It was fun reading all of this, especially since it goes back to '06. That first post of Lars with the cherry cream soda...yummmy. I only consume coffee if it's ice cream, Kahlua or some other dessert. I like tea, black, green, but not any spiced teas. Really dislike mint too. Mostly I drink flavored unsweetened seltzer, iced tea or lemonade. Occasionally I'll have a fruit soda, but I find them too sweet these days so I mix them with my seltzer. Alcohol? Not really. Don't like wine as a rule. I can deal with a little champagne or Asti. Will drink vodka, that Kahlua making it a Black Russian. Smiles. I can go several years or more without having any alcohol. Last year I turned my current [at the time] vodka into vanilla. This fall an old friend from high school came to visit and brought a bottle of vodka. I had 2 light Cape Cods and when he left I turned the Svedka into vanilla. LOL. In winter in the evening we either have hot tea or hot cocoa often. I do love hot chocolate made with cocoa or even a nice chocolate bar.

Just got the spam...from Sweden. The names were "Lotta" (wife) and "Lars" (husband/researcher). Hmmm...sounds like "lotta liars" to me! Anyway, I am not overweight at all, but do live healthy. The last 13 weeks I was on the "Body for Life" program by EAS...consisting of Myoplex shakes (protein), healthy meals (6 small meals a day), 100+ oz. water a day and exercise. Surprisingly, I lost 10lbs! (went from 112 lbs to 102) I really didn't think I could/needed to lose any weight, but I did. Some people think the 2-3 shakes I had a day was weird, but it provided my body with the nutrients and protein it needed to build/maintain muscle and keep my body from eating the muscle it was trying to build. Before I started this program, I would come in to work and not even eat until 1pm. Some people think that skipping meals will help lose weight...it might not add any extra fat or sugar to your diet, but not eating anything is often worse than eating. Your body will eat away at your muscle and your metabolism will go into starvation mode and hold onto all fat you put into it...thinking it might need it to survive later on. Because of that, I would NOT recommend only eating 3 bananas a day (see some peoples emails above), or 3 of only one anything a day. Perhaps this bread does offer the nutrients your body needs to maintain itself, which is much better than starving it. It would be a great thing to have in the morning rather than skipping breakfast. But I would not make up a diet solely of bread. Also, the person who said "Wheat is very bad for somebody trying to lose weight...even ONE cracker made with wheat can stop weight loss in its tracks" is RIDICULOUS! Maybe if you are sitting on your butt hoping that not eating a few things will be the miracle to help you lose 10 lbs...but in reality, wheat bread, crackers, ect. have more protein, fiber, and nutrients than those without. Your muscles crave protein and nutrients and once you activate and build muscle, you will burn a TON more fat/calories than by just altering your diet a bit. I'm not saying become a musclehead (I am not one at all), I am just saying that wheat is very healthy AND will help you burn fat...lose weight. It's kinda like those people who think if you drink 120 oz. of water in a day you will be retaining a lot of water, but in actuality, if you try this, you will feel much thinner at then end of the day...your shoes won't feel so tight and your wedding ring might even spin around your finger. Try it sometime...ps, the more you do it the less you have to run to the bathroom, your body gets use to it. And finally, why would you think the only recipe that makes sense is the flour, salt & water only one. 2,000 years isn't THAT long ago. Remember the Bible stories and the last supper picture (no, I am NOT a Bible thumper, just making an observation). They had bread back then...and it isn't suprising that they learned to add nuts, dates, raisins, or spices to bread. ...

It is always difficult to adapt, just like anyone who is put on a restricted diet of any kind for whatever reason. It's so easy to focus on what we CAN'T have - so reverse the process and focus on what they CAN have. Since everyone with gout has different "triggers", it's not easy to recommend recipes, per se, because you don't share enough information to do that. Try this to help off-set your frustration. Make a list of foods they CAN eat. Stick to whole foods in meal preparation. This helps you avoid "mystery" ingredients in commercially prepared foods which may trigger a flare up. As far as I'm concerned, whole foods are also beneficial because they are usually quick to fix (wash/peel/cut-up/serve, or minimal preparation and cooking), and the additional fiber found in many of them also helps with gout. If they can eat baked potatoes, then figure out what kinds of things from your CAN-EAT-LIST can be combined to make a "new" dish out of baked potatoes. Just like we've added broccoli and cheese, or chili to the baked potato, figure out what other options from the list you can use as a new topping. Creativity is your best friend. Can you whirr something rather unexpected - like lima beans - in the blender and make a soup or sauce from the liquified bean mixture? Do a Google search on "gout-friendly recipes" and I'm sure you will find some help there, or find a Yahoo group for some support and ideas. What else are you doing? I've suggested black cherries and/or black cherry juice as a "folk" remedy, to 2 friends, and this has really helped them. Have you tried increasing foods with potassium? Potassium makes the acid crystals go into solution so they can be eliminated. Is he drinking LOTS of water? Are you using lemon juice? After each meal drink the juice of one freshly squeezed lemon in a glass of lukewarm water. To get more juice out of the lemon, bring it to room temperature, then roll it around on the counter with the palm of your hand. Good luck with your extreme cooking challenge. -Grainlady

I hope you guys know that all the diet is doing to you is dehydrating you. You are losing all water in your body not actual fat.