Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that may help protect you from chronic diseases, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention or CDC. All fruits and vegetables are not created equally, though, with some choices having fewer calories than others. There is no such thing as zero-calorie food, but some selections, such as celery stalks, require you to use up as many if not more calories as you chew and digesting them, so they can aid in weight loss.
Tomatoes
Some foods taste just as good raw as cooked. Tomatoes fall into that category and provide flavor and color in a salad or side dish. One medium-sized tomato has approximately 26 calories. Tomatoes are high in vitamin A and C
Carrots
Raw carrot sticks can be served as a side dish or as a snack. One cup of raw sliced carrots contains 52 calories and four times the daily value of vitamin A at 428 percent.
Celery
One medium stalk of raw celery has just 5 calories. The stems of celery are a good source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C, potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and essential amino acids, according to the Practical Weight Loss website. "The calories expended in chewing and digesting a piece of raw celery are the same as those contained in the celery itself," reports the site. "In effect the body gets the sensation of fullness and the satisfaction of eating without any net calorie gain."
Spinach
Spinach, which is perhaps best known for its iron punch, is another star when it looking at vegetables and calories. One cup of raw spinach contains just 5 calories. A side salad from spinach would be a low caloric choice as long as you select a low-calorie dressing. If you like your spinach cooked, one cup has 40 calories.
Onions
Not only are onions loaded with vitamin D, they are full of taste and low in calories. One cooked onion has 40 calories and 60 percent of the daily value of vitamin D based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Onions also have vitamins C and E-6.
Apricots
Apricots, originally form China, have been around for over 4,000 years, according to the CDC website Fruits and Veggies Matter. One half cup of sliced apricots has 40 calories. Apricots are loaded with vitamin A and C and also have iron and calcium.
Berries
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are all low in calories. A 1/2 cup serving of sliced strawberries has 25 calories and is packed with vitamin A with 80 percent of the daily value based on a 2,000 calorie diet. The same serving size of blueberries has 40 calories while a 1/2 serving of raspberries and blackberries has 30 calories, respectively. Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries all have significant amounts of vitamin C. A 1/2 cup serving each of raspberries and blackberries has 25 percent of the daily value while the same amount of blueberries has 10 percent.
References
- CDC: Fruits and Veggies Matter
- Nutrient Facts: Calories in Celery
- Practical Weight Loss: Lose Weight With Celery
- Nutrient Facts: Foods: Vegetable and Vegetable Products: Spinach: Raw
- Nutrient Facts: Foods: Vegetable and Vegetable Products: Spinach: Cooked
- Nutrient Facts: Foods: Vegetable and Vegetable Products: Onion: Cooked
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