Question about Sugar

[BYUmom]

Hi all... I recently had a scan and was told that I had a fatty liver. “Fatty infiltration in liver” to be exact. My liver is also a bit enlarged. I have done a lot of reading these past few months. I am trying to incorporate all of the suggestions to treat fatty liver disease... diet, exercise, lose weight, , no added sugar, no saturated fats, drink lots of water, etc... I had actually started Weight Watchers in April 2018 and had already started changing my diet and losing weight, and quit a long held habit of Diet Coke. When I found out about my liver. I have gone from 227 to 185 this past year and am planning to lose another 20 or 30 pounds I have a question about fruit... since fruit is 0 points on WW, I usually eat at least 3 pieces of fruit a day, should I worry and limit natural sugars in fruit ( such as frozen blueberries, bananas, apples) and some dairy foods like NF Greek yogurt? And, are using artificial sweeteners ( stevia blends) instead of sugar ( in moderation) damaging to the liver? Thanks for helping me clear this up...

[nash2 Partner]

Hi BYUmom

sure, it does seem counter intuitive but we have the research to explain it. Here is a link, note that the answer is the dose and how the bowel manages fructose.

Congratulations by the way. It sounds like you are getting this under control.

fattyliverfoundation.org/su...

Wayne

[BYUmom in reply to nash2]

Nash2, Thank you so much for your reply and for the link. Just read it and it makes a lot of sense to me. Any thoughts on using artificial Sweeteners, such as stevia , and its effects on the liver?

[nash2 Partner in reply to BYUmom]

That is a debate, but think about it this way. If your strategy is to ask your liver to work as little as possible, which is our view, just ask yourself what happens to any of the chemicals you consume and whether that is likely to be easy for your liver. In the case of artificial sweeteners or other uncommon things, you want to wonder if the liver views them as toxins and gets rid of them. We try to be conservative and avoid them since they at best don't help us and we don't actually know if they are a stress.

[asurfpro]

Hello BYUmom,

I’m sorry to hear about your fatty liver diagnosis. Seems to me you are well on your way to understanding the best diet to manage your Fatty Liver. Can’t add much more to what has already been said. Just consider if you are trying to lose weight sugary fruits and juices may slow down your progress. Avoid them for a time and eat a piece of celery with a small amount of natural almond butter. Or try snacking on edamame. You get get small bags at your local Costco. Maybe some pistachios or almonds to munch on. Just some ideas to replace the sugary fruits and juices.

Best Regards,

Harrison

[Fluffy717]

My son has juvenile diabetes so I’m very familiar with counting carbs. I might be wrong, but sugar is sugar, whether fruit or desserts. That’s how he counts them. Pasta and white flour foods are also processed like sugar but slightly slower being metabolized. Fruit is the only treat he allows himself as a dessert and only rarely, because fruit does have some nutrients or fiber that sweets don’t have. So in my house we treat all carbs as food to be limited. I’ve taken metformin for five years now because I twisted my doctor’s arm after I read of its use for lowering blood sugar and asked her for some. I think it helps fatty liver, and I’ve read articles saying that. As far as the other sweeteners, I’ve read that Stevia is best but I don’t know how it affects blood sugar. If you eat fruit, berries are the best and lowest in carbs. I hope this helps. I think all of us know the worst sweetener is the high fructose corn syrup and I avoid that at all costs because it’s actually processed by and stresses the liver. I hope this helps.

[nettl1]

Apples have a lot of sugar in them. Get online and find which fruits are good for fatty liver . The more you read the smarter you get with the disease. Fresh dark green vegetables are the best. Talk with your doctor. Sometimes I have to ask lots of questions to get answers. He doesn’t offer a lot of answer. Good luck with your health.

[sleeksheep in reply to nettl1]

Glycemic Index Chart For Fruits

A GI of more than 70 is considered high, a GI of 55-70 is considered average, and a GI of below 55 is considered low.

Cherries 22

Apricot 23

Lime 24

Plum 24

Grapefruit 25

Lemon 25

Peach 28

Prunes 29

Nectarines 30

Dates 36

Apple 38

Pear 38

Strawberry 41

Oranges 44

Grapes 46

Kiwi 52

Blueberries 54

Banana 55

Mango 56

Figs 60

Raisins 64

Pineapple 66

Cantaloupe 67

Watermelon 72

Guava 78

Very few fruits fall outside of the good range and even less if you count how much is needed to have a high glycemic load.

I eat just about everything on the list except Watermelon.

adrenalfatiguesolution.com/...

[bazizi-Islam]

And also I will add, fruit has nutrients that are hard to get from to elsewhere. For instance wild blueberries. And in my experience fruit helps me stay away from other sugars.