Wild foods and gout is a topic about which I am often asked. This probably reflects the growing incidence of gout which was once only a condition suffered by fat, old men who ate rich foods including red meats, shellfish, bread and drank copious quantities of red wine and beer.

Just as with pancreatic cancer which shares many similar dietary links, this is no longer the case for gout.

In fact, so common is gout these days that it is the newest disease added to the group of conditions described as Metabolic Syndrome. The others are obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Women, young men in their 20s and eve children are now susceptible to the pain, redness, tenderness and swelling of their joints along with the sleepless nights of the gout experience.

You'll get Life for that

I have written previously of my own gout attacks which began when I turned 50. This was the same for my father and grandfather too. When I did eventually seek medical advice for my attacks, I was prescribed allopurinol and I recall asking how long before the symptoms went and I could stop taking the drugs. The doctor laughed and explained that this medication was a life sentence (or so he believed!).

Claim-free Zone

Please note that I cannot make any claims for the efficacy of any product I may mention and as the products with which I am associated are foods, it further prohibits most claims of functionality. What I can say is that LIFE is a good source of phytonutrients; and that antioxidants from wild foods are important for our cellular health; and wild foods are good sources of anti-inflammatories. Also, magnesium in whole food form is an ideal way to  ensure that over 800 biochemical reactions run efficiently with Mg as a cofactor or to activate enzymes which drive reactions with minimal energy needed.

Lastly, several members of the genus Phyllanthus are highly regarded in different countries as a way to gelatinize calcium deposits in our soft tissues. Inflammation is often associated with calcification of these tissues. Also, this herbal remedy appears to reduce the accumulation of uric acid in the body.

 Yes. I know that these comments might sound a little like the milk claims on milk, calcium, teeth and bones and which we know are a scam. Who doesn’t know an elderly person who has consumed milk their whole lives and yet who still breaks a hip after a fall? The calcium overload from our modern diet actually reduces the strength of bones because our diets are critically short on magnesium which is pivottal for calcium absorption and assimilation.

Did you know that milk also contains casein which irretrievably binds anthocyanin antioxidants (AAs) removing them from our system. These AAs are coloured compounds that might be red to crimson or blue to purple. 

Milk might be great for calves for the first 6 weeks of their lives but remember that they really fatten up on it. Shouldn't we be trying to reduce our intake?

But back to my story.

I no longer worry about what I eat and regularly add kangaroo meat, seafood, pasta and beer to my daily meals. I recall not long ago, sitting down to a favourite snack of mine; prawns (I eat the heads) and a few beers only to feel a very slight stiffness in one knee later that evening.

Here is my protocol:

LIFE - 1 medium-heaped teaspoonful, 3 times a day for a few weeks then drop back to just the one medium-heaped tspn a day.

KAM – 1- 2 scoopfuls (15g each) added to water or mixed into a non-dairy smoothie, every day. You can add berries and/or the LIFE and mix or blend it up. This product is not just a great source of active Mg but a host of other minerals, proteins and some highly nutritive fats too in whole food form.

KCP - start with 6 capsules every 8 hours for 2 - 3 days and be sure to drink lots of water. After this, drop back to 2 caps a day and repeat the elevated serve protocol monthly.

KAT – 4 caps morning and night for a few weeks then cut back to 2 caps a day.

Repeat these elevated serves monthly or as needed.

The protocol above is the same for all metabolic problems, from gout to mental diseases, from the Big C to CVD, stroke and heart attack.

No claims here. Just an observation.

The above is from my personal experience only and I am not making claims for the Grail collection or any other food product as a cure, treatment or preventative for any disease.

The good news is that everyone should take advantage of the fact that an elevated phytonutrient intake is really important as sucrose and fructose (the bad sugars) raise uric acid levels as fructose is metabolized. See this article for more on this.