You have to be calories conscious while eating because if you take calories more than your daily requirement, you are more likely to gain weight over time. So, to maintain a moderate weight and health, add low-calorie foods to your diet.
Why are low calories foods important?
Our body requires an appropriate amount of calories to keep running all the functions. To maintain our health and body, it is crucial to include nutritious but low calories foods into your diet plan. By incorporating low-calorie food into your diet, you can easily reduce the total intake of your calories. Your calories intake depends on some factors such as age, size, height, and lifestyle. Generally, it is around 2,500 for men and 2,000 for women, but if you want to lose weight and maintain your health, it should be reduced to 2000 and 1500, respectively.
What is a low-calorie diet?
Diet is a proper eating plan, but a dietitian usually prescribes a low-calorie diet plan to help you to reduce or maintain weight. It involves reducing the total number of calories by a person per day by consuming low-calorie foods in the diet. Moreover, researchers have proved that limiting your daily calories can slow down aging and protect against different diseases such as cancer, diabetes, etc.
Some Low-Calorie Foods
Following are low-calories foods that have high nutritional value and are good sources of vitamins and minerals. Fitness freaks may find it beneficial to skip some higher calorie foods with low calorie and nutrient-rich food and drinks.
Fruits
Fruits are a great source of important vitamins and minerals. Instead of fruit juices or drinks, whole fruit is good to eat. It contains fiber, which makes you feel fuller than fruit juices and helps you in the digestion of food. But keep in mind if you eat more than one serving at a time, it will not be good for you. For instance;
One serving(6 ounces) of orange juice = 85 calories
Medium-sized Orange = 65 calories
Apple
“One apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
Apple is a rich source of vitamin C, which is great for your immune system. It helps to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol. It is also enriched with antioxidants which protect you from cancer. Calories depend on the size of the apple, as one medium-sized apple contains 85 calories, and it varies with altitude.
Blackberries
These are enriched with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that provide a variety of health benefits. Blackberries have anti-inflammatory antioxidants such as anthocyanins and also hold anti-microbial properties. They may also help to fight diabetes and certain kinds of cancer. One cup of raw blackberries contains only 62 calories.
Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables have high water and fiber content. That’s why they have more weight but are low in calories. Green and leafy vegetables are an amazing source of iron and many other vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. For all these benefits, they are a compulsory part of any low calories diet. For example, one cup of radish slices (116 g) contains only 18 calories. Cucumber, carrot, radish, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, mint, beets, zucchini, etc., all are the best low calories foods.
Drinks
Fresh fruit or vegetable juices are low in calories than fizzy drinks or other juices because they are more calories. That usually people don’t realize. So if you are trying to lose weight or stay healthy, avoid these drinks and switch to fresh juices. Moreover, black coffee and green/herbal tea are also low calories drinks.
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