Can You Eat Bananas With Fatty Liver

Bananas get a bad reputation due to the number of carbs (sugars) they contain. The most popular opinion on the internet is that Bananas are not good for fatty liver. However is that true? If not, can you really eat bananas with Fatty Liver?

The problem with popular internet thinking is that it focuses on “one thing” sugar rather than the whole package. Additionally, fad diets are extreme and believe it or not extreme is not good for Fatty Liver. From my personal experience of reversing Fatty Liver, I never gave up on Bananas. So before we dive further, let’s start this post with the verdict first!

Verdict: Yes, you can eat a very specific quantity of bananas if you have only Fatty Liver and you do not have other conditions like diabetes or gout, etc. Depending on the stage of Fatty Liver, I suggest no more than 0.5 – 1 banana per day. Also, count the sugar towards your daily quota of sugar. If you are diabetic or have other conditions that limit your banana consumption, please check with your doctor.

Why Can You Eat Bananas With Fatty Liver?

Fruit – any fruit – needs to be measured not just by sugar content but as a nutrition package. Fruits in general are extremely important for reversing Fatty Liver primarily because of the Vitamins, Minerals, and Phytochemical they contain to help defend against or reduce inflammation from Fatty Liver disease. Additionally, keep in mind that fruits contain “natural sugar” which is different from “added/processed” sugar that other processed foods contain. It is the added processed sugar that you really must avoid for Fatty Liver.

Now, let’s focus on bananas.

Tip: Consuming some nuts – almonds, pistachios or walnuts etc. along with a banana help moderate glucose spikes!

As you can see from the nutritional picture, bananas are nutritionally very rich. While their carb content is a concern, the banana carbohydrate is actually “resistant starch” which doesn’t get broken down in the gut, resulting in less glucose being released in the bloodstream (See this amazing article @ Harvard).

Moreover, bananas help with Cardiovascular health, Digestive health, and also “Weight control”. Both digestive health and weight control contribute to healing Fatty Liver disease.

Additionally, let’s not forget about other nutrition that banana provides naturally – Potassium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Dietary Fiber, etc.

Finally, let’s also consider the spectacular use of bananas – as a sweetener. Bananas are naturally sweet and pleasantly aromatic. It can be used as a sweetener in a variety of foods and drinks.

For fatty liver, it is actually more advisable to eat fruits to control your sweet tooth than any other sugary processed snack. In conclusion, after understanding the data, it is safe to include bananas in your Fatty Liver diet. However, you also need to consider – what quantity of bananas to eat. In fact, I reversed my Fatty Liver while eating bananas pretty regularly.

How Many Bananas Can You Eat With NAFLD?

Now that we established that bananas can be eating during Fatty Liver, let’s understand the preferable quantity. The daily consumption depends on a lot of factors including what other conditions you may have, however, in general:

It is safe to consume 1 banana every other day. If you want to be super careful, you can reduce it down to 2-3 bananas per week. Eating in moderation is the key.

From personal experience, I sometimes end up consuming more than one banana a day, but then skip bananas some other days in the week. So it may be ok to splurge once in a while. In general, I eat half a banana with my fatty live smoothies [#link] and freeze the other half for the next day. Sometimes, I use bananas as a snack during a busy work day @ office or right before I go out to play.

Conclusion

It is safe to eat bananas with NAFLD, especially in moderation. Do not pay attention to the extreme and fad diets and views that somehow make fruits your enemy. Do your research and keep a balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables.

REFERENCES

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/the-sugar-in-fruit-doesnt-make-it-bad-for-you-despite-some-trendy-diet-claims/2019/04/15/5ad3ef84-5b12-11e9-a00e-050dc7b82693_story.html
• https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/bananas/