What foods should you avoid with gout?

The highest-risk foods are organ meats like liver and kidney, game meats, anchovies, sardines, mussels and other shellfish, and heavy beer intake. They are dense in purines, which the body breaks down into uric acid.

What can you eat freely with gout?

Most vegetables, most fruit, eggs, low-fat dairy, whole grains, nuts, and coffee are low-risk in normal servings. Higher-purine plants like beans and lentils are far less likely to trigger gout than animal sources.

Is coffee bad for gout?

No. Brewed coffee has no measurable purines, and regular coffee drinking is linked to lower uric acid and lower gout risk (Choi 2007). Caffeine is not one of the purine bases that raise uric acid.

Are all high-purine foods equally risky?

No. Purines from meat and seafood raise gout risk far more than the same amount from plants (Choi, NEJM 2004). GoutSafe weights each food by its purine source, so beans grade better than their raw purine number alone suggests.

Can you drink alcohol with gout?

Alcohol raises uric acid and is a common flare trigger. Beer is the worst because it adds purines on top of the alcohol; spirits come next; wine is lower-risk in moderation.

Data-backed gout guidance

Know what's safe to eat with gout.

Look up any food, or check a whole dish. Each one is graded A to E from real purine and fructose data, with the sources and confidence shown.

Popular foods:Salmon Lentils Asparagus Coffee

Popular dishes:Caesar salad Pad thai Big Mac

539 foods graded · Every grade sourced · How we know this · Reviewed July 18, 2026

The gout food map Food map

ABCDE

Dish Decoder

Eating out? Decode the whole dish.

Type any restaurant meal or recipe. The Decoder breaks it into ingredients, weights each by a realistic portion, and grades the whole plate, then points to the ingredient driving the risk and how to make it safer.

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Same pizza, different toppings, different grade

Live examples from the Decoder, against a 400 mg/day purine target. Estimates, not medical advice.

Popular foods

Browse all foods

Chicken Breast

Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw

Purine 174.9 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Moderate Poultry

Salmon

Salmon, mixed species, raw

Purine 119.4 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Moderate Fish

Apple

Apple, raw, with skin

Purine 14 mg Fructose 9.44 g per 100 g

Moderate Fruit

Sweet Cherries

Cherries, sweet, raw

Purine 17 mg Fructose 5.51 g per 100 g

Safe Fruit

Spinach

Spinach, mature, raw

Purine 51.3 mg Fructose 0.5 g per 100 g

Enjoy Vegetables

Lentils

Lentils, dried, raw

Purine 222 mg Fructose 1.01 g per 100 g

Enjoy Legumes plant purines count less

White Rice

Rice, white, cooked

Purine 5.9 mg Fructose 0.1 g per 100 g

Enjoy Grains & Cereals

Lean Ground Beef

Beef, ground, 93% lean meat / 7% fat, cooked

Purine 251.9 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Limit Red Meat

The GoutSafe grade

Gout is not only about purines. We score each food by a typical serving, combining purine and fructose with known triggers and benefits into one clear A-to-E grade, and always show the data and confidence behind it.

Low risk in a typical serving. A great everyday choice for a gout-friendly diet.

222 foods

Safe for most people in normal portions.

42 foods

Fine in moderation. Mind your portion size, especially during a flare.

171 foods

Higher risk. Keep portions small and occasional, especially during a flare.

81 foods

High in purines or a known trigger. Best avoided, especially during a flare.

23 foods

Start with the gout diet Foods to avoid Full food list How we grade foods

Foods with proven benefits

Research links these to lower uric acid or less inflammation.

See all

2% Milk

Milk, 2% fat

Purine 0.6 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Enjoy Dairy & Eggs

Coffee

Purine 0 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Enjoy Beverages - Non-Alcoholic

Nonfat Plain Yogurt

Yogurt, regular, nonfat, plain

Purine 8.3 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Enjoy Dairy & Eggs

Portion size is half the battle with gout, and it's easy to misjudge by eye. A kitchen scale takes out the guesswork.

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Common gout food questions

Short, sourced answers to what people ask most.

What foods should you avoid with gout?: The highest-risk foods are organ meats like liver and kidney, game meats, anchovies, sardines, mussels and other shellfish, and heavy beer intake. They are dense in purines, which the body breaks down into uric acid. See the full foods-to-avoid list .
What can you eat freely with gout?: Most vegetables, most fruit, eggs, low-fat dairy, whole grains, nuts, and coffee are low-risk in normal servings. Higher-purine plants like beans and lentils are far less likely to trigger gout than animal sources. Browse the full A-to-E food list .
Is coffee bad for gout?: No. Brewed coffee has no measurable purines, and regular coffee drinking is linked to lower uric acid and lower gout risk (Choi 2007). Caffeine is not one of the purine bases that raise uric acid. See coffee .
Are all high-purine foods equally risky?: No. Purines from meat and seafood raise gout risk far more than the same amount from plants (Choi, NEJM 2004). GoutSafe weights each food by its purine source, so beans grade better than their raw purine number alone suggests. Why plant purines count less .
Can you drink alcohol with gout?: Alcohol raises uric acid and is a common flare trigger. Beer is the worst because it adds purines on top of the alcohol; spirits come next; wine is lower-risk in moderation. Alcohol and gout .

Guides

Short, sourced answers to the questions that come up most with gout.

See all guides

Browse by aisle

Produce 122 Seafood 96 Meat 86 Poultry 20 Dairy & Eggs 31 Pantry 125 Drinks 22 Alcohol 37

Built on data, shown with its sources

Every food grade traces back to published purine and fructose data. We show our method, our confidence, and what we do not yet know.

How we rate Request a food