Plant
Cooked plain couscous
USDA description: Couscous, plain, cooked
How cooked plain couscous scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.
Food Index score
Cooked plain couscousExcellent
| Starting score | 100 |
| Nutrient Gaps | -4 |
| Sodium | -3.5 |
| Purine Load | -2.1 |
| Fiber | +1.4 |
| Calorie Density | -0.9 |
| Magnesium | +0.3 |
| 2 smaller factors | +0.1 |
| Final score | 91 |
Cooked plain couscous scores 91 out of 100 and sits in the excellent band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients.
Penalties took 10.6 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 1.9 back. Every factor is listed in full below.
Scores run 0–100, where higher means more gout-friendly on average. They reflect relative ranking across foods, not a personal risk level. The same food can suit one person and not another, so use the score as a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.
The underlying data
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition Facts
- Total Fat0.16 g
- Saturated Fat0.03 g
- Sodium189 mg
- Dietary Fiber1.4 g
- Total Sugars0.10 g
- Protein3.8 g
- Calcium8 mg
- Iron0.38 mg
- Magnesium8 mg
- Vitamin C0 mg
- Folate15 ug
- Water72.2 g
- Alcohol0 g
- Omega-3 EPA0 g
- Omega-3 DHA0 g
Common portions
- 1 cup, cookedtypical160 g
- 1 oz, dry, yields90 g
- Quantity not specified160 g
Where the purine figure comes from
No direct purine measurement has been published for this food, so the score uses the measured median for its category (pasta, noodles, cooked grains).
We rate this a good confidence estimate.
How purines affect the score →Nutrition values from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Scoring rationale
Every factor, in full
Each row shows the points a factor moved, what drove it, and the studies behind its weight.
- -4Long-term
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 3 of the 5 protective nutrient groups (vitamin C, fiber, omega-3, magnesium and folate).
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- -3.5Long-term
SodiumLong-term
189 mg of sodium per 100 g, scaled 1.6x for the typical portion.
Evidence: FitzGerald JD 2020, Arthritis Care Res
- -2.1Flare risk
Purine LoadFlare risk
25 mg of purines per 100 g, weighted 0.45x as a plant source and 1.6x for the typical portion: 18 mg effective.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Kaneko K 2014, Biol Pharm Bull · Zhang Y 2012, Ann Rheum Dis
- +1.4Long-term
FiberLong-term
1.4 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, scaled 1.6x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
- -0.9Long-term
Calorie DensityLong-term
111 kcal per 100 g, above the 80 kcal energy-density threshold.
Evidence: Aune D 2014, Eur J Nutr
- +0.3Long-term
MagnesiumLong-term
8 mg of magnesium per 100 g, scaled 1.6x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
- +0.2Long-term
FolateLong-term
15 µg of folate per 100 g, scaled 1.6x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Lyu LC 2017, Am J Clin Nutr
- -0.1Long-term
Saturated FatLong-term
0.03 g of saturated fat per 100 g, scaled 1.6x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
Keep looking
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Common questions
About cooked plain couscous
Look up any food's Food Index score
Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.