9 Low-Calorie Indian Foods You Must Include In Your Diet

Low Calorie Foods or low-fat alternatives have been gaining popularity every day.

And why not, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2013–2014, More than 1 in 3 adults were considered to be overweight.

Our diet here is a crucial factor because no matter how many hours we try spending in a gym, our body majorly responds to the food and nutrition it gets.

Whole Grains |  Eggs | Carrots |  Watermelons |  Mushroom | GrapeFruit |  Beans | Chicken |  PopCorn 

While there have been a hell lot of discussions about which restricted diet to follow or how to starve and lose weight, we would say keep a track of the foods you eat and maintain a good weight.

Although in Possible, we don’t believe in counting calories in order to lose weight, there’s no harm in finding the low-calorie foods that can make us full, right?

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1. Go Grain

Whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, millets are not just low-calorie foods but are also filling foods. That means, including them to your diet will make you feel full for a long time.

Moreover, they are rich in fibers that help in lowering risks of coronary heart diseases as well as maintain blood sugar levels.[2]

Besides these, whole grains have many vitamins and minerals in their bran.

Regular consumption of whole grains like brown rice helps in fighting high blood pressure too.

See the List of grains and their calorie counts below. [4]

2. Eggs

One large egg contains just about 78 calories while being a power-packed nutrient-rich food.

Eggs are not just a low-calorie Indian food but also a wonder food for weight loss.

These small wonders are rich in high-quality proteins and healthy fats.

Because of their high protein content, eggs are stomach filling.

You can sneak them into your vegetable bowls too and have a complete meal.

Eggs are also rich in vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, choline, biotin, and folic acid. They also contain certain minerals that are not readily available like selenium and iodine.

Nutrients Found in Egg

3. Carrots

Yes, carrots are low-calorie foods that you can enjoy guilt-free.

A medium carrot may contain about 25 calories only! Besides being low in calorie scale, carrots are rich in beta-carotene and fiber.

This beta-carotene after being ingested gets converted to vitamin A. It also acts as antioxidants and protects the body cells.

Carrots are also rich in vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, vitamin B8, pantothenic acid, folate, potassium, iron, copper, and manganese.

Try out this Cabbage-Carrot Shredded Salad Recipe!

4. Watermelons

5 Low-Calorie Vegetables

• Tomato – 25 Calories
• Cucumber – 20 Calories (1/2)
• Celery Stalks – 13 Calories (2)
• Cauliflower – 25 Calories (100 gms)
• Green peppers – 20 Calories (100 gms)

5. Mushroom

A 100 gram of mushrooms contains about 22 calories. Besides being a good source of dietary fibre, different varieties of mushrooms contain important minerals like germanium, selenium, copper, niacin, potassium and phosphorous.

In a paper published in 2016 by Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, it was mentioned that white button mushrooms in their powdered form help in reducing metabolic disorders.

Mushroom is one important low-calorie food that is high in proteins and other important nutrients and makes a great choice for weight loss.

Don’t know how to sneak in mushrooms into your diet? Here’s a quick recipe Spinach and Mushroom Omelette Recipe

6. Grapefruit

Another low-calorie fruit making this list is grapefruit. Like its other citrus fruit counterparts, grape food is rich in vitamin C.

This low-calorie fruit contains about 42 calories per 100 grams.

While being low calorie, it is high in nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C. In MEDICALNEWSTODAY, it was mentioned that grapefruit has effects on weight loss.

This fruit has low GI which makes it suitable for people with diabetes too.

Read more about what to eat and what not to eat with Diabetes. Grapefruit is also heavily loaded with water, much like watermelon, hence is a stomach-filling low-calorie fruit too.

7. Beans

Among this list of low-calorie foods, we have included beans. While the calorie count of beans varies with varieties from 110 to 130 calories per serving.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, per half cup of black beans have 110 calories whereas chickpeas have 130 calories. Beans are usually low in fats and even low in cholesterol.

They are good sources of iron, potassium, folate as well as magnesium. And that’s not all, beans are rich in dietary fiber and protein.

This means, having a bowl of beans can fill you up properly without making you gain more calories. These low-calorie foods even have a low GI.

Check out a Chickpea Vegetable Salad recipe

8. Chicken

Yes, our favourite chicken has made it to the list of low-calorie foods. Per 100 gms of chicken contains about 110 calories.

