Organ meats are classified as bad foods for a gout diet, but they are actually good foods for overall nutrition.
- Organ meats are bad for gout because they have a very high purine content, which can trigger a gout attack.
- Organ meats are good for overall health because they are loaded with nutrients like vitamins, minerals and healthy fats – which can help prevent future gout attacks.
For many Americans, the only organ meats ever eaten are chicken livers and beef liver. But in the rest of the world, large varieties of organ meats are considered to be delicacies of high nutritional value.
The most commonly consumed organ meats are liver, kidney, heart, brains, tongue and tripe.
Purine Content in Organ Meats
Foods with purine content above 150mg per 3.5 ounce (100 gram) serving are considered to be very high in purines. Here are some commonly consumed organ meats, with purine content noted:
- Sweetbreads – 1260mg
- Calf Liver – 480mg
- Pork Liver – 289mg
- Chicken Liver – 243mg
- Chicken Heart – 223mg
- Beef Kidney – 213mg
Other foods with very high in purine content are small fishes like anchovies, sardines and mackerel – because we eat the whole fish including its organs!
Sweetbreads and Gout
It’s true that sweetbreads should be avoided because they are high in purines, but what exactly are they? The term ”sweetbread” is used to describe both the thymus gland from the neck, and the pancreas gland from the chest, typically from a calf or lamb.
Sweetbreads have fallen out of culinary fashion over the last few decades, but are making a comeback in gourmet restaurants these days largely due to the popularity of the Paleo Diet.
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Hi Bert,
Sorry that our Guru had to go through running to a store to get your Magic Potion to hold off the enemy. But you knew just what to do. Since I’m retired, I don’t do a lot of traveling, so when I’ve had a problem it has been at home. Since I’ve followed your advice and lost weight and modified my diet, it has been over a year since I’ve had an attrack! With your advice I will even have some lobster tail when our son comes to visit from LA.
Best regards,
Ted
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How Much Is OK to Eat?
- If you are new to the game of killing gout, and still having gout attacks, do not eat any organ meats at this time.
- However, if you haven’t had a gout attack in a long time, and you’ve been implementing all 7 of the steps in my Kill Your Gout FOR GOOD program, then you can enjoy about 4 ounces of organ meats about once a week.
☆ Bottom Line: The high nutritional value and gourmet delicacy of organ meats must be reserved as a reward for having diligently brought yourself to a state of being completely gout-proof!
