What does a score of 89 mean?

89 out of 100 places lima beans in the "excellent" band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients. Scores rank foods against each other on average across a population. They are not a personal risk level.

What portion is the score based on?

Nutrition figures are given per 100 g, and the scoring applies a serving-size adjustment based on this food's typical portion: 1 cup (185 g). Eating substantially more or less than that shifts the real-world effect accordingly.

How confident is this score?

Based on the measured median for this food category. Because the purine figure is estimated rather than directly measured, read this score as approximate.

Can I eat lima beans if I have gout?

That is a question for you and your clinician. This page ranks foods on published population-average evidence; it does not account for your urate level, kidney function, medications or overall eating pattern.

Plant

Lima beans

USDA description: Lima beans, NFS

How lima beans scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.

Food Index score

Lima beansExcellent

0100

Based on a well-supported purine estimate

What moved this score
Starting score	100
Purine Load	-5.3
Fiber	+5
Sodium	-4.6
Nutrient Gaps	-4
Saturated Fat	-2.6
Calorie Density	-2.4
2 smaller factors	+3.3
Final score	89

Flare risk (acute)95

Long-term (chronic)95

Lima beans scores 89 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 18.9 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 8.3 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.

Compare with another foodMore beans, peas, legumes How scoring works

The underlying data

Nutrition and portions

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per 100 g

Typical serving185 g

Calories165

Total Fat6.9 g
Saturated Fat0.95 g
Sodium218 mg
Dietary Fiber6.5 g
Total Sugars2.7 g
Protein7.3 g

Calcium16 mg
Iron2.2 mg
Magnesium40 mg
Vitamin C0 mg
Folate73 ug

Water64.9 g
Alcohol0 g
Omega-3 EPA0 g
Omega-3 DHA0 g

Common portions

1 cuptypical185 g
Quantity not specified92 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 (beans, peas, legumes).

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.

PointsFactorAffects

-5.3
Purine LoadFlare risk
55 mg of purines per 100 g, weighted 0.45x as a plant source and 1.9x for the typical portion: 46 mg effective.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Kaneko K 2014, Biol Pharm Bull · Zhang Y 2012, Ann Rheum Dis
Flare risk
+5
FiberLong-term
6.5 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, scaled 1.9x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
Long-term
-4.6
SodiumLong-term
218 mg of sodium per 100 g, scaled 1.9x for the typical portion.
Evidence: FitzGerald JD 2020, Arthritis Care Res
Long-term
-4
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
Long-term
-2.6
Saturated FatLong-term
0.95 g of saturated fat per 100 g, scaled 1.9x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
Long-term
-2.4
Calorie DensityLong-term
165 kcal per 100 g, above the 80 kcal energy-density threshold.
Evidence: Aune D 2014, Eur J Nutr
Long-term
+1.9
MagnesiumLong-term
40 mg of magnesium per 100 g, scaled 1.9x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
Long-term
+1.4
FolateLong-term
73 µg of folate per 100 g, scaled 1.9x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Lyu LC 2017, Am J Clin Nutr
Long-term

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