What is the best protein powder for gout sufferers?

drink wholesome is the best protein powder for gout sufferers.

Written by Jack Schrupp & endorsed by Baylee Reller, RDN

What is gout? 

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Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis. It is characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in one or more joints, most often in the big toe. Unfortunately, there is no cure for gout, but you can manage symptoms and prevent flares with medication and lifestyle choices. Among the most effective lifestyle changes are changes to your diet. 

A low purine diet is often prescribed for people with gout. Your body produces uric acid which breaks down purine, a chemical compound found in many foods. Gout flares occur when uric acid builds up in your joints. Reducing the amount of purine you eat can therefore help you manage gout. Foods high in purines include high-protein foods including meat, seafood, soy, and legumes.

Can protein powder cause gout flare up?

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Cutting meat, seafood, soy, and legumes out of your diet can help you reduce the amount of purines you eat and avoid gout flares, but it can also lead to a protein deficiency. It is therefore important for people on a low purine diet to eat lots of low purine dietary proteins like eggs, low-fat dairy, and nuts.

The average person needs to consume 0.36 to 0.45 grams of protein per pound body weight per day, which means that a 150 pound person needs to consume between 54 and 68 grams of protein daily. Eating this much protein from low purine sources can be hard, which is where protein powders can help. Adding a scoop of protein powder to your diet is an easy way to ensure that you are meeting your protein needs and staying strong and healthy. That said, not all protein powders are created equal.

Is protein powder bad for uric acid levels?

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Protein powder itself is not inherently bad for uric acid levels. The impact of protein powder on uric acid can depend on several factors, however including the type of protein powder you consume. Protein powders made with beef, for example, are high in purines, which can contribute to an increase in uric acid levels in the body.

What is the best protein powder for gout sufferers?

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First of all, protein powders made with high purine ingredients like soy and peas can cause gout flares. Soy protein and pea protein are common ingredients in plant-based protein powders, so be sure to read the ingredient list. Second, protein powders made with ingredients that disrupt the composition of your gut microbiome can also cause gout flares. Your gut microbiome – the community of microorganisms living in your gut – plays a key role in the onset and progression of gout. Basically, changes to the composition of your gut microbiome can result in the synthesis of purine-metabolizing enzymes and the release of inflammatory cytokines, which have been linked to the occurrence and development of gout.

Gout sufferers should, it follows, avoid ingredients that have been shown to have a negative impact on gut health. The top offers are food additives, including emulsifiers like sunflower lecithin, thickeners like guar gum, sweeteners like sucralose, and flavorings like natural flavors. Most protein powders contain one, if not several of these added ingredients, all of which have been shown to cause gut dysbiosis.

In summary, gout sufferers choose a protein powder made with a short list of simple, low purine ingredients. Given the role that gut health plays in gout, every ingredient matters. Even small amounts of certain ingredients can, over time, cause and worsen gout symptoms. Keep reading to learn more.

Why drink wholesome? 

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We make the best protein powder for gout sufferers with egg whites and almonds. Both egg white and almonds are naturally low in purines, making them a great source of protein for people with gout. Both egg whites and almonds can also reduce inflammation, which is a key component of arthritis and other chronic joint diseases. Eggs whites contain a variety of bioactive compounds known to curb inflammation, and almonds reduce C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a marker of inflammation. When it comes to gut health, our protein powders also have several distinct advantages.

drink wholesome is additive-free.

Another reason why we make the best gout protein powder is that we do not use food additives, unlike most protein powder companies. Eating additives on a regular basis can disturb regulatory pathways in your intestines, increasing the likelihood of developing conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other chronic inflammatory conditions. Certain additives, such as artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, can also disrupt the balance of your gut microbiome. An imbalanced gut microbiome is a significant contributor to inflammation throughout the body, which is the last thing you want if you have gout.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein powder:

acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, “natural” flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol

drink wholesome is made with real foods.

A final reason why we make the protein powder for gout sufferers is that we do not use protein concentrates or isolates. Nearly every other protein powder company makes its protein powders with one or both of these ingredients, which are basically foods stripped of everything but the protein. Protein concentrates or isolates are super processed, often with chemical agents like hexane, so they look nothing like real food. 

Your gut was designed to digest unprocessed or minimally-processed foods, not refined or laboratory-formulated ingredients. This is probably why more and more research is finding that eating lots of processed foods like protein isolates can alter the composition of your gut microbiota. As you now know, an altered gut microbiome is closely related to the onset and progression of gout. 

our ingredients: 

egg whites, coconut, maple sugar, vanilla

the alternative:

Protein Matrix Comprised of (Whey Protein Concentrate,  Whey Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Micellar Casein, Milk Protein Isolate, Egg Albumen, Glutamine Peptides), Polydextrose, Sunflower Creamer (Sunflower Oil, Corn Syrup Solids,  Sodium Caseinate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Tocopherols), Natural and Artificial Flavor, MCT Powder (Medium Chain Triglycerides, Nonfat Dry Milk, Disodium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide), Lecithin, Cellulose Gum, Salt, Yellow 5, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Papain, Bromelain

Instead of protein concentrates or isolates, we make the best gout protein powder with egg whites and almonds. Egg whites are simply pasteurized and dried before becoming protein powder. Almonds are just roasted, pressed to remove some oil, and ground. Minimally-processed protein sources like these are a gut-friendly alternative to protein concentrates and isolates, in part because they contain enzymes and other natural digestive aids that help you break them down. Both egg whites and almonds also have prebiotic characteristics, meaning they improve the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome. In short, if you are looking for a protein powder for gout sufferers, you have come to the right place. 

★★★★★

easy to digest

” I am a Gout sufferer and have struggled to find a protein supplement that does not aggravate my gout. Until I found Drink Wholesome. It does the trick and tastes good.” – Joseph

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