Low Calorie Foods To Keep Handy
Some foods are unbelievably low on calories while still having good nutritional value. Apart from their low calorie content and high food value, however, they also happen to taste delicious. Every diet conscious person should keep these low calorie foods handy.
Celery
This humble stick is one of the best low calorie foods that nature can offer. It is rich in nutrients and has loads of phytochemicals known as phtalides. These help relax muscle tissue in artery walls, improve blood flow and thereby help lower blood pressure. Furthermore, it transforms into a truly zesty snacks with a touch of cottage cheese.
Watercress
This dark vegetable is a wonderful item to fill up your sandwiches and your salads with. You have to eat a whole pound of watercress before you consume 53 calories and for all its low calorie content, it is loaded with vitamins A, C, and K. Three ounces daily of this vegetable significantly increases levels of the cancer-fighting antioxidants lutein and beta-carotene in your system. This is one of the low calorie foods that packs a wallop in the nutrition department.
Spinach
It takes 15 cups of Popeye's favorite snack to chalk up 100 calories. Popeye’s favorite treat is rich in vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. Spinach also contains a hormone that hastens muscle tissue repair itself. Spinach is wonderful in soups and salads.
Kiwi
Kiwis are actually giant berries and they are full of fiber, potassium, and vitamin E. One kiwi has than a day's worth of vitamin C and more a third of your recommended daily intake of vitamin K. Having a kiwi for a snack is not at all a bad idea.
Swiss Chard
Swiss chard, a close relative of the beet, has substantial amounts of 16 vitamins and vital nutrients for ales than twenty calories. For this, you would get more than three times the recommended daily requirement of bone-strengthening vitamin K, half your vision-boosting vitamin A and more than 15 % of vitamin E.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese contains about one-fifth of the calories found in most cheeses. Cottage cheese is clearly a low-calorie darling in the dairy department and it makes a good low-calorie, high-protein snack, packing 3 grams of protein per ounce. For a sure winner, you will want to pick a low sodium cottage cheese and pair it with fruit. That is an unbeatable combination. One thing good with cottage cheese is that there are many recipes that all for it.
Green Bell Pepper
How many calories does a green bell pepper have? A large fat green bell pepper has less than 40 calories but it has more vitamin C than you would from an orange, a lot of fiber, some vitamin A, and some protein. Green bell peppers are a sure hit when stir-fried.
Purslane
This broad-leafed weed is classified as a vegetable or herb in other countries. It has the highest amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant and it has 10 to 20 times more melatonin than any other fruit or vegetable tested. This can be added to soups the way spinach often is or blanched and seasoned with a vinaigrette dressing.
Broccoli Rabe
A cup of chopped broccoli rabe has only 20 calories. A seven-calorie serving gives you more than a day's worth of vitamin K, which helps our livers function. It also contains vitamins A and C, calcium, folate, iron and as much protein as spinach. It is wonderful stir fried with garlic and a little soy sauce. Paired with tofu, it is a real winner.
