Anyone who has ever dealt with the topic of dieting and losing weight knows which low-calorie foods are beneficial and which foods should be avoided. If you want to lose weight, you have to restructure your diet and get an overview of low-calorie foods.
In this article we would like to help you get an overview of low-calorie foods, address known doubts about how balanced a low-calorie diet is in the long term and what you should pay attention to. At the end of the article we hope for clarity through neutral reporting.
the essentials in brief
- The French word "calorie" stands for heat and the associated calorific value of food. This calorific value is energy that you can get from food.
- The calorie requirement of people differs significantly in height, weight, gender and age. The activity within the day should not be ignored, as this can be used to read off a high or low consumption.
- Calories are important for our body to produce energy. We need this energy for muscle building, cell metabolism and to stimulate digestion. When it comes to eating, it is not the amount of food that matters, but the amount of calories.
Low-calorie foods: what you need to know
In Europe in particular, there is a large number of low-calorie foods that make it possible to cook in a versatile and low-calorie way. In the following section we would like to provide you with information about the most important questions.
What are low calorie foods?
Low calorie foods are foods with a low number of kilojoules (kJ) and are very healthy. Everyone has an individual consumption that they can balance with low-calorie foods. To calculate your own calorie consumption, you can use the Physical Activity Level (1) to measure the amount and change your diet accordingly.
A distinction is made between rest, sport, sleep and other activities. Low-calorie foods thus supply the body with a small amount of calories, which also means that less energy is generated.
Can you eat too much low-calorie foods?
Basically, the question can be answered with a yes. Even foods with a low calorie content can lead to an excess of calories if the amount is too high. When it comes to low-calorie foods, you should also be careful not to overeat, as this is never good for the body. It is therefore advisable to choose an amount that is appropriate for the body and one's own activity and is made up of a variety of low-calorie foods.
Advantages- With low-calorie foods you can prepare new dishes every day
- Low-calorie foods promote fat burning when your metabolism is boosted
What are the healthiest low calorie foods?
The most well-known low-calorie food is the cucumber with around 12 calories. Due to its high water content and its electrolytes, it is a real miracle cure for the body. It's also easy to remember: What's green is also healthy.
Avocados are an absolute superfood. They're low in calories and high in nutrients and healthy fats (Image source: Jill Wellington/Pixabay).
Green peppers are therefore the healthiest of the peppers and have only 19 calories. Carrots, currants, pointed cabbage and zucchini are also extremely healthy in addition to other low-calorie foods.
Each of these foods brings different strengths, such as a high iron content or vitamins.
Which low-calorie foods fill you up?
Who doesn't know the feeling of being able to eat all day long. What helps against this are sedatives. Because these have a decisive influence on our blood sugar level. If this is too low, the brain gives us the signal that it needs a supply and to get energy again.
Foods that have a lot of starch make you feel full for longer and ensure a balanced blood sugar level.
Vegetable or fruit salads are the ideal accompaniment to low-calorie meals. They can be individually combined and varied. In addition to being easy to prepare, they are also super healthy (Image source: Free-Photos / Pixabay).
It makes us feel like we're hungry. Low-calorie foods that fill you up are mainly those with a lot of ballast. They include salads and vegetables, soups and water, and whole grains (2). These are, for example, products made from whole grains and legumes.
What low-calorie foods can you eat at what time of the year?
Eating regional and seasonal food is not only healthy, it can also prevent colds during the cold season. Plant substances and vitamins from low-calorie foods are particularly healthy and tasty when the regional harvest has received a lot of sunlight and the transport route is short. Nuts, cabbage and spinach are recommended during the cold season.
In warmer seasons, cucumbers and melons make a good companion for a low-calorie diet. This is an overview of some regional and seasonal low-calorie foods in Germany (3):
| season | Groceries |
|---|---|
| Spring | Spinach, asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, arugula |
| Summer | Artichokes, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, fennel |
| Autumn | Beetroot, lamb's lettuce, apples, carrots, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, chestnuts, quinces, savoy cabbage |
| winter | Mushrooms, chicory, leeks, cabbage, red cabbage, celery, pears |
In the cold season, these foods prevent explanations and let you get through the winter with a strengthened immune system .
What low-calorie foods can I eat to lose weight fast?
If you want to lose weight quickly with low-calorie foods, you should first drink a lot and fill your stomach. Water or tea is available here. It is particularly effective if you fill the water with low-calorie foods such as cucumbers. Avocado, pineapple, chicory, apples, asparagus, quark, chickpeas and almonds are considered absolute fat burners and low-calorie foods. The best method is to calculate your calorie needs and adjust accordingly. That's why low-calorie foods are more beneficial than high-calorie foods because they don't fill you up for as long and are high in kilojoules.
Advantages- Foods such as chicory, avocado and apples are available all year round and ensure a balanced but low-calorie diet
- The more colorful the food, the more balanced your diet is
Dishes that contain low-calorie foods with a lot of fiber keep you full for longer and also help you lose weight (4).
Which low-calorie foods are there?
