Cheese
Dairy — purine content 20mg per 100g
Low Purine
20
mg/100g
Yes — low purine; portion size still counts.
Diet Advice
Cheese is low in purine at about 20mg per 100g and comes from the dairy group that is associated with lower gout risk. The caution with cheese is saturated fat and salt rather than purine, so the useful moves are portion size and choosing lower-fat varieties.
Recommended Preparation
A small piece with fruit, grated over vegetables, or in a salad. Skip processed cheese spreads and cheese-heavy dishes.
Data source: USDA FoodData Central; Choi HK, NEJM 2004. Purine value: 20mg per 100g of Cheese (Low purine, green zone).
See the full purine food classification table for all 142 foods, or read the low purine diet guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cheese: is it high in purines?
Cheese: 20mg of purines per 100g, well inside the low-purine band (under 50mg/100g) used on this site. That makes it a comfortable everyday choice in a gout-friendly diet, though portion size and the rest of the plate still count.
Can I eat Cheese during a gout flare?
Yes. At 20mg per 100g the purine load is well inside the low band, so there is no need to leave Cheese out during a flare. Light meals and enough fluid matter more here than avoiding a food like this.
What are the best low-purine alternatives to Cheese?
There is little to substitute here: the purine content already sits in the low band, so the aim is variety rather than replacement. Other low-purine options include tofu, low-fat dairy and most vegetables.