Prevent Gout with Right Foods • Don't Let Flare Ups Ruin Your Trips

I love travelling for food - fitness and good health are vital to enjoy such overseas trips. So far, I had two bouts of gout flare ups during my trips, once in Sarawak and in Japan.

So, I consulted doctors and also did some research to try and make sure that I will not be bothered by gout flare ups again when travelling.

Gout is caused by hyperuricemia or elevated uric acid levels in the blood. It is caused by excessive intake of high purine food, overloading the body with uric acid, overwhelming the kidneys' ability to clear out them of our system.

(Like other illnesses, there are people predisposed to gout due to genetics but the vast majority can be managed by dietary control.)

Uric acid crystals magnified 8000 times.

Excessive uric acid form monosodium urate crystals in the joints, such as in the hands, feet, elbow, even spine - gout is an extremely painful condition. 

Ouch! Imagine those jagged razor edges jabbing at your nerves non stop 😱

Gout attacks can immobilise the sufferer - something we don't want at anytime, especially not during an overseas trip.

Besides gout, high uric acid also leads to heart attacks and kidney stones.

I am writing this checklist down for my own reference, for my own lifestyle adjustments and precautions (reminders to self) for future trips.

I want to enjoy good travelling for good food, for many more years to come.

Increase foods that reduce uric acid

Pineapple 

Lemon

Cherries

Berries

Banana

Eggs

Chicken

Tofu

Lettuce

Cucumber 

Broccoli 

Bell peppers 

Celery (alkalise our body)

Black coffee

Peanut

Hazelnut

Walnut 

Cashew nut

Almond 

Chickpea

Brown rice

Ginger

Whole grains 

Baking soda

Vitamin C supplement 

Milk (skimmed)

Yogurt 

Cheese

Turmeric 

Green tea

Lemon juice (no sugar)

Water (Drink lots of water to flush out excess uric acid)

Intermittent fasting to bring uric acid level down and many other benefits.

Reduce food with lots of purine

Organ meat (liver, heart, intestine)

Processed meats (cold cuts, ham, sausages)

Red meat - they say gout is the disease of kings.

Seafood 

Fatty fish

Shellfish & crustaceans 

Asparagus 

Spinach

Sugar

Fructose

Sugary drinks

Canned fruits 

Alcohol (beer, wine, liqueur, liquor)

Life without gout is about balance - increase what is good and drastically reduce what is bad for uric acid levels.

Test blood for uric acid level regularly.

I would take colchicine tablets with me for standby when I travel now, in case of flare ups. Colchicine tablets stall gout flare ups and manage inflammation.

Note well: I am not a medical practitioner. This blog is my dairy and notebook for my personal reference. Trust only properly accredited qualified medical professionals, so see a doctor when you have any questions about gout.

Written by Tony Boey on 4 Jul 2026

Who is Tony Johor Kaki?