The nurse teaches dietary instructions for a client with gout. Which instruction should the nurse include?

Gout is a metabolic disorder caused by hyperuricemia, leading to the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in joints and surrounding tissues. Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism in humans; therefore, reducing dietary purine intake helps lower serum uric acid levels and decreases the frequency of acute gout attacks. Purine-rich foods include organ meats, anchovies, sardines, herring, shellfish, and red meat. Instructing the client to avoid purine-rich foods such as anchovies is both accurate and clinically appropriate. While alcohol — particularly beer and spirits — does increase uric acid production and decrease its renal excretion, telling the client they must 'eliminate' alcohol is overly absolute; moderation is the standard evidence-based recommendation, and this option is less precise than avoiding purines. Sardines are themselves high in purines, making the advice to eat more sardines for calcium directly contraindicated for gout management. Liver is an organ meat that is extremely high in purines, so recommending it as an iron source is contraindicated for a client with gout. Nurses should emphasize hydration, avoidance of high-purine foods, and limiting alcohol to support uric acid control alongside pharmacological management.