After more than 20 years of living with gout, Darren Hohepa (Ngāpuhi) says he has healed his symptoms mainly by using healthy kai practices - and he’s encouraging whānau to do the same this holiday season.

“Since starting that over a year ago, my gout is totally gone. I have no flare-ups,” he says.

“Food is our medicine, so we use food to heal our ailments, [like] diabetes, gout.”

Gout is a form of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in the blood. As uric acid builds up, tiny crystal-like shards form in the joints - often the big toe, but also the ankle, fingers, knee, or wrist - leading to severe pain and swelling. If untreated, gout can damage joints and kidneys.

Hohepa first noticed gout symptoms in his late 20s, despite having no family history.

“Gout for me, it stayed in one leg from the knee down, and it’s like a huge load of weight sitting, crushing your leg,” he explains.

“Just so excruciating, the pain.”

For Hohepa, the condition also affected his way of life.

“We love our kaimoana, we’re divers, we’re kai gathers - [I] was quite distressed, knowing that [that’s] what I love doing, and then it’s gonna [trigger] gout for me.”

After two decades of flare-ups, things finally changed when he joined Turuki Health Care’s nutrition classes in Māngere and committed to new kai habits. He says he used to eat bread with every meal and has since cut carbs completely.

“Potatoes, noodles, rice - the carbs that we usually use to fill the spaces [in] regards to economics of the house and feeding numbers. It’s always a cheap space-filler,” Hohepa says.

Alongside medication and exercise, these changes have helped him lose 16 kilograms in the past year.

“It’s so life-changing.”

Māori and Pasifika are disproportionately affected

Māori and Pasifika have a higher genetic risk for gout, with common triggers including kaimoana and red meat.

Arthritis NZ says they are two to three times more likely to develop the condition. Spokesperson Tane Cassidy says,

“Māori have disproportionate rates. We get probably twice, we suffer from gout twice to rates, roughly compared to other New Zealanders.”

“There’s a lot of whakamā and sort of stigma associated with it, but it is common, but it’s also a lot of it’s genetic.”

He tirohanga taketake

Jared Cannon, a metabolic health coach, runs low-carb cooking classes at Turuki Health Care in Māngere, and has seen similar changes in many whānau.

“We’ve been able to share and show whanau how to ultimately reduce medication and put gout into remission by improving their health outcomes.”

Although Māori now have some of the highest gout rates in the country, Cannon says that the condition is not inherent and that Māori were not always affected.

“We see metabolic dysfunction; this is now, not previously.”

“Definitely putting an indigenous lens on our kai, eating whole food, māra kai. The more education and understanding around it we can make change.”

Cannon also works with whānau to understand what’s triggering inflammation, rather than simply focusing on recipes.

“Even certain health foods can be can still cause inflammation, because the food might not necessarily the problem - it’s actually internal problem.”

He acknowledges that finances can be a barrier, and part of the programme includes helping whānau with shopping and budgeting skills.

Kia ū tonu i ngā wā hararei

With the holiday season approaching, Hohepa encourages whānau to look after themselves while still enjoying gatherings.

“Enjoy your food, enjoy your family, but trying eat within, keep at some healthy options and don’t overload your plate.”

Turuki’s low-carb cooking classes draw up to 30 people weekly, with plans to keep educating whānau in the new year.