Some Great 50-Calorie Food Choices

Tired of munching on carrot and celery sticks to stay on the diet track when your stomach starts growling?

There are many options for nutritious and filling foods that contain just 50 calories. And yes, you’ll get the most bang for your calorie buck with vegetables, but there are other choices to satisfy your hunger.

Fresh or frozen, one cup of raspberries makes a sweet treat and has 8 grams of fiber. If blueberries are more your thing, scoop up two-thirds of a cup.

You can eat two cups of cherry tomatoes for 50 calories and get half your vitamin A requirement for the day. Try new varieties in shades from yellow and orange to red and green stripes — so tasty you won’t miss a dip.

You probably think of popcorn as a tasty snack, but it’s actually a filling whole grain, so indulging can help you reach that daily requirement. The trick is to make it fresh with an air popper — no oil or additives. You can have one and three-quarter cups for 50 calories.

A medium bell pepper has just 25 calories and nearly twice your daily vitamin C needs, leaving you another 25 calories for a tablespoon of a yogurt-based dip. Try red, yellow and orange varieties, which are sweeter than green.

All types of squash are healthy, but spaghetti squash is especially low in calories plus gives you the mouthfeel of eating pasta. One cup is just 30 calories — 50 when topped with 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce. Bake it on the weekend, scrape out the strands, and store in the fridge so it’s ready to eat when you’re ready.

Put these flavorful foods on the menu and you’ll hardly know you’re eating low-calorie.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has many more ideas on how you can enjoy fruits and vegetables as part of healthy eating and weight loss.

Source: HealthDay