Gout and wild game

Sled

WKR
Joined
Jun 11, 2018
Messages
2,267
Location
Utah
My whole family is fed by wild game. I hunt and enjoy it a lot but I also enjoy putting meat on a table that is not jacked up with hormones. Now that I have been diagnosed with gout I'm second guessing how much meat I eat and how much wild game. I'm not sure what makes wild game higher in purines but every article I read says it's bad for me. With 8 attacks in 3 months over 2 different joints I can say I'm pretty sick of it. I'm on the meds now and want off as soon as possible. 3 months of significantly changing my diet and I want to get back to a new normal.

So, anybody here have some advice for eating wild game and avoiding gout flares?
 

bdan68

WKR
Joined
Feb 1, 2017
Messages
338
Location
Washington
Do you eat a lot of carbs, like bread and pasta? Or beer? Those are most likely the cause of your gout, not the meat. They just like to blame it on meat.
 
Joined
Nov 3, 2017
Messages
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Location
AK
I had massive flare ups first week of November 2023 and middle of July 2024. It showed in my cuboid and then made its way to each side of my ankle and then I could feel it through my lower leg. I had no idea what it was. First time it went away after a week. In July it was chronic. It would come and go and vary in severity for literally two months (camping made for excessive alcohol and junk food consumption). Went to a Dr and got x rays and he couldn’t figure it out. My wife is a PT and a couple foot specialists she works with couldn’t figure it out. Finally after we got back from moose hunting which included a few nights with moderate drinking and junk food, it started to show in the opposite big toe. Once that happened, I was 99% sure it was gout and stopped all sugar and alcohol. It cleared up in a week after months of varying pain and discomfort.

Had a work trip mid November followed by a concert the week before thanksgiving and made a 3 day party out of it and then kept it going over thanksgiving. Basically two weeks of drinking. Right on time, I had a bad flare up a couple weeks after in both feet. Haven’t drank alcohol or had sugar since. That includes cutting out most carbs.

We eat wild game (mostly moose) 4-5 days a week and salmon 2-3 days a week. Have for the last decade. My first flare up was about a week after Halloween. Second was about a week after 4th of July. The common denominator outside of my regular diet was over indulging in sugar and alcohol. I’m down about 10lbs since September when I cut out most sugar. Gout could very likely save me from diabetes and dying 20 years early. As long as I can control it with cutting sugar and alcohol, it’s actually a good thing for me. I’ll be seeing a Dr in two weeks. I’m hoping for some guidance on a kidney cleanse/flush to get rid of any uric acid buildup. I also drink tons of water now and have started a uric acid fighting supplement. All that to say, start with alcohol and sugar and see if that does the trick!
 

JGTWI

WKR
Joined
Sep 3, 2020
Messages
501
Man…it sucks. Probably the worst pain I’ve ever been in.

I don’t think it’s the same for everybody, but I doubt wild game will give you much trouble at all. I eat as much of it as I want and have no issues, but I’ve been on allopurinol daily for a few years now.

After the initial treatment got things under control, I tried to go medication free and attempted to get my uric acid level in line through eating super clean, exercise, hydration, etc but it didn’t work. My levels barely moved and I had quite a bit of joint discomfort for that year+.

I’m sure diet is a factor, but I tend to think its effect is overstated. Some people’s bodies just don’t process the purines in the right way.

Allopurinol really is a lifesaver. I think once you’re on it, you’re likely to be on it for a long time- but it works. I would have to really go off the rails for my diet to give me trouble while on the medication, and I’ve had no new flare ups. If allopurinol is working for you, I’d plan on staying on it, getting your uric acid checked once a year, and being able to live pretty normally.
 

Pacific_Fork

Well Known Rokslider
Joined
May 26, 2019
Messages
1,267
Location
North Idaho
The idea that red meat, especially wild game, is the cause of your poor health is so insane with all due respect. The media and “doctors” have been full of shit for so long pointing the finger at red meat when in fact it’s sugar, alcohol, processed and rich foods full of garbage and chemicals.

Eat nothing but red meat, raw cheese, eggs, some fruits, and drink water. If a doctor tries to put you on low fat diet you need a new doctor. Their brains are broken and refuse to receive continued education and look at the latest science, but really logic!
 

Davyalabama

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
132
The only way to really find out is to cut back on two or three things at a time. Cut them out, still have flare ups, you know those three weren't it. Sometimes it is what we put in there with the game. Are you cooking your game with bacon or other pork products? What have you added to the game is what I'm suggesting.

Yeah, southerners love wrapping their game in bacon, I figure my fellow brethren just can't cook, so they need the bacon to give it flavor, much like steak houses that need to slather stuff on their steaks, because they can't cook.

