101 Low Calorie Foods

One thing that many people do when they are trying to lose weight is to find low calorie diets. This may not be a bad idea but it is only one element of weight loss and you need to keep reading to make sure you don’t shortchange yourself.

There are some common misconceptions about losing weight and that is why so many people are disappointed when they rely solely on low calorie diets.

To illustrate what I mean, let me tell you a little story. Earlier this year, I decided to get serious about losing some extra weight. I don’t have a lot of weight that I need to lose, just about 15 lbs. but I have had a hard time getting motivated.

A friend of mine introduced me to a diet plan. This plan was tailored to my needs and my body type. It included an eating plan. The plan called for 6 small meals a day.

The first few days I had a hard time finishing all the food in the diet plan! I couldn’t believe that this was supposed to be a diet! I was sure that I was going to gain weight and not lose it.

But, at the end of one week I got on the scale and realized that I had actually lost 10 lbs.! Yep, you heard me right… after one week of “dieting” I had lost 10 lbs.

There are several reasons for this:

1. For one thing, even though I was eating a lot of food I was eating very low calorie and high nutrition foods. That means that I was providing my body all the nutrients it needed to keep my energy levels high and I was doing it with quality, nutritious foods. By providing my body with all it needed I was giving myself the best chance to stay healthy.

2. This diet was designed to provide my body not only with high nutrition foods, but also with foods that filled me up. Some foods just make you feel satisfied more quickly than others. When you eat these types of foods you won’t want to eat as much yet you will still feel full and you will be giving your body the nutrients that it needs.

3. And one other thing is that by eating the best types of foods and keeping my body well fed, I was able to have enough energy to get through my day (and my workout). Some very low calorie diets just don’t provide your body with the nutrients it needs so you don’t feel like getting any exercise.

In order to see the results you want you will need to combine a proper eating plan with some daily exercise. If your caloric intake is too low your body will not have the energy necessary to get some exercise.

Very often low calorie diets are somewhat short sighted. Starving yourself is not the best way (or even an effective way) to lose weight. Any weight loss efforts need to be a permanent part of your life if you want to keep the weight off. Will you really be able to stick with that ultra low calorie eating plan from this point on?

101 Low Calorie Foods

FRUIT

• Apple – 70 calories per medium fruit
• Apricots – 55 calories per 3⁄4 cup
• Grapefruit – 39 calories per half a fruit
• Grapes – 69 calories per 100 grams of red grapes
• Honeydew melon – 61 calories per cup
• Kiwi – 46 calories per whole fruit
• Lemons – (and limes) 20 calories per fruit
• Jicama – 45 calories per cup (chopped)
• Pineapple – 81 calories per cup of diced pineapple
• Plums – 30 calories per fruit
• Pumpkin – 30 calories per cup
• Raspberries – 65 calories per cup
• Starfruit – 29 calories per fruit
• Strawberries – 49 calories per cup
• Watermelon – 46 calories per cup
• Oranges – 60 calories per fruit
• Papaya – 54 calories per cup
• Peaches – 37 calories per fruit
• Blackberries – 62 calories per cup
• Blueberries – 84 calories per cup
• Cantaloupe – 60 calories per cup

VEGETABLES

• Radishes – 19 calories per cup
• Spinach – 7 calories per cup
• Sugar snap peas – 30 calories per (half) cup
• Summer squash – 18 calories per cup
• Tomatoes – 22 calories per medium-sized fruit
• Turnip – 36 calories per cup
• Watercress – 4 calories per cup
• Zucchini – 20 calories per cup
• Peppers – 30 calories per (half) cup
• Snow peas – 34 calories per cooked (half) cup
• Scallions – 31 calories per 100 grams
• Arugula – four calories per cup
• Asparagus – 27 calories per cup

• Baked potato – 170 calories per medium-sized potato
• Baked sweet potato – 55 calories per small sized potato
• Beets – 37 calories per (half) cup
• Bell peppers – 37 calories per whole pepper

• Cabbage – 22 calories per cup
• Carrots – 22 calories per (half) cup
• Cauliflower – 27 calories per cup
• Celery – 16 calories per cup
• Cucumber – 45 calories per whole cucumber
• Bok choy – 9 calories per (shredded) cup
• Broccoli – 31 calories per cup
• Brussel sprouts – 38 calories per cup
• Chinese cabbage – 12 calories per cup
• Fennel – 27 calories per cup
• Garlic – 4 calories per clove
• Hearts of Palm – 115 calories per 100 grams
• Leeks – 32 calories per cooked cup
• Lettuce – 5 calories per cup
• Kale – 5 calories per cup
• Mushrooms – 15 calories per cup
• Okra – 36 calories per cup
• Onions – 32 calories per cup

PROTEIN

• Eggs – 72 calories per (large) egg
• Black beans – 114 calories per (half) cup
• Deli meat – (turkey) 72 calories per three ounces
• Teff – 128 calories per cooked half cup
• Hummus – 80 calories per three tablespoons
• Kidney beans – 108 calories per cooked (half) cup
• Lentils – 115 calories per (half) cup
• Peanut butter – (powdered) 45 calories per tablespoon
• Refried beans – 91 calories per cooked (half) cup
• Silken tofu – 31 calories per three ounces
• Cod – 82 calories per 100 grams
• Chicken breast (boneless and skinless) – 110 calories per 100 grams
• Chicken drumstick – 75 calories per drumstick
• Lean round steak – 168 calories per 100 grams
• Mussels – 73 calories per three ounces
• Oysters – 81 calories per 100 grams
• Pork tenderloin – 143 calories per 100 grams
• Salmon – 116 calories per 100 grams
• Scallops – 88 calories per 100 grams
• Turkey breast (boneless and skinless) – 111 calories per 100 grams
• Turkey leg – 91 calories per three ounces

DAIRY

• Cottage cheese – (low-fat) 82 calories per (half) cup
• Milk – (skimmed) 86 calories per cup
• Mozzarella – 71 calories per ounce
• Parmesan cheese – 21 calories per tablespoon
• Yogurt – (plain, non-fat) 137 calories per cup

GRAINS

• Oatmeal – 124 calories in a cooked 3⁄4 cup
• Quinoa – 222 calories per cooked cup
• Rice cakes – 35 calories per cake
• Sandwich thins – 50 calories per half thin
• Wheat bran – 31 calories per (quarter) cup
• Wild rice – 166 calories per cup
• Bulgur wheat – 76 calories per cooked half cup
• Chestnuts – 63 calories per ounce
• Granola – 85 calories per three tablespoons

NOODLES

• Shirataki Noodles – 5 calories per 100 grams
• Soba noodles – 113 calories per cooked cup

SOUP

• Clear broth – 10 calories per cup

SNACKS

• Dill pickles – 14 calories per large dill pickle
• Frozen fruit bars – 30 calories each
• Jello – (sugar-free) 10 calories per (half) cup
• Popcorn – (air popped without butter) – 31 calories per popped cup

DRINKS

• Tea – (no milk/sugar) zero calories
• Black coffee – (with no sugar) zero calories
• Almond milk – (unsweetened) 38 calories per cup