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Factors that increase uric acid levels include: Diet, obesity, medical conditions and family history of gout. Although medications are most effective at reducing uric acid levels and relieving the symptoms of gout, following dietary guidelines and making certain lifestyle changes may also help.

Limit/avoid following foods and beverages when you are having a flare up of gout.

1. Alcoholic beverages, especially beer and drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup like soft drinks, sweetened tea and coffee drinks.
2. Limit fatty foods like ice cream, butter, cream, cheese sauces, gravies and high fat salad dressings.
3. High fat and fried foods such as fried chicken, French fries, greasy hamburgers.
4. Limit high sugar and high fat desserts like doughnuts, pies and cookies/baked goods.
5. Limit intake of foods high in purines, such as anchovies, smoked meats, sardines, shell fish, scallops, game meat, and organ meats such as liver, kidney, brain and heart.
6. Soups made with beef or pork bones. Meat soups, meat broths and meat extracts
7. Limit your intake of meat, fish and poultry and get your protein from low fat dairy products. This may actually have a protective effect against gout.

Food you may eat.

1. Low fat foods such as low fat cheese and dairy, low fat margarine.
2. Boiled or Baked chicken and fish. Take skin off chicken.
3. Lean ground beef, eggs, crayfish or boiled haddock, boiled beef steak.
4. Unsweetened fruit juices in moderation up to 6 ounces per day.
5. Nuts and nut butters
6. Whole grain breads and cereals
7. Coffee and tea unsweetened or with artificial sweeteners.
8. Tofu, beans, peas and Lentils
9. Limit chocolate and cocoa beverages to 6 ounce per day.
10. Fruits and Vegetables
11. Stay well hydrated; drink plenty of water 8-10 cups per day.

Obesity and gout

If you are overweight or obese, losing weight slowly may decrease uric acid levels. However rapid weight loss may increase uric acid levels temporarily making your gout symptoms worse.

Kidney stones have many causes. Factors that may increase your risk of Kidney stone formation include:

• Family history
• Dehydration
• Certain diets
• Being obese
• Digestive disease that affect absorption of calcium and water
• Certain medical conditions.

Types of Kidney stones

Calcium Stones:

Most Kidney stones are calcium stones, usually calcium oxalate and calcium phosphates. Oxalate is naturally occurring substance in some fruits and vegetables, nuts and chocolate. Your liver also produces oxalate.

Struvite stones:

Form in response to urinary tract infections.

Uric acid stones:

Form in people who do not drink adequate fluids, lose too much fluid, eat a high protein diet and in people with gout. Cystine stones: Caused by hereditary disorder where kidneys excrete too much of cystine.

Treatments

Smaller stones are treated with medication, pain relievers and drinking lot of water.

Larger stones can be treated using sound waves to break up the stones, surgery, using scope to remove stones and Parathyroid gland surgery in case of calcium phosphate stones caused by overactive glands.

Prevention

Include a combination of medication and lifestyle and diet changes.

1. Limit sodium intake to 2000mg or less. Most people eat more sodium than they need. High sodium intake increases excretion of calcium in the urine. Eliminate salt shaker and keep a record of the amount of sodium you consume daily. Some of the examples of high sodium foods are: Canned soups and canned tomato juice (600 to 1200mg per serving). Frozen main dishes (600-2500mg per serving). Low fat cottage cheese (1 cup=918mg). American cheese (1 ounce=443mg).
2. Limit foods with high oxalate content such as dark beer, black tea, chocolate and chocolate milk, instant coffee, nuts, nut butters and seeds, Soy products, high fiber cereal, whole wheat bread and whole wheat flour. Limit high oxalate fruits such as black berries, blue berries, raspberries, figs, rhubarb, tangerines, lemon and orange peel. Limit high oxalate vegetables such as okra, beans, beets, beet root, carrots, celery, collards, eggplant, kale, potatoes, spinach and parsley. Limit kidney, liver and sardines to 3 ounces.
3. Drink at least 10 -12 cups of fluid each day. Drink enough fluid to produce very light yellow or clear urine at all times. Citric acid from lemon prevents crystal formation. Some examples of drinks containing citric acid are Sugar free country time lemonade and sugar crystal lite lemonade. Up to 4 ounces of lemon juice added to fluids.
4. Do not excessively restrict dietary calcium intake. Calcium from dairy binds with oxalate from foods preventing stone formation. Consume 2-3 servings of dairy foods. Calcium rich foods must be distributed throughout the day and not all at once. Avoid large supplement doses of calcium. If your doctor has prescribed calcium from supplement, take them with meals.
5. Do not over consume meat, fish, seafood and poultry. Foods high in animal protein may increase calcium and uric acid in urine increasing the risk of stone formation. Limit animal protein to 3 ounce serving per meal.
6. Moderate weight loss if you are overweight. Some evidence shows that being overweight increases risk of recurring kidney stones.
7. 7. Avoid Vitamin C supplements over 500mg per day. Do not need to limit vitamin C rich foods.