I’ve been helping people reach their health and fitness goals for almost a decade now. The most common struggle people face is sticking to a healthy nutritious diet for the long-term.
How do you make the switch to a healthier diet that makes losing weight easier?
By adding low calorie foods. These are super low calorie foods that help you feel more satisfied, keep cravings at bay, and pack some serious nutrition without any unwanted calories.
That’s because the goal should always be to have a diet that tastes as good as it makes your body feel.
After all, being healthy is not just about losing weight – it’s about feeling better and living a happier, healthier life. And these low calorie foods can help you get there.
What Are Low Calorie Foods?
Everyone is always searching for the unicorn zero calorie foods. And the truth is only water truly has zero calories. Other than that, zero calorie foods is a myth. There’s no such thing.
Even black coffee or plain tea have a small amount of calories per cup. And hot sauce? That has extremely low calories once you start enjoying more than one teaspoon at a time.
That’s why the goal is to enjoy low calorie healthy foods instead.
What Are Negative Calorie Foods?
Many of the extremely low calorie foods on my list require more calories to digest than they have calories in them.
These are what are controversially known as negative calorie foods, since technically, they have calories.
This means they end up helping you lose weight without you having to do any extra work. Because losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit.
Plus, these are foods you should be eating anyway for optimal health. These are foods that don’t just help you lose weight, but low and extremely low calorie foods that help you glow from the inside out.
Sustainable weight loss doesn’t have to be complicated. And this list of some zero calorie, but mostly extremely low calorie foods will help make losing weight easier.
My Top 10 Low Calorie Foods for Healthy, Sustainable Weight Loss
I always give my personal clients a list of healthy, zero and low calorie foods with their very first weekly meal plan. It helps makes their transition to a healthier lifestyle that much easier.
My top 10 low calorie foods are foods we pretty much always have in our home, because they’re easy to find any time of year and the whole family enjoys them.
Here they are in no particular order:
Water. Zero calories
Water is the only true zero calorie food out there. And drinking enough water is one of the most important things you can do for body for healthy, unstainable weight loss. That’s because your body’s made up mostly of water. To keep all your precious organs functioning properly and your skin looking fresh and hydrated, drink at least half your body weight in ounces each day.
Bored with water? Try one of my 5 simple ways to enhance your water.
Kale: 33 calories per cup
Kale is one of the healthiest low calorie foods for you with all of its nutritional and health benefits ranging from helping to prevent heart disease and cancer to supporting your immune system, your bone and your eye health. Enjoy raw kale chopped in a salad, baked kale chips, or steamed kale with garlic and onion.
Celery: 15 calories in medium 2 stalks
I feel like celery is seriously underrated – and so easy to find at your favorite grocery store year-round. Rich in vitamins, fiber and antioxidants, celery helps with everything from reducing stress hormone levels and inflammation to supporting digestion and helping lower cholesterol. Enjoy celery raw as a snack with hummus or pb, chopped up in salads, or use it in soups, stuffing or casseroles.
Spinach. 7 calories per cup
Spinach is a staple in our home. Mostly because it is also a nutrition powerhouse and my kids will eat it. Spinach may help prevent cancer, reduce blood sugar, promote good bone health, reduce blood pressure, reduce oxidative stress and benefit eye health. Eat spinach raw as a salad, mix it with your favorite greens, add it to your favorite smoothie, or enjoy it sautéed in a variety of meals.
Carrots: 45 calories per cup
Carrots are another low calorie food we always have in our home. Considered a superfood by some experts because of its crazy amounts of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, carrots help with regulating blood sugar, keeping your skin looking amazing, supporting bone and gut health, and are also known as nature’s toothbrush.
Enjoy carrots raw as a snack by itself or with your favorite dip like hummus or steamed as a side with dinner, or chopped in soups and casseroles.
Sugar snap peas: 40 calories per 3/4 cup
Loaded with vitamins, fiber and antioxidants, sugar snap peas help keep your skeletal system strong, they boost immunity, they help keep your digestive system healthy, they prevent fatigue, and they’re mildly anti-inflammatory. Enjoy sugar snap peas raw as a snack with your favorite healthy dip, quick steamed, or cooked in stir fries and quick sautés.
Sugar snap peas are one of my kids’ favorites, because they have a lot of fun playing with them as they eat them.
Cucumbers. 16 calories per cup
You may think this low calorie food has nothing in it, but cucumbers have vitamins and antioxidants and health benefits from promoting hydration and regularity to helping lower blood pressure. Sliced cucumbers are perfect in salads or alone as a crunchy snack instead of chips. Pair it with hummus or your favorite dip or dressing.
Cabbage: 17 calories per cup
Packed with vitamins and nutrients, cabbage has lots of fiber and very few calories. It may help with everything from keeping inflammation in check to lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. It also improves your digestion. Add as an extra crunch to salads or even in sandwiches or wraps. Cabbage is also great to use in soups and sautés.