At this point, we want to shed some light on the variety of low-calorie foods that are available throughout the seasons, or even year-round (5).
| Groceries | category | calories |
|---|---|---|
| cucumber | Green vegetables | 12 calories |
| iceberg lettuce | Green vegetables | 13 calories |
| rhubarb | Red Vegetables | 13 calories |
| Chinese cabbage | White Vegetables | 13 calories |
| radicchio | White Vegetables | 13 calories |
| chanterelles | Mushrooms | 15 calories |
| Lamb's lettuce | Green vegetables | 15 calories |
| asparagus | White Vegetables | 19 calories |
| Green paprika | Green vegetables | 19 calories |
The number of low-calorie foods encourage delicious and healthy meals.
What should you consider when consuming low-calorie foods?
When consuming low-calorie foods, it is important to ensure that you eat a balanced diet, i.e. make sure you consume protein and fiber. It is important not to reduce the calorie intake too much, otherwise the body cannot produce enough energy. This can lead to a significant lack of concentration and deficiency symptoms can also occur (6).
A balanced breakfast is the perfect start to the day. A varied breakfast can be created with low-calorie foods (Image source: Bernadette Wurzinger / Pixabay).
If you get just under the calorie requirement, you can quickly lose weight with low-calorie foods. However, this need should not be neglected too much.
How do low-calorie foods affect the body?
The effect of low-calorie foods is all-round positive if you pay attention to the correct requirement. They have versatile active ingredients and are particularly rich in water.
The less energy the body produces, the less fat is burned.
Potassium, iron , magnesium , zinc , vitamins , and minerals are components of low-calorie foods and are hugely important for a healthy body (7). By consuming low-calorie foods, the body gets nutrients that stimulate the metabolism and also support the brain.
Is it bad to eat too few calories?
Basically, it is only harmful if you reduce the calorie requirement too much. When dieting, the requirement is often reduced to just below the calorie requirement. It's easy to get full quickly from low-calorie foods and then produce too little energy. The body also reacts negatively if the intake is too low, as it feels like it is starving. As a result, he attacks reserves and thus blocks the process of losing weight.
A healthy and balanced diet includes consuming enough calories to use the converted energy in the body to burn fat (Image source: Free-Photos / Pixabay).
The body comes here in a stressful situation, which can also have a harmful effect on one's own psyche. We therefore recommend paying attention to your own needs (8).
What alternatives are there to low-calorie foods?
In addition to low-calorie foods, there are also alternatives that reduce the calorie intake to the body. These include dietary supplements, fitness drinks, exercise, drinking and a balanced diet.
dietary supplements
There are various dietary supplements that give the body a feeling of satiety and reduce the need for calories. They are available in natural form and purely plant-based. However, dietary supplements do not replace a meal. Artichokes and fruit in particular, or foods containing caffeine and L-carnitine, stimulate fat burning and help to lose weight and reduce calories.
fitness drinks
If you want to lose weight and reduce your calorie intake, you can skip meals and drink prepared drinks instead. They are precisely matched to the number of calories before consumption and can be individually adapted to the respective body. You can buy them online or stationary. If you enjoy cooking, you can make fitness drinks in the form of smoothies. Due to their liquid form, the food is easier to digest.
Sports
To get rid of calories and burn them, the best way to get there is through exercise. It boosts the metabolism and, through combustion, reduces the calories that you have consumed. Sport also keeps you mentally fit and offers a great balance to everyday life. Nevertheless, caution is required here! A low-calorie diet combined with too much activity can have a negative impact on your own health, because the body needs the energy and strength to get through the day.
Drink
Two to three liters of water a day is considered the ideal daily consumption. Water has zero calories, making it the lowest calorie food of all. If you don't like water, you can drink tea. Without sugar and without milk, it also has zero calories. Fluid saturates the body and fills the stomach. If you find it difficult to drink a lot, you can put a few bottles of water in different places at home, set an alarm clock for water intake, or use apps to remind you of your water consumption.
Conclusion
All in all, it is easy to eat a balanced and healthy diet with low-calorie foods. Especially in Europe and explicitly Germany, we live in a variety of such foods. In the long run, however, you should refrain from an exclusively low-calorie diet, otherwise the body will lose an important source of energy: calories.
Before regularly consuming low-calorie food, it is advisable to calculate your personal calorie consumption and the activity and rest times you have brought with you, such as sleeping and sitting, so that you do not end up in a deficit. If you stick to these guidelines, you can eat a balanced and varied diet with low-calorie foods. Gladly also once in combination with rice, potatoes or meat, so that the body is not nourished too one-sidedly.
References
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Nestlé Study, Low Calorie Foods, (as of 03/25/21) Source
Consumer center, dietary supplements for losing weight: little effective to dangerous (status: 03/25/2021) Source
German Society for Nutrition, Low energy density in food helps overweight people lose weight (Status: 03/25/2021) Source
Pub-Med, Low-calorie diets and sustained weight loss, N Finer (accessed 31/03/2021) Source
Nestlé Study, Low Calorie Foods, (as of 03/25/21) Source
Pub-Med, Effects of very-low-calorie diet on body composition, metabolic state, and genes expression: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial (as of March 31, 2021) Source
Obesity: Identification, Assessment and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Children, Young People and Adults: Partial Update of CG43, Very-low-calorie diets (as of 03/31/2021) Source
Consumer center, dietary supplements for losing weight: little effective to dangerous (status: 03/25/2021) Source
