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Gout Alkaline Foods

Gout is a painful form of arthritis that occurs when a high level of uric acid enters the bloodstream, causing crystallization to form and accumulate around joints, according to the Mayo Clinic. Gout is associated with consumption of too much food that contains the protein purine, such as seafood, meat and alcohol. Purine helps control the body's production of uric acid, but too much of it can cause gout. Fortunately, you can maintain a healthy pH in your body by eating alkaline-rich foods.

  1. Extremely Alkaline

    • Uric acid elimination increases when urine reaches an alkaline pH state, but is reduced when urine becomes acidic. The optimum ratio of alkaline foods to acidic, especially for someone suffering from gout, is 70 percent alkaline to 30 percent acidic. Several fruits are extremely alkaline and are in the pH 8.5 to 9.0 range. This includes watermelon, cantaloupe and other melons, mango, papaya, seedless grapes, dried figs and dates, limes and lemons. Other extremely alkaline forming foods are seaweed, kelp, parsley, watercress and cayenne pepper.

    Moderately Alkaline

    • To be considered moderately alkaline, foods should be in the pH 7.5 to 8.0 range. Fruits in this range are apples, apricots, berries, fresh figs and dates, ripe bananas, grapefruit, avocado, nectarines, pears, peaches, persimmon, sweet and sour apples, strawberries and oranges. Vegetables that are moderately alkaline include carrots, celery, leafy green lettuce, fresh sweet peas, pumpkin, spinach, beets, bell pepper, broccoli, cabbage, kale, celery, potatoes with the skin and sweet corn. Other moderately alkaline foods are garlic, fresh ginger, leafy green herbs and sea salt.

    Slightly Alkaline/Neutral

    • Foods that are slightly alkaline to neutral, in the pH range of 7.0, are nuts like almonds, water chestnuts and dry-roasted chestnuts. Also included are whole sesame seeds. Two fruits fitting this category are cherries and fresh coconuts. Vegetables in the slightly alkaline and neutral category include Jerusalem artichokes and globe artichokes, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, eggplants, ripe olives, onions, radishes, rhubarb, and okra. Other foods include seasonings and sweeteners such as sweet brown rice vinegar, home-made mayonnaise, horseradish, olive oil, barley-malt, brown rice syrup and raw honey. Goat's milk and raw whey also belong in the pH 7.0 category. At pH 6.5, the elimination of uric acid decreases by about 50 percent.

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