Fatty Liver-Friendly Fruits: Exactly What (and How Much) You Should Be Eating

When I was first diagnosed with fatty liver disease (NAFLD/MASLD), fruits were probably the most confusing food I had to deal with and I am sure you are in a similar situation.

Some people say fruits should be completely off-limits because of sugar (which is bad for you), while others say that you can still eat fruits. Is there a clear answer? It depends whom you ask.

After successfully reversing my fatty liver, I can confidently share my personal experience and extensive research on how fruits fit into a healthy, fatty-liver-friendly diet. Because, yes, you can still eat fruits after being diagnosed, as long as you are a bit careful.

So let’s settle this confusion once and for all and learn what fruits you can safely eat if you have NAFLD, but also how much is too much.

Disclaimer: Please note that this article is based on my own experiences, opinions, and personal research. This is not medical advice; consult a doctor before making any dietary decisions. However, considering that I did reverse my fatty liver successfully, you might find my perspective valuable.

Fruits ARE Healthy

Fruits can (and should!) play a role in your fatty liver diet. Even though they contain natural sugars and carbohydrates, fruits also deliver important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and dietary fiber, all beneficial to your liver’s health.

Although fruits are extremely healthy overall, they’re not medicine. Switching to a fruit-only diet (or eating pounds of bananas each day) will most likely cause more harm than good to your fatty liver.

But as long as you consume them in moderation and opt for those with less sugar, you should be not just fine but actually helping your body and liver thrive.

Fruits should be part of a varied, healthy diet – as that is the foundation stone for reversing your condition. You can read more about my recommended fatty liver diet – the one that I followed to get rid of my NAFLD.

I know there’s conflicting advice out there, especially about high-sugar fruits like bananas or grapes. Some experts strongly advise against them, claiming their high sugar content is harmful – and that is true if, at the end of the day, you consume more sugar than you should.

But I ate bananas (almost daily for some periods of time), as well as plenty of other fruits and still reversed my condition because I kept moderation in mind and my numbers in check. At the end of the day, even with one banana eaten, I was still under the amount of carbs I should’ve consumed daily.

Sure, I was and am eyeballing it most of the time, but if you’re just starting, I recommend using an app like MyFitnessPal or anything similar to precisely know the numbers.

Here’s the interesting part: While certain fruits do contain higher levels of natural sugars, they’re absorbed differently by your body compared to refined sugars (you can read in-depth about it here).

Fruit sugars come bundled with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber, which slow sugar absorption and reduce stress on the liver. And dietary fiber is extremely healthy!

And fruits don’t have as many carbs as you might think. For example, one medium banana only provides around 10% of the carbs you need on a daily basis.

In other words, in theory, you could easily eat 10 medium bananas each day (and nothing else) and still be right on the spot with the recommended daily intake of carbs.

Of course, I am not saying that you should only eat bananas – a balanced diet is mandatory – but they’re not as bad as some try to make them sound.

How much fruit to eat per day with fatty liver disease?

When it comes to my own diet, I have days when I eat a lot of fruits: 2 bananas, 2 apples, some strawberries and blueberries, 1 pear, and 1 orange. It happens (on VERY rare occasions) to eat that many, but that represents most of my meals.

A safer approach would be to eat 1-3 servings of fruit each day. To clarify, one serving equals one larger fruit like a banana, apple, or orange, or approximately one cup of berries or chopped fruit.

Keep in mind that I am only talking about fresh fruits here (or fresh fruits that were frozen).

Dried fruits (or, worse, candied fruits) are completely different: they have very high carb contents, usually, extra sugar added, and you should stay away from them or consume them with extreme care.

Fruits You Can Eat Frequently if You Have a Fatty Liver

The safest fruits you can eat are those with the lowest sugar content per 100 grams. They still provide nutritional benefits, are tasty, and won’t eat up too much of your daily carb allowance. Here are my favorites:

• Avocados: Yes, avocados are technically a fruit! They contain healthy fats that benefit liver health, have minimal sugar, and are considered a liver superfood.
• Berries (Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cranberries, etc): Rich in antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins with lower sugar content, making them perfect for everyday consumption.
• Lemons and Limes: Excellent detoxifiers and flavor boosters without significant sugar. Perfect for your daily lemon water, for example.
• Kiwi: Packed with vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants.
• Guava: Rich in fiber and surprisingly low in sugar.
• Apricots: Surprisingly lower in sugar than most assume, yet delicious.
• Rhubarb: Another low-sugar option that pairs well with berries.

These fruits offer the most benefits for your liver without significantly raising your daily sugar or carbohydrate intake.

You can check out a list of most fruits available to purchase and their sugar contents on Very Well Fit.

What about Fruits Higher in Sugar?

It’s not just bananas that have a high sugar content in the fruit world. Watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, pineapples, jackfruit, or mangoes contain more natural sugars than other fruits. But does that mean they’re off the menu?

Not at all! It simply means you should enjoy them less frequently or in smaller portions, balancing them with lower-sugar options throughout the day.

For instance, watermelon is actually beneficial due to its high antioxidant (lycopene) content, fiber, and low calories (only 45 calories per cup). Similarly, cantaloupe is nutritious, providing fiber and antioxidants at just 55 calories per cup.

Jackfruit, though healthy and packed with fiber, is higher in calories (155 calories and 38 grams carbs per cup). Thus, it’s best enjoyed occasionally in controlled portions. The same goes for every sugary fruit out there. I might sound like a broken record, but this is the truth: moderation is key!

I wrote in-depth about various fruits, so if you want to go through them one by one, check out the articles covering pineapples, oranges, or read about dealing with sugar cravings in general.

Do fruit juices count as fruits?

Unfortunately, fruit juices do NOT count as fruits as they don’t have all the health benefits that whole fruits have.

Some people go as far as saying that they are as unhealthy as store-bought juices and soft drinks, although I wouldn’t go that far. Still, you lose most of the fiber and many other nutrients when juicing by removing the pulp.

If you really want some sort of variety, go for smoothies instead: as long as the pulp of the fruit remains there, it’s all safe and healthy, as if you were eating the fruits themselves.

So… you MUST eat fruit?

While we’ve decided that eating fruits is still possible as part of a healthy diet for reversing fatty liver disease, the truth is that it’s not a must to consume them if you don’t really like them.

If you replace them with a similar amount of vegetables, it’s even better because most vegetables come with the same benefits but without as much natural sugar.

As long as you keep your diet balanced and provide your body with all the nutrients it would otherwise get from fruit (fiber, vitamins, minerals, and various other nutrients), you can ignore them if you really want to keep carbs at a minimum. Just make sure that you DO get all the benefits fruit would offer.