I could be wrong and often am, but it's just a suggestion. Cut out the meds, then do your thing with the foods, find out what really causes it. You may be surprised to find, it could be a different medicine you are taking has something in it causing the flareups.
 
Joined
Jul 20, 2019
Messages
2,660
I had some severe gout attacks about 6 years ago. It lasted about 6 months while we were trying to figure out what it was. I got on allopurinol and haven’t had one since. My gout attacks started while I was doing keto, but decided to splurge with carbs/sugar every sunday. I haven’t had allopurinol in over a year and just watch my sugar/carb intake. I eat a ton of red meat every day.
 

CJ19

WKR
Joined
Nov 25, 2018
Messages
445
My whole family is fed by wild game. I hunt and enjoy it a lot but I also enjoy putting meat on a table that is not jacked up with hormones. Now that I have been diagnosed with gout I'm second guessing how much meat I eat and how much wild game. I'm not sure what makes wild game higher in purines but every article I read says it's bad for me. With 8 attacks in 3 months over 2 different joints I can say I'm pretty sick of it. I'm on the meds now and want off as soon as possible. 3 months of significantly changing my diet and I want to get back to a new normal.

So, anybody here have some advice for eating wild game and avoiding gout flares?
Like other have said, cut out the booze and artificial sugars. You can probably get away with eating some wild game if you do that. Only your body can tell you how much you can eat.
 

NE Herd Bull

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 6, 2021
Messages
202
Location
SW Nebraska
I have experienced several gout flare ups over the years. For me it always seems to occured in the joint of my big toes. For those that have not experienced it, the pain is intense.

I also suffer from occasional kidney stones. Also cripplingly painful.

My urologist says that in my case, the gout and kidney stones are related. Formation of uric acid crystal (I believe that is what he said).

As far as diet, we have always been voracious carnivores at my house. Wild meat or fish at every meal. I avoid sugars as much as I can, but coffee, bread and chips are all a weakness for me. Not as much beer consumption as my younger years, but still have occasional Budweiser or bourbon.

Not sure that activity level affects a bodies susceptibility, but as I age, I try to stay fit. Hit the gym 2-4 times a week. Still working 55+ hour weeks.

I take a daily allopurinol maintenance pill every morning. Low dosage. As long as I stay on it, I have no flare ups of either.

One time and one time only. I decided to be a "tough guy" and stopped my taking my daily allopurinol. Ended up in the ER a month later writhing in pain and pissing blood.

Haven't missed a dosage since.
 

JDBAK

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 12, 2019
Messages
202
It might e worth looking to the experience of Shawn Baker. He’s a doctor and world class athlete who’s been a carnivore for many years. More importantly he’s tracked researched and talked to many thousands of people the last decade about their health and carnivore diet. He’s actually pretty open minded about it.

Short version from memory….gout could be possible in the short term after eating large amounts of meat, but doesn’t appear to be the underlying problem. Eliminate the sugar, grains, alcohol completely (and maybe even carbs altogether) and the underlying conditions for gout seem to go away.

FWIW, I went about 98% carnivore for 3.5 years. The gout my doctors promised never materialized. Nor the scurvy, constipation, diabetes, cancer, massive nutrient deficiencies, low energy, kidney failure, etc. All that happened was I kept off 35 of fat, got lean, really strong (30 hanging pull ups), great digestion, no gingivitis anymore, skin cleared up, good sleep, no cravings, excellent energy and got raging erections.
I became pretty disillusioned with doctors after that. The default acceptance of the medical profession’s conventional wisdom was not an option anymore. Common sense and direct clinical experience seem a better bet to me.

Anyway, I’ve heard reports of gout flare ups after switching to just eating meat (after immediately going cold turkey from a standard American diet), but more common it seems that the long time gout sufferers find it goes away.
 
OP
Sled

Sled

WKR
Joined
Jun 11, 2018
Messages
2,267
Location
Utah
This all started after a back surgery that I'm mostly recovered from. I'll add that my symptoms came on while truck camping for work, being dehydrated and only drinking sugary drinks. Woke up with pain in my knee and unable to bear weight after a couple more days. I've since cut out all processed sugars, all alcohol (only drank occasionally before) and altered my protein base to plants, chicken and certain fish. This resulted in 25lb weight loss. Only had 4 flares in the knee but that was too many. A couple months later when the gout reappeared in the opposite ankle I had 5 flares resulting in being non weight bearing for 2. I was on allopurinol for the ankle flares, which may have caused it. Currently I'm treading water and deciding which way to go. Being an active person I work winters at 8-11k outdoors and summer is all over but a lot of driving. I am searching for the path forward but need to make it fit my lifestyle.
 
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