The 10 Best Low Calorie Foods for Weight Loss

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Written by Daisy Whitbread, BSc (Hons) MSc DipIONPowered by USDA Nutrition Data
The 10 Best Low Calorie Foods for Weight Loss

For those looking to lose weight, including low-calorie foods in your diet is an essential step. This article provides you with a list of healthy, low-calorie foods to incorporate.

Low-calorie foods include water, tea, salad greens, soup broth, mushrooms, strawberries, vegetable soup, whole grain toast, cod, eggs, and low-fat cottage cheese. An average woman on a weight-loss diet should aim to eat between 1500-1800 calories per day, depending on how active they are. Men will require approximately 500 calories more.

Below are 10 healthy low-calorie foods, for more see the full ranking of all foods low in calories.

List of Low Calorie Foods

A glass of water

#1: Water

Calories per 8oz CupCalories per 100g
0 calories0 calories
Nutrition Facts for Tap Water. (Source)

Club soda, herbal and green teas also have 0 calories. Green tea has also been shown in studies to aid fat loss.

See the complete ranking of beverages low in calories.

Watercress

#2: Salad Greens (Watercress)

Calories per CupCalories per 100g
4 calories11 calories
Nutrition Facts for Watercress. (Source)

More Salad Greens Low in Calories

  • 5 calories per cup of arugula
  • 5 calories per cup of lettuce
  • 16 calories in a cup of cucumber

See the list of low calorie vegetables.

Bowl of broth

#3: Broth

Calories per CupCalories per 100g
11 calories5 calories
Nutrition Facts for Vegetable Broth. (Source)
White Button Mushrooms

#4: Vegetables (Mushrooms)

Calories per CupCalories per 100g
15 calories22 calories
Nutrition Facts for White Button Mushrooms. (Source)

More Vegetables Low in Calories

  • 19 calories per cup of radishes
  • 35 calories per cup of eggplant
  • 40 calories per cup of asparagus

See the list of low calorie vegetables.

Strawberries

#5: Fruits (Strawberries)

Calories per CupCalories per 100g
53 calories32 calories
Nutrition Facts for Strawberries. (Source)

More Fruits Low in Calories

  • 60 calories per cup of peaches
  • 60 calories per cup of cantaloupe
  • 62 calories per cup of grapes

See the list of low calorie fruits.

Vegetable Soup

#6: Vegetable Soup

Calories per CupCalories per 100g
67 calories28 calories
Nutrition Facts for Vegetable Soup. (Source)
Whole Wheat Bread

#7: Whole Grain Toast

Calories per SliceCalories per 100g
69 calories288 calories
Nutrition Facts for Multi-Grain Toast. (Source)
A cod fillet

#8: Cod

Calories per 3oz FilletCalories per 100g
71 calories84 calories
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Cod. (Source)

More Seafood Low in Calories

  • 94 calories in 3oz of scallops
  • 98 calories in a cup of blue crab
  • 101 calories in 3oz of shrimp

See all fish low in calories.

Eggs

#9: Eggs

Calories in 1 Large EggCalories per 100g
78 calories155 calories
Nutrition Facts for Hard Boiled Eggs. (Source)
Cottage Cheese

#10: Low-Fat Cottage Cheese

Calories per OzCalories per 100g
81 calories72 calories
Nutrition Facts for Lowfat Cottage Cheese (1%). (Source)

More Cheese Low in Calories

  • 19 calories in 1 tablespoon of cream cheese
  • 44 calories in 1oz of non-fat cheddar
  • 72 calories in 1oz of low-fat mozzarella

See all dairy foods low in calories.

Printable One Page Sheet

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A printable list of low-calorie foods including water, tea, salad greens, broth, mushrooms, strawberries, vegetable soup, whole grain toast, cod, eggs, and low-fat cottage cheese.

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

About Nutrient Targets

Setting targets can provide a guide to healthy eating.

Some of the most popular targets include:
  • Daily Value (%DV) - The %DV is a general guideline for everyone and takes into account absorption factors. It is the most common target in the U.S. and found on the nutrition labels of most products. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) - The Reference Dietary Intake (RDI) accounts for age and gender. It is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization. The daily value (%DV) builds on the reference dietary intake to create a number for everyone.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - Sets a target for Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats. The Adequate Intake is also set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. It represents a number to ensure adequacy but lacks the same level of evidence as the Reference Dietary Intake. In short, the number is less accurate than the RDI.

    • See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

    Want to set your own targets? Sign up for an account and set custom targets in the daily meal planner.

View more food groups with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

MyFoodData provides free nutrition data tools and articles to help you organize and understand the foods you eat.

Create a free account to get nutrition facts on recipes and meals, track foods, and set custom targets.

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Data Sources and References

  1. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central