The easiest way to reduce the calories and fat in your daily diet is by adding, rather than subtracting foods. If you add in a lot of low or no fat, very low calorie foods, you will have plenty of volume, so you feel full while keeping your overall calories and fat grams at a minimum. The food items in this list all have fewer than 60 calories and less than 2 g of fat, for a serving of at least 4 oz. by weight, which in most cases is a cup or more of food.
Vegetables
The majority of foods meeting our low fat, low calorie criteria fall into this classification. Vegetables contain a lot of water and fiber, with little to no fat and minimal sugars, making them ideal foods that are high in volume and low in calories. Almost all non-starchy vegetables in their natural, raw state, or lightly steamed, qualify. The following vegetables listed have fewer than 60 calories and 2 grams of fat for a 1 cup serving: asparagus, balsam-pear, bamboo shoots, green or yellow snap beans, beet greens, beets, broccoli, butterbur, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chard, collards, cucumber, dandelion greens, hearts of palm, jicama, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mung beans, mushrooms, mustard greens, nopales, okra, onions, peppers, pickles, pimento, pumpkin, radishes, rutabagas, sauerkraut, spinach, summer or winter squash, taro, tomatoes, turnip greens, turnips and watercress. Vegetable juices, such as carrot, tomato or mixed vegetable juice, also fall into this category.
Fruits
Fruits also contain a lot of water and fiber and very little fat, but their higher sugar content gives them a higher calorie count, so not as many of them meet the very low calorie criterion. Still, there are a number of tasty fruit items that you can indulge in without adding significantly to your daily calorie count. Try a cup of any of these fruits for less than 60 calories and very little or no fat: acerola, apples, apricots, cherries, cranberries, lemons or limes, honeydew, cantaloupe or casaba melon, papayas, peaches, rhubarb, strawberries or watermelon.
Soups and Sauces
Again, because of their high water content, some soups and sauces can provide a lot of volume without a lot of fat or calories. Most meat-flavored broths, consommes and bouillons contain only 30 to 40 calories in an 8 oz. serving. Add a cup of your low calorie vegetables to the broth, and you can have a hot, flavorful and very filling entree for around 100 calories.
Other Foods
While these are not fresh, natural foods, sugar-free gelatin or pudding products, fruit-flavored frozen treats or frozen pudding bars to add a dash of fun to your diet and still have about 60 calories and little or no fat per serving.
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