According to USDA [2], chicken contains vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin K besides containing calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc.

Moreover, chicken is highly rich in proteins which makes it an ideal choice to include into your weight loss diet.

Another noteworthy point about chicken is that it contains less saturated fat and cholesterol, for which it is more advisable to have chicken more than red meat.

However, a point to be kept in mind is that one should not go for excessive consumption of chicken. And chicken breast is particularly more preferable.

A quick tip, go for the grilled chicken. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database
says, fried chicken has more calories than grilled chicken.

5 Low-Calorie Fruits

1. Peach – 39 Calories(100 gms)
2. Papaya – 43 Calories (100 gms)
3. Orange – 47 Calories (100 gms)
4. Apricots – 48 Calories (100 gms)
5. Strawberries – 53 (per cup)

9. Popcorn

Yes, you read it right. A cup of air-popped popcorn contains about 31 calories. Popcorns contain dietary fibre that makes it a satisfying snack.

This low-calorie snack also contains polyphenols that are certain plant chemicals that are antioxidants that fight against free radicals. But hey, don’t rush for popcorn at the movies reading this. There’s always a catch. A lot of things depend on the type of cooking.

The popcorn that you get outside or at the multiplexes are usually prepared with processed salt and synthetic fats. Therefore avoid them and instead, prepare popcorns at home like stovetop popcorns using limited and good quality of oils. [3]

Counting calories isn’t a right approach to maintain a diet. In fact, there are many mistakes that we tend to make while following the calorie trend.

However, keeping a track of the calorie number of the foods that we eat is not a bad idea. If you’d ask us, we would say why count calories when you can differentiate foods on the basis of nutrition value.

Yes, in Possible, we look at the nutrient quotient of foods in order to decide if they are good for us or not. To know more about this side of foods and to come with diet plans not based on calories but on nutrients, ping us.

Let a personal nutritionist look after your diet! The first consultation is ABSOLUTELY FREE! Avail it right here!

Book A FREE Health Consultation Today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s go through some frequently asked questions from below:

Q. Which Indian food has the lowest calories?
A. Oatmeal, quinoa, and millets are examples of whole grains that are not just low in calories but also full. By putting them into your diet, you will feel satisfied for a considerable amount of time.
Additionally, they contain a lot of fibre, which lowers the risk of coronary heart disease and helps to keep blood sugar levels stable.

Q. What Indian foods are good for weight loss?
A. The Indian foods good for weight loss are:
– Daliya
– Pista
– Imli (tamarind)
– Yogurt
– Vegetable soup
– Leafy vegetables

Q. Which Indian snacks are low on calories?
A. 5 Low-Calorie Snacks for every Indian Foodie
– Baked potato- 1/2 of a medium-sized potato has about 85 calories and can be a fulfilling low-calorie snack.
– Almonds- Feeling like snacking? Take a few almonds and go munching. They are super healthy and 13 whole almonds carry about 90 calories.
– Oatmeal- Have a bowl of oats or some oatmeal cookies as an evening low-calorie snack.
– Yogurt- Well who doesn’t like yoghurt? Have about half a cup of natural fat-free yoghurt that must have around 85 calories.
– Vegetable soup- Nothing can be healthy like a bowl of veg soup. Add low-calorie vegetables like carrots, beans, and mushrooms.
– Mixed vegetable salad

Q. How can I reduce calories in Indian food?
A. Many recipes include a lot of calories and fat because ghee (clarified butter) or substantial amounts of oil are utilised. Choose meals like biriyani that contain rice as part of the meal to save calories because you won’t need to order an additional serving of rice. You can also try opting for low-fat or skimmed milk products.

Q. What foods contain zero calories?
A. Here are some foods that contain ‘zero’ calories
– Watermelon
– Lemons
– Cucumber
– Grapefruit
– Strawberries
– Beetroot
– Garlic
– Apples
– Green beans
– Cauliflower

Q. Which fruit has fewer calories?
A. Some fruits with lower calories:

• Peach – 39 Calories(100 gms)
• Papaya – 43 Calories (100 gms)
• Orange – 47 Calories (100 gms)
• Apricots – 48 Calories (100 gms)
• Strawberries – 53 (per cup)