I have been on virtual 100% Huel powder for three years and it has been a great experience. Last week I added the Hot & Savoury products and reduced the powder proportionately. This morning I have developed my first attack of gout in twelve years; anyone who has experienced gout will know just how painful it is.Given that nothing else has changed in my diet or lifestyle, I have to question if there is something in the new products that has triggered the gout. I read that high purine foodstuffs are a common cause of gout, is that a feature of Hot & Savoury?
Kudos on being gout free for so long. I used to suffer with gout a lot until I was put on Allopurinol daily. Since then, no issues. Mine used to flare up often. I’d put on weight, it would flare. I go on a diet and lose weight, it would flare. My GP finally put me on the meds and all has been good since.
As for Huel, I can’t see anything in the Hot and Savoury that might possibly trigger it. In fact, quinoa is a recommended food for those that suffer. Have you been through a period of stress lately or drink alcohol? Those can be risk factors. A sudden change in diet can also aggravate it. Going from 100% Huel powder to something a bit more solid in the Hot and Savoury could well be a factor.
On a side note, not sure if you’ve tried before but when I used to have attacks years ago, I would load up on fresh cherries. And I mean load up, until they had me running to the bathroom. Knocked my attacks out the next day.
Hi @scorling - great to hear you’ve been doing so well with other Huel products.
I’ve asked for purine testing of the H&S flavours. However, there are no stand-outs that are massively high purine. There’s some from the flaxseeds (but there’s more flax in Huel Powders) and from the tomatoes in Tomato & Herb flavour. Which flavour(s) were you having?
Thank you @JamesCollier, I was only guessing at purines because Mr Google mentioned it. The whole Huel experience has been good and the introduction of the H&S flavours was timely as I was just starting to get a little bored with powder only after three years. I have both flavours of H&S and have been eating them in the ratio of two TGC for every one T&H. Perhaps the flare up of gout was pure coincidence but after twelve years it was a disappointment, to say the least!
Morning @MordredLefay. I am pleased to hear you have your gout under control, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Hopefully it is the change of diet after three years of virtually 100% powder that is the cause and when my system is used to the change then it will settle down, I wouldn’t want to come off the H&S unless it proves necessary.
Nothing else in my life has changed recently. I haven’t touched alcohol in forty years. I do a lot of sport and play county level over 50’s and over 60’s football. I played two full games on Sunday and Monday running about 6km in each game but I thrive on that. It is just strange that I do all of that over the weekend and on Tuesday I could barely get to the bathroom.
I will remember your recommendation for cherries, thank you.
I bet. Hope it gets better soon. We have an article on this area if it’s of interest: https://uk.huel.com/pages/purines-gout-and-huel
Interesting article but it demonstrates there are no absolutes or certainties in health. There is nothing in my life or lifestyle that would suggest I am vulnerable to gout. My general health is excellent as illustrated by me not having had a day off sick from school or work since 1968, yet here I am at my desk with my left foot propped up with a big toe the temperature of molten lava and enough pain to make you weep. Still, football on Sunday!
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Maybe you have to gradually get used to even minor changes, because every change means stress.
If this is the case all other changes should be a risk factor, too - perhaps you can balance that by introducing stress reducing activities into your lifestyle. Is there something that helps you relax?
stress can definitely trigger or exacerbate gout attacks - from the close friends I have who suffer with this, their triggers seem not consistent at all. Normal food triggers do not always bring on an attack but stress seems to be pretty consistent with them when it does.
I know this is an old post but as a guy who is currently having a gout attack I figured I’d add a little. Purines breakdown into uric acid and it is excessive uric acid which causes the attacks. Now you can have high uric acid for quite a while before the attack takes place. If your physically fit and your diet is not the issue, then a build up of uric acid could be created by something impleading the excretion of the uric acid. Perhaps something new is doing that or alternatively you had something which was decreasing your uric acid generation / excretion which you’ve stopped now. E.g. black unsweatened coffee / tea is good for lowering uric acid.
The Coffee and Gout Connection: Helpful or Harmful? (healthline.com)
This is an amazing coincidence because right now I am just getting over an episode of gout, my first since I put the original post up on this thread in September 2020. I have no idea why it should occur now, my lifestyle remains consistent and still involves no alcohol, plenty of exercise, mostly weight training these days, and good diet including Huel Black every day. I can only reach the conclusion that it is caused by coincidence, bad luck and the planets lining up that trigger an episode.
I have annual blood tests and my uric acid levels are always within recommended levels, so that isn’t an obvious answer either. I have a friend who found his gout was triggered by water cress, apparently you don’t have to eat raw meat, drink mead and spend all day in front of the TV to suffer from gout!
mmm, gout is weird. My last bad attack was triggered by cornflakes.
Interestingly my headaches are triggered by gammon snowflakes.
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