and it is easy to pinpoint the Tutta Carne and the Frutti Di Mare Pizzas as the usual suspects.

No, I do not have signs and symptoms of gout and kidney stones yet, but I will not wait for them before changing my lifestyle. While my uric acid level can still be classified as normal by other laboratories (normal values vary depending on the laboratory which analyzes your blood sample), I am not taking any chances. The Italian food temptation is a very strong one, I tell you, and I know that if I do not reform today, then really alarming uric acid values of 10 to 12 mg/dL (!) can soon spell a sad reality for me.

So, I am now beginning myself on a low-purine diet. In my opinion, the low-purine diet is one of the saddest food diets available out there. Why? Well, let me show you by example --- I can't eat or indulge as heartily as before on the following food items:

• anchovies


• beef kidneys


• brains


• game meats


• gravies


• herring


• liver


• mackerel


• meat barbecues (street food items)


• meat extracts


• sardines


• scallops


• sweetbreads

In the following list, I can only have 2 to 4 choices daily:

• asparagus


• beans


• bouillons and broths


• cauliflower


• consomme


• eel


• eggs (not more than 4 per week)


• fats or oils (small amounts)


• meat (beef, lamb, pork, veal)


• milk (not more than 24 ounces daily)


• mushrooms


• oatmeal


• poultry (chicken and turkey)


• shellfish (crab and lobster)


• spinach


• whole grain and whole wheat breads


• yeast (all types)

Now I know how some of my patients feel when advised to conform to a particular diet. The shoe is on the other foot. But hey, the best way to teach something is by example.