Epic fail!

Hello again. just thought I'd update you about what's been happening in the land of Paolo and the 5:2 plan. Everything has been going fine and the scales had been moving in the right direction... until this weekend. I went for a run on Saturday morning, felt fine, but had run with a slight ache on the ball of my right foot. I have chronic gout and am on long term medication. Since starting the Allopurinol, I have  had a few attacks but nothing serious and they've not stopped me from walking and even running, so I didn't think much of it. had a great run with my friend Christine and we even ran the last k with the Dulwich Park runners beginners group... got home, showered and chilled out. I noticed that the pain was slowly increasing and my big toe was getting more and more stiff. Woke up Sunday, and realised it was a full attack and spent all day hobbling about the house. Woke up this morning and it was even worse.... turns out my reliance on salmon during my fast days is a big no-no for gout sufferers... it brought on the worst attack I've had since starting the long term medication 18 months ago.

I need to re-evaluate the food plan on fast days, so thinking about all the things I like I started searching various websites as to what I should avoid... turns out... basically everything! Here's an example:

• High purine content: Anchovies, codfish, haddock, herring, mackerel, mussels, sardines, scallops, trout
• Medium purine content: Crab, lobster, oysters, shrimp.
• Meat: Though no longer part of a common diet in the United States, organ meats, such as liver, sweetbreads, and brains, are most dangerous for those with gout.
• High purine content: Bacon, turkey, veal, venison
• Medium purine content: Beef, chicken, duck, ham, pork
• Vegetables: Studies do not show an association between high-purine vegetables and gout to the same degree as with animal-based purines, suggesting other factors than purine content also play a role. However, there are some beans that are particularly high in purines, so people with severe gout may want to avoid them.
• Purine-rich vegetables: Asparagus, dried beans (especially fava and garbanzo), mushrooms, peas, spinach

So what next.. no white fish, no oily fish and no meat except chicken, no mushrooms, spinach, beans, peas (apparently lentils are a no-no too). Some say tomatoes are no good either because they are too acidic. It would seem that in order to control gout by diet that really all I can eat is white meat and white vegetables. Nice!