Alkaline Water Benefits for Gout
To get relief from gout, you must reduce the level of uric acid in your bloodstream by flushing it out. The best way to flush it out is to raise the pH of your urine. At a pH of 7, urine can hold 1000 times as much uric acid as it can at a pH of 5. The more uric acid your urine can hold, the faster and more efficiently your kidneys can get rid of it. The easiest and most convenient method of maintaining a high urine pH balance is to drink alkaline water for gout between meals.
More than just relief – Prevention
A gout attack is caused by the buildup of uric acid crystals in your joints. Drinking alkaline water benefits gout sufferers by helping to prevent that from happening. It can do this by keeping your urine pH higher throughout the day, which optimizes your kidney’s ability to excrete uric acid. By preventing the build-up of uric acid, drinking alkaline water could prevent uric acid crystals from building up in your joints, which would prevent gout attacks from happening.
For best results; you should also eat alkalizing foods, in addition to drinking alkaline water. An alkalizing diet is rich in fruits and vegetables. Alkaline water will help make an alkalizing diet healthier because it neutralizes acidic pesticide residues on produce. This can significantly reduce the toxic load that your body has to deal with.
Alkaline water and Kidney Stones
People who suffer from gout are at higher risk of developing kidney stones because uric acid crystals form kidney stones. Since the stones are acidic, drinking alkaline water benefits gout sufferers by preventing them from forming and helping to dissolve stones if they have already formed.
Foods to avoid
Gout sufferers should avoid food high in purines because in the body purines break down to form uric acid. Gout sufferers should limit or avoid:
- Meats: Bacon, beef, lamb, and pork
- Fish: Anchovies, herring, mackerel, sardines, scallops
- Gravy
- Beer
Limit your intake of:
- Fish and seafood – Other than the seafood to avoid (listed above)
- Wheat bran, wheat germ, oatmeal
In general, meat and seafood increase your risk of gout attacks. Fruits, vegetables, and dairy products may lower your risk. In particular, yogurt with probiotics can help encourage healthy bacteria in the gut that and help with digestive issues.
How to use Alkaline water for Gout
You need to monitor your urine pH level, so you’ll need some urine pH test strips. Follow the instructions in this article: How to test your urine pH your goal is to keep your average urine pH as high as possible. If you’re using a water ionizer, drink level 4 alkaline water so you get the highest pH level your machine will produce.
Start your day by drinking a glass of alkaline water with a squeeze of lemon juice. The alkaline water buffers the acidic pH of the lemon juice, making it easier on your digestive tract. Lemon juice is an alkalizer, thanks to it’s Potential Renal Acid Load (PRAL).
Make sure to detoxify your fruits and vegetables in alkaline water to neutralize acidic pesticides. To do this, simply soak your produce in alkaline water for about 20 minutes before eating. You can actually see it work: The alkaline water you soak your produce in will turn brown in a few minutes of soaking.
If you drink alkaline water for gout every day and track your urine pH keeping it high as possible, you have your best chance at beating painful gout attacks and uric acid kidney stones.