A gout sufferer should avoid seafood, shrimp, lobster and other shellfish which raises uric acid and is simply not healthy for you. See my post on seafood to learn more. What you want to do is eat fish with scales and only eat these types of fish. Nothing else. You can eat salmon, sole, tuna, catfish, red snapper, tilapia, flounder, whitefish, haddock and so many other fish. These fish have anywhere between 50 to 150 milligrams of purines for every 100 grams. Nothing to worry about, believe me!
There are fish that are higher on the purine scale like anchovies, sardines, mackerel and herring, octopus which you should limit since they are over 150 milligrams of purines for every 100 grams. Whatever you do do not eat fish that comes from a can like canned sardines or herring with added oils. Always eat your fish fresh. Do not deep-fry your fish, instead either grill it or simply bake it in the oven. I season my fish with fresh herbs, freshly squeezed lemon juice and some extra virgin olive oil. You don’t need more than that. Try and avoid high sodium seasoning mixes or fish sauces high in sugar.
Purines are found in the meat of the fish but not in distilled fish oil. If you wish to supplement EPA or DHA which are two fatty acids found in fish, then buy only pharmaceutical-grade molecularly distilled fish oil supplements. Some fish oils are also very high in vitamin D, providing you with 200% of the recommended daily intake. Before buying make sure to research what you are getting by checking out the provider’s website, checking reviews online and checking product labels properly. Before purchasing any fish oil make sure to speak to your doctor about it so it doesn’t affect any other medications you may be taking.
Some gout sufferers claim that fish oil can fight gout flares since it is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Regardless, anything that has omega-3 fatty acid is good for gout as explained in other posts on this website as well.
In conclusion, you often hear health experts or dieticians say “you should only eat fish no more than two times a week”. Why? Fish is the healthiest meat, healthier than beef, lamb and chicken. If you like fish, you can eat it every day but make sure it is the only meat you eat that day since gout sufferers should not eat more than 4 ounces of meat in any given day to avoid higher uric acid levels in the bloodstream.
As for mercury in the fish, it depends in which part of the world you are located in. I recommend you buy organic fish and make sure it is always labeled as “wild caught” instead of “farmed”. Like fishing? Here in North America we have plenty of clean lakes where you can fish from and enjoy some good quality fish. I’m kinda getting hungry and think I might just go and prepare myself some Pacific salmon that I bought the other day. To your health