Snow Fungus & Duck Egg White Sweet Soup

Why people make this sweet soup

Managing gout is largely a dietary exercise in avoidance: organ meats, shellfish, anchovies, sardines, alcohol (especially beer), and many other beloved foods are off the table. What is left can feel like a very limited palette. This gentle sweet soup is one of Nourilo’s favourite reassurances for gout patients — it is not just safe to eat, it actively nourishes. Duck egg whites have been studied for their low purine content, making them one of the few animal proteins that gout sufferers can enjoy with confidence. Snow fungus (silver ear mushroom) is equally low in purines while providing a gelatinous, collagen-like quality that supports the lungs and stomach. Together they make a light, pleasant dessert soup that nourishes without triggering. Nourilo also recommends this for those with gastritis — the soothing, neutral nature of both ingredients is easy on an irritated stomach.

A guide to purines for gout sufferers

Gout flare-ups are triggered by uric acid, which the body produces when it breaks down purines. Here is a simplified guide to purine levels in common foods:

• Low-purine foods (generally safe): Rice and rice products, crackers, potatoes, carrots, corn, water chestnuts, dairy, eggs, most fruits and vegetables; drinks including soda water, mineral water, fruit juice, coffee, and tea; nuts such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and Job’s tears.
• Medium-purine foods (limit intake): Wholegrains; most beans and bean products; full-fat dairy; mung beans, adzuki beans, black beans, broad beans, bean sprouts; fatty meats and fatty fish; seaweed, daylily, and many mushrooms; peanuts, cashews, sesame, chestnuts, lotus seeds.
• High-purine foods (avoid): Soybeans, lentils, dried seaweed (zi cai), shiitake mushrooms (dong gu), asparagus, cauliflower, spinach; organ meats; shrimp, shellfish, sea cucumber, sardines, anchovies, ribbon fish, sea eel; yeast powder; all alcoholic beverages, especially beer.