Plant
Raw banana
USDA description: Banana, raw
How raw banana scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.
Food Index score
Raw bananaExcellent
| Starting score | 100 |
| Fructose | -7 |
| Nutrient Gaps | -2 |
| Vitamin C | +1.5 |
| Fiber | +1.3 |
| Magnesium | +0.9 |
| Purine Load | -0.7 |
| 3 smaller factors | -0.5 |
| Final score | 94 |
Raw banana scores 94 out of 100 and sits in the excellent band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients.
Penalties took 10.4 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 3.9 back. Every factor is listed in full below.
Scores run 0–100, where higher means more gout-friendly on average. They reflect relative ranking across foods, not a personal risk level. The same food can suit one person and not another, so use the score as a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.
The underlying data
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition Facts
- Total Fat0.28 g
- Saturated Fat0.11 g
- Sodium0 mg
- Dietary Fiber1.7 g
- Total Sugars15.8 g
- Protein0.74 g
- Calcium5 mg
- Iron0 mg
- Magnesium28 mg
- Vitamin C12 mg
- Folate15 ug
- Water75.6 g
- Alcohol0 g
- Omega-3 EPA0 g
- Omega-3 DHA0 g
Common portions
- 1 bananatypical126 g
- 1 slice6 g
- 1 cup150 g
- 1 cup, mashed225 g
- 1 linear inch15 g
- Quantity not specified126 g
Where the purine figure comes from
No direct purine measurement has been published for this food, so the score uses the measured median for its category (fruit).
We rate this a good confidence estimate.
How purines affect the score →Nutrition values from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Scoring rationale
Every factor, in full
Each row shows the points a factor moved, what drove it, and the studies behind its weight.
- -7Long-term
FructoseLong-term
An estimated 7.1 g of fructose per 100 g, scaled 1.3x for the typical portion. Reduced 70% because whole fruit blunts the fructose effect.
Evidence: Choi HK 2008, BMJ · Choi HK 2010, JAMA
- -2Long-term
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 4 of the 5 protective nutrient groups (vitamin C, fiber, omega-3, magnesium and folate).
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +1.5Long-term
Vitamin CLong-term
12 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, scaled 1.3x for the typical portion. Vitamin C helps the kidneys excrete urate.
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2011, Arthritis Care Res
- +1.3Long-term
FiberLong-term
1.7 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, scaled 1.3x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +0.9Long-term
MagnesiumLong-term
28 mg of magnesium per 100 g, scaled 1.3x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
- -0.7Flare risk
Purine LoadFlare risk
10 mg of purines per 100 g, weighted 0.45x as a plant source and 1.3x for the typical portion: 6 mg effective.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Kaneko K 2014, Biol Pharm Bull · Zhang Y 2012, Ann Rheum Dis
- -0.5Long-term
Calorie DensityLong-term
97 kcal per 100 g, above the 80 kcal energy-density threshold.
Evidence: Aune D 2014, Eur J Nutr
- -0.2Long-term
Saturated FatLong-term
0.11 g of saturated fat per 100 g, scaled 1.3x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
- +0.2Long-term
FolateLong-term
15 µg of folate per 100 g, scaled 1.3x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Lyu LC 2017, Am J Clin Nutr
Keep looking
Similar foods in fruit
Applesauce, flavored
Fruit · Excellent
Applesauce, regular
Fruit · Excellent
Apricot, canned
Fruit · Excellent
Fruit cocktail, canned, juice pack
Fruit · Excellent
Fruit salad, excluding citrus fruits, with pudding
Fruit · Excellent
Fruit salad, including citrus fruits, with pudding
Fruit · Excellent
Common questions
About raw banana
Look up any food's Food Index score
Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.