The 10 Best Low Calorie Foods for Weight Loss

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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 water1 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.

Watercress2 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 broth3 Broth
Calories per CupCalories per 100g
11 calories5 calories
Nutrition Facts for Vegetable Broth. (Source)
White Button Mushrooms4 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.

Strawberries5 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 Soup6 Vegetable Soup
Calories per CupCalories per 100g
67 calories28 calories
Nutrition Facts for Vegetable Soup. (Source)
Whole Wheat Bread7 Whole Grain Toast
Calories per SliceCalories per 100g
69 calories288 calories
Nutrition Facts for Multi-Grain Toast. (Source)
A cod fillet8 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.

Eggs9 Eggs
Calories in 1 Large EggCalories per 100g
78 calories155 calories
Nutrition Facts for Hard Boiled Eggs. (Source)
Cottage Cheese10 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.

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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 daily value (%DV) is a general guideline for consumption that will prevent deficiency of a particular nutrient in most people. The %DV refers to the percentage of an amount that's found in a single serving of a food. It also accounts for absorption factors. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) - The RDA sets an average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals. It's more specific than the daily value, and varies by age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Instutites of Health.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, but is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - This value is primarily used in reference to omega-3 and omega-6 fats. The Adequate Intake is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Because there is less evidence to determine the ideal targets for consumption of these nutrients, the specific amount is considered to be less reliable. Using the term Adequate Intake, rather than one of the other terms, helps to emphasize that the ideal intake of that particular nutrient has not yet been scientifically determined.

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.

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


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

Data Sources and References

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