Is Alcohol Really That Bad For Gout?

Alcohol “For” Gout?

No.  Just to be clear: Alcohol IS bad for gout. Using alcohol for gout is not where Jeff is going with this.  Please read on!  The reason I thought it was so important to feature what Jeff had to say is because he’s right – there are all kinds of OTHER THINGS that in many cases, are WORSE for gout, than moderate use of alcohol.  The first thing that comes to my mind is high fructose corn syrup!

And that’s just one of them.  That’s why you need to absorb this valuable piece of gout education from Jeff…

Thanks Jeff!

:|:   :|:   :|:

Hey Bert,

Thought I’d weigh in on your Alcohol/Gout debate invitation. Before I begin, let me state that I agree with you: if we had to generalize alcohol as Good or Bad for gout without any qualifying conditions or exceptions than YES, alcohol is BAD for Gout . . .

But – what if we DID consider qualifying issues or possible exempting situations?

First of all – why is alcohol so bad? In and of itself, alcohol may not be any worse than:

• Coca Cola, Pepsi, all soft drinks, all carbonated drinks, all artificially sweetened drinks
• Coffee (with caffeine or with caffeine extraction chemicals), teas, sports drinks, etc.
• Contaminated tap water (chlorine, fluoride, arsenic, lead, mercury, etc.)
• Steak, hamburger, roasts, liverwurst … all beef products
• Bacon, ham, ribs, chops, brats and dogs … all pork products
• Chicken, turkey, duck … most poultry … especially fried
• Sardines, shell fish, mackerel, salmon … almost all fish to greater or lesser degrees
• French fries, onion rings, fried shrimp, fried eggs, fried ANYTHING
• Legumes, black beans, chili beans, kidney beans … all vegetable-based purines
• Nuts, cauliflower, eggs, cheese, butter … ALL PROCESSED FOODS . . .
• Acidic vegetables like Spinach, Rhubarb, Tomatoes and all nightshades, etc.
• High fructose fruits and fruit juices like apples, bananas, pears, peaches, etc.
• All cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, marijuana and ALL street drugs
• Most pharmaceutic drugs, most OTC drugs like aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen, NSAIDs, antacids, etc. etc. etc.

( . . . holy cow what foods, drinks or drugs DON’T contribute to gout !!! )

One answer to that question is FERMENTED foods and beverages – like Apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, kimchee, (raw) yogurt, kirfer, etc. But wait a minute. Aren’t most alcoholic beverages ‘fermented’. YES. Plus they are often made with very healthy, high-antioxidant fruits and/or grains. Furthermore, alcoholic beverages can be very successful in addressing 2 or more of the “Gout Killer 6”:

1. Breathing well
2. Staying hydrated
3. Eating more akaline-forming foods
4. Managing stress
5. Good exercise
6. Deep & Restful sleep

Why then does alcohol receive such a bad rap when it comes to gout? Because — unlike pop, steak, bacon, McNuggets, deep-fried shrimp, french fries or any vegetables, nuts, seeds or fruits — alcohol differs in two critical and devastating ways:

1. Alcohol diminishes judgement and other faculties
2. Alcohol is addictive

For example, after 2 or 3 drinks, we should not drive or operate heavy equipment. But even after 2 or 3 pounds of bacon (gout beware) we can still drive a car. After too many alcoholic drinks, people are known to … have a few more drinks, cheat on their spouse, lie or even steal, blow-off an important meeting, test, or even call-in sick to work.

So there may even be a compound gout effect. If alcohol impairs our judgement, then we may not only have another drink or 3 – we may consume 2 or 3 times more gout-causing foods like soda pop, sugar and carbonation; more fries, chips, wings, rings, or rinds … and less water and other gout-preventing foods.

Like so many other things in life (and in gout-prevention) — Moderation is Key. If consumed responsibly, some alcohol (particularly red wine) is not only safe or gout-neutral; it may indeed assist in preventing gout by preventing stress, promoting sleep, nutritional anti-oxidants, and a healthy digestive flora or probiotics.

If – on the other hand – you have an addictive personality, you should stay clear of alcohol — AND sugar AND salt AND fat AND grease AND tobacco AND pain-killers AND antacids … AND sex … AND Netflix AND television AND video games . . . etc. etc. etc.

So perhaps we shouldn’t single out “alcohol” ???

~ Jeff

:|:   :|:   :|:

(testimonial)

Hi Bert

Just to let you know, and I was surprized how quick you answered my Email. I meant to Thank You, in the last email. 4 Days ago I could hardly walk, and Thanks to you I’am walking, without any Medication. I did do another treatment, but I’am still a little sore in my toe and ankle. And now little in both wrists, which I did not have yesterday. Just wondering what I sould do now? I’am going out today, to pick some of the ingredients today.

Thanks Again
Glen

To Reiterate: Alcohol Is Bad For Gout

Before we demonize alcohol too much for being the cause of gout, we really need to take a step back and ponder what Jeff so elegantly has stated.  There are so many things out there that can be just as bad or worse than alcohol for interrupting the natural flow of our body processes.  How we digest, manage blood sugar, use fats, regulate uric acid, and so much more, can be severely thrown off by the terrible crap that our common processed foods are made of.

With that said, Jeff made me promise to restate the obvious: Don’t think you can go get drunk on tequila and whiskey instead of eating a rot-gut hamburger and think that is a better alternative for dealing with your gout problem!  Alcohol has it’s own set of ways it tears down our body tissues, organs, and processes.  Doing without it is a step in the right direction toward being done with gout.  Cut out the alcohol, avoid the processed foods, give up the bad habits and win the kill gout game!

Remember:
We’re not using “alcohol for gout”, but how so many other things are just as bad or worse!