So imagine my
dismay and surprise today when I was told my swollen left foot is probably due to
gout, and the reason I don’t feel the tremendous pain usually associated with
it is that I have had peripheral neuropathy for years. A doctor who has known
me longer than I care to admit told me long ago he could diagnose that from the
way I walk. I surely don’t think I mirror the image of the man above.
But wait! I don’t
drink ale or beer, and I eat precious little beef. So, as internet addicts do,
I went to Google where the first thing I found was a list of ten foods to
avoid. Top of the list: fish. I eat tuna fish at least once a day and sometimes,
like today, twice, and yes, I drink quite a bit of white wine—but I always
thought red wine, although healthier for you, caused gout. Wonder how many
Italians have gout?
The rest of the
list didn’t alarm me so much—beef, but I eat little of it; rich sauces—not guilty,
except on occasion; organ meat—okay, I love chopped liver but I know it’s not
on a healthy diet and rarely eat it. Is tongue organ meat? I eat more of
that. Fruit juice—I eat raspberries and
blueberries a lot when in season but don’t drink fruit juice. Soda—never, nada;
caffeine—one cup of green tea a day. Surely that doesn’t count. Fried foods—I avoid
them like the plague. Well, most of the time.
So there go fish
and wine. I foresee lunches of egg salad and cottage cheese. It surprises me
that cheese and eggs are not on the list, though we are increasingly told what
a bad rap they both had. Cheese is touted often as a misunderstood good-for-you
food, especially since all blame has focused on sugar and carbohydrates,
neither of which I eat much. I would have told you I eat a healthy diet—what could
be better than tuna salad, cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes and a bit of fruit.
I guess Mother Nature fools us again.