Broccoli. 31 calories per cup
Broccoli is high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. One of the healthiest vegetables out there, broccoli can help boost immunity, reduce inflammation, regulate blood sugar, aid in the detoxification process, and promote heart health. Enjoy broccoli raw or quick steamed 5-10 minutes as a side or in casseroles.
Blueberries: 80 calories per cup
Not an extremely low calorie food, but worth every calorie for the health benefits. Blueberries pack a ton of health benefits with all of their antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Blueberries lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as providing you with anti-inflammatory benefits and so much more.
This superfood also contains resveratrol, which is the same healthy ingredient in red wine less the unwanted extra calories. Enjoy blueberries fresh as a snack or in salads or frozen blueberries to cool down hot oatmeal, mixed in your favorite smoothie, or as a frozen treat when mixed with Greek yogurt.
Low Calorie Vegetables for Sustainable Weight Loss
Vegetables are essential to include whether you’re trying to live a healthier lifestyle or just trying to lower your calorie intake for weight loss.
Low calorie veggies help you feel full and satiated for longer.
Here are some low calorie vegetables to help with weight loss:
Asparagus. 20 calories in 5 spears
Arugula: 5 calories per cup
Brussel Sprouts: 38 calories per cup
Iceberg Lettuce: 10 calories per cup
Radishes: 18 calories per cup
Cauliflower: 27 calories per cup
Zucchini: 19 calories per cup
Bok Choy: 9 calories per cup
Bell Peppers: 25 calories per medium bell pepper
Turnips: 36 calories per cup
Romaine Lettuce: 8 calories per cup
Beets: 58 calories per cup
Green Beans: 31 calories per cup
Jicama: 49 calories per cup
Swiss chard: 35 calories per cup
Summer squash: 19 calories per cup
Onions: 46 calories per cup
Jalapeño Peppers: 26 calories per cup
Rutabaga: 53 calories per cup
Pickles: 7 calories per pickle
Mushrooms: 16 calories per cup
Watercress: 34 calories per cup
Garlic: 13 calories in 1 clove
Ginger: 2 calories in 1 teaspoon
Low Calorie Fruits
You’ll notice that fruit has more calories than the low calorie vegetables, but because of the amount of health benefits each provides, it’s necessary to include them as a part of a healthy diet.
Grapefruit: 52 calories in 1/2 fruit
Tomatoes: 32 calories per cup
Cantaloupe: 60 calories per cup
Lemons & limes: 17 calories per fruit
Strawberries: 49 calories per cup
Watermelon: 47 calories per cup
Honeydew Melon: 64 calories per cup
Clementines: 35 calories per cup
Apples: 57 calories per cup or one medium apple
Blackberries: 62 calories per cup
Raspberries: 65 calories per cup
Papaya: 62 calories per cup
Low Calorie Condiments to Add Flavor to Your Food
Adding flavor to your food can take your salads and meals from ordinary to extraordinary. And make eating healthy something you look forward to instead of something you dread.
Here are some of my favorite low calorie condiments:
Fresh herbs: 3-7 calories per cup, varies by herb
Mustard: 6 calories per 2 teaspoons
Vinegar: 6 calories per 2 tablespoons
Salsa: 12 calories per 2 tablespoons
Frank’s Red Hot Sauce or Tabasco Sauce: 0 calories per 1 teaspoon
Low Calorie Beverages
Unsweetened cocoa powder is technically a sweet, because it’s most often used in baking, however for the purpose of this article and how I enjoy drinking it mixed with hot water as a health benefit, I’m including it in the beverage section.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: 25 calories per 2 tablespoons
Teas and Coffee: 2 calories per 8 ounce
Including Low Calorie Foods for Sustainable Weight Loss
Healthy sustainable weight loss is all about finding balance.
To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. This means including low calorie foods in your diet to feel like you’re eating more even though you’re eating less calories.
Because if you’re working out hard every day and not watching what you eat, you will never reach your health and fitness goals. Why? Because you will never outrun a bad diet.
Adding these low calorie foods to your weekly meal plans will always give you easy access to delicious and healthy foods, especially when you also meal prep.
Food Storage for Your Low Calorie Foods
One thing you will probably need to store all those prepped healthy, delicious low calories foods is storage containers like these glass food storage containers on Amazon. I love these ones, because they have a secure closure, two different sizes, and come in a wide variety of colors.
This makes meal prepping with kids even more fun! If you’re new to meal prepping, you’ll want to take a look at my beginner meal prep tips.
Feel like you need more one-on-one help reaching your own health and fitness goals? Please fill out my client request form to tell me a little bit more about yourself, and I’ll be in touch within 24 hours.
Have any questions or something you’d like to add? Make sure to comment below!
