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We can use
simple arithmetic to find the best vegan low calorie foods
What are good low calorie foods on a vegan diet?
Foods that we can
eat until we are satisfied without gaining weight.
Some of them seem obvious, like celery sticks. Others might surprise
you. What about rice cakes or air-popped popcorn?
How to identify foods low in
calories
Our bodies evolved to operate on unprocessed plant foods.
The foods
that kept our ancestors slim and
healthy in past generations had these things in common:
- They were high in fiber, and fiber is found
only in plant foods.
- They were high in water content. The fiber and
water together created
bulk that filled us up.
- They were low in sugar content. The sugar they
did contain was wrapped up with fiber and water.
- They were high in vitamins, minerals, and
phytonutrients.
- They were low in fat.
- They were whole and unprocessed.
Vegan foods with a low
calorie density
The secret to our vegan weight loss plan is to eat foods with
a low calorie density. To understand calorie density
and make it work for you, please read our page on the
calorie content of foods. After you read it, the rest of this
information will
make more sense to you.
When we look at the calorie density in vegan
foods, it is eye-opening. We see that we can eat lots of fresh
vegetables, fruits, starchy vegetables, intact whole grains, and legumes.
They are perfect weight loss foods. We can eat these foods until we are
satisfied and still lose weight.
| Low
Calorie Foods |
Calorie
Density |
| Fresh vegetables |
6
cal/oz |
| Mori-Nu firm lite silken tofu* |
10.5
cal/oz |
| Fresh fruits |
15 -
19 cal/oz |
| Regular water-pack tofu* |
21.5
cal/oz |
| Starchy vegetables like potatoes and
sweet potatoes |
28 -
31 cal/oz |
| Intact whole grains (not refined or
processed into flour) |
28 -
31 cal/oz |
| Black olives** |
32.6
cal/oz |
| Legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) |
34 -
37 cal/oz |
*The calorie density of tofu is low because tofu contains a lot of water.
We can use moderate amounts of tofu to make dressings or dairy
substitutes. However, tofu is not a whole food, and it is low in fiber.
Also, half of the
calories in tofu come from fat.
**A
few black olives won't affect our calorie density too much.
They can add wonderful flavor to vegan dishes. They are high in sodium
so don't snack on
them.
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