Is Zucchini Good for Fatty Liver & IBS? What You Need to Know About Zucchini

Anyone with IBS and fatty liver will want to include zucchini in their diet as zucchini is a low calorie and low fodmap vegetable that is great for both IBS and fatty liver. Vegetables have been associated with a decreased risk of developing fatty liver.

A major contributing cause to fatty liver is excess caloric intake which can lead to the excess calories being converted to fat in the liver in susceptible individuals. A low calorie diet has been shown to reverse fatty liver. Some of the best low calorie foods include water rich vegetables such as zucchini that provide satiety via volume and fiber while containing less calories that processed dry foods and fats.

Even though fats are low fodmap they pack a lot of calories and can contribute to fatty liver when overconsumed. For this reason I love filling up on vegetables including zucchini.

According to testing done by the Monash University, 65 grams or 1/3 cup of zucchini is low fodmap, but half a cup of chopped zucchini or 75 grams contains moderate amounts of fodmaps. Anyone on a strict low-fodmap diet for irritable bowel syndrome will want to stick to the recommended portion size.

One medium zucchini weighs approximately 196 grams, and a small zucchini is 118 grams. About 1/3 of a medium zucchini would be low fodmap or just over half of a small zucchini. Zucchini contains the fructan fodmap, which is also present in artichoke, garlic, leek, onion, and spring onions, so if you are intolerant to onions, zucchini may be a trigger food for IBS symptoms as well.

That being said, zucchini is much lower in the fructan fodmaps than garlic and onion, so when you are ready to reintroduce high fodmap foods again, increasing your intake of zucchini is a great way to get your gut bacteria used to digesting fructans again. Once your tolerance level of zucchini increases, you can try adding back in smaller amounts of onion and garlic.

There is so much information on what is a low fodmap serving size and not enough information on how to reintroduce high fodmap foods after you have implemented an IBS or SIBO protocol. I used to have SIBO symptoms, but since overcoming SIBO, I now eat high fodmap foods and vegetables ALL THE TIME! I don’t react to larger servings anymore as I have done a lot of gut healing and liver gallbladder support.

Zucchini is a great low fodmap vegetable to include in your diet, especially if you have IBS alongside fatty liver and insulin resistance. Fatty liver is an underlying cause of insulin resistance, and many people with IBS have fatty liver. Fodmap Friendly vegetables such as zucchini are crucial to eat while on the low fodmap diet, as eating a plant-based diet with lots of vegetables reduces the risk of developing fatty liver.

This post contains a comprehensive list of low fodmap vegetables that you should try to eat several servings of daily, especially if you are insulin resistant, have type 2 diabetes, or have fatty liver. Zucchini is among the top foods to lower blood sugar and a great low fodmap food when you stick to a low fodmap portion size :)

Low fodmap zucchini recipes

There are so many delicious ways to enjoy this low-fodmap vegetable, as zucchini taste amazing in stir fries, can be added to a bolognese sauce, or fried in a large skillet on medium-high heat with a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper, and served with a low fodmap pesto and parmesan cheese! Zucchini is such a versatile vegetable that can even be used in baking and bread.

You can also make zucchini noodles using a vegetable spiralizer, then use the noodles as a substitute for regular pasta that is made with wheat flour and is high fodmap. Top the zucchini noodles with a low fodmap pasta sauce and parmesan cheese for a healthy low fodmap recipe. The zucchini noodles will taste great with any bolognese sauce.

These zucchini fritters are a great low fodmap side dish, healthy snack, or light lunch! I specifically formulated this zucchini soup with low fodmap ingredients and dill to help people beat the bloat, as dill is a fantastic culinary herb for bloating.

Low fodmap stuffed zucchini boats and parmesan baked zucchini rounds are also delicious zucchini recipes.

Nutritional Profile of Zucchini

According to Cronometer ( a great app for measuring and tracking your nutritional intake), 1 cup of zucchini or 149 grams of zucchini contains 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbohydrates, zero grams of fat, and only 25 calories. It is a low-carb vegetable that is great for weight loss and diabetics and is low fodmap in amounts under 65 grams, according to the Monash app, which is my go-to resource for checking the fodmap content of foods.

Zucchini contains B vitamins and magnesium that are essential for methylation and production of SAMe, which is a co-factor for the PEMT gene. SNP’s in the PEMT gene or deficiencies in SAMe or choline can cause fatty liver and a sluggish gallbladder that leads to SIBO. Zucchini is a good source of folate and B2, two essential nutrients for the MTHFR gene. This post is all about the connection between MTHFR and SIBO.

Other nutrients found in zucchini include vitamin C, K, manganese, and potassium.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for the immune system.

Manganese is the co-factor for the SOD enzyme (the body’s primary antioxidant enzyme to break down free radicals).

Potassium and magnesium are crucial electrolytes to hydrate the body.

As you can see, zucchini is a great low fodmap vegetable to include in the diet as it contains essential nutrients that can help prevent the development of SIBO due to it containing nutrients to support the MTHFR gene, methylation, and thus SAMe for the PEMT gene.

The diet impacts the body in so many ways, and it is vital to include nutrient-dense low fodmap vegetables such as zucchini in the diet if you have IBS, fatty liver, and insulin resistance.