Low in calories but full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, fruit can help you in your weight loss journey and boost your overall health. However, some fruits contain fewer calories than others while still being rich in important nutrients.
8 low calorie fruits
- Apples: A large apple contains 116 calories and 5.4 grams of fiber. Apples provide a good satiety effect that may reduce your hunger cravings for other foods during the day. An apple can fill your stomach three times more than a chocolate bar.
- Grapefruit: Half a grapefruit is filled with 39 calories and is a rich source of vitamin C.
- Blueberries: One cup (148 grams) of blueberries contains just 85 calories and is a good source of vitamins C and K.
- Strawberries: One cup (152 grams) of strawberries contains less than 50 calories and is a rich source of fiber, vitamin C, and manganese.
- Kiwi: One kiwi fruit (69 grams) contains only 42 calories and supplies you with an ample amount of vitamins C and E, folate, and fiber.
- Melons: One cup (152 grams) of watermelon contains only 46 calories. Low calorie content and high water content make melons a good snack option. Moreover, melons are rich in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and lycopene.
- Grapes: Loaded with water, one full cup of grapes is about 100 calories. The water content in grapes helps with satiety and keeps you hydrated, especially in warmer weather. Grapes are rich in vitamin K and manganese, along with polyphenols that help with cellular repair.
- Pomegranates: A single pomegranate contains 234 calories and has antioxidants and polyphenols that have numerous benefits for your skin and hair.
What are smart ways to include fruits in your diet?
Substitute high calorie foods
Although fruit is lower in calories than other foods, it doesn’t mean you can eat them along with other high calorie foods. You need to substitute high calorie foods with fruits to reap the benefits, including weight loss.
For example, you can substitute a bag of chips with a small apple or a cup of strawberries. This type of substitution will ensure you consume fewer calories but still feel full.
Avoid cooking fruits
Ideally, it’s best to eat fruits and vegetables in their raw form. You can even steam them or add spices and herbs to enhance their flavor. However, avoid adding sauces or frying them because these can add more calories and cause weight loss.
Eat whole fruit instead of fruit juices
The fiber content in the fruit is what makes you feel full. Fruit juices lack the fiber that whole fruits contain.
Eat canned or frozen fruits
If you cannot find fresh fruit, you can consider having them in their canned or frozen forms. However, make sure you read the labels and avoid the ones that have added sugars, syrups, creams, or anything that increases the calorie count.
Medically Reviewed on 10/13/2021
References
How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight. //www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/fruits_vegetables.html
All fruits are mostly made of carbohydrates, although calories in fruit can also come from fats and small amounts of protein. The carbs, however, are not all the same and are usually a mix of complex carbohydrates (i.e., made of three or more bonded sugars) and simple carbohydrates (i.e., simple sugars). This means the amount of glucose and fructose – natural fruit sugars – varies depending on the type of fruit; for example, bananas and figs are high in sugar and taste very sweet, whereas lemons and cranberries are known for a tart flavor due to low sugar content. Regardless of this difference, most fruits are considered to be low-calorie foods. Fruits are all said to have good nutritional value since they contain a lot of vitamins and minerals per serving, and varieties like avocados and coconuts contain healthy fats. It’s important to recognize that the high-fat fruits have greater calorie density since a gram of fat has over double the calories of a gram of protein or carbohydrate. Fresh fruits are not sold with nutrition facts. Whether the goal is to limit carb intake, count calories, or simply try to eat more whole food, the calorie chart will pinpoint which fruits best fit into your healthy eating plan.
Food | Serving | Serving | Serving | Calories | Kilojoule |
Acai | 100g | 1 oz. (28.35 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 70 cal | 294 kJ |
Apple | 100g | 1 apple (182 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 52 cal | 218 kJ |
Applesauce | 100g | 1 cup (246 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 68 cal | 286 kJ |
Apricot | 100g | 1 apricot (35 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 48 cal | 202 kJ |
Avocado | 100g | 1 avocado (200 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 160 cal | 672 kJ |
Banana | 100g | 1 banana (125 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 89 cal | 374 kJ |
Blackberries | 100g | 1 cup (144 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 43 cal | 181 kJ |
Blood Oranges | 100g | 1 serving (140 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 50 cal | 210 kJ |
Blueberries | 100g | 1 cup (148 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 57 cal | 239 kJ |
Cantaloupe | 100g | 1 wedge (69 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 34 cal | 143 kJ |
Cherries | 100g | 1 cherry (8 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 50 cal | 210 kJ |
Clementine | 100g | 1 clementine (74 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 47 cal | 197 kJ |
Cranberries | 100g | 1 cup (100 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 46 cal | 193 kJ |
Currants | 100g | 1 cup (112 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 56 cal | 235 kJ |
Custard Apple | 100g | 1 custard apple (135 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 101 cal | 424 kJ |
Dates | 100g | 1 date (7.1 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 282 cal | 1184 kJ |
Figs | 100g | 1 fig (50 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 74 cal | 311 kJ |
Fruit salad | 100g | 1 cup (249 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 50 cal | 210 kJ |
Grapes | 100g | 1 cup (151 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 69 cal | 290 kJ |
Greengage | 100g | 1 fruit (5 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 41 cal | 172 kJ |
Guava | 100g | 1 guava (55 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 68 cal | 286 kJ |
Jackfruit | 100g | 1 cup (151 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 95 cal | 399 kJ |
Jujube | 100g | 1 oz. (28.35 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 79 cal | 332 kJ |
Kiwi | 100g | 1 liwi (183 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 61 cal | 256 kJ |
Lemon | 100g | 1 lemon (58 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 29 cal | 122 kJ |
Lime | 100g | 1 lime (67 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 30 cal | 126 kJ |
Lychees | 100g | 1 lychee (10 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 66 cal | 277 kJ |
Mandarin Oranges | 100g | 1 mandarin orange (88 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 53 cal | 223 kJ |
Mango | 100g | 1 mango (336 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 60 cal | 252 kJ |
Minneola | 100g | 1 minneola (109 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 64 cal | 269 kJ |
Mulberries | 100g | 1 cup (140 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 43 cal | 181 kJ |
Nectarine | 100g | 1 nectarine (150 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 44 cal | 185 kJ |
Olives | 100g | 1 olive (2.7 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 115 cal | 483 kJ |
Orange | 100g | 1 orange (131 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 47 cal | 197 kJ |
Papaya | 100g | 1 fruit (500 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 43 cal | 181 kJ |
Passion Fruit | 100g | 1 passoin fruit (18 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 97 cal | 407 kJ |
Peach | 100g | 1 peach (150 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 39 cal | 164 kJ |
Pear | 100g | 1 pear (178 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 57 cal | 239 kJ |
Persimmon | 100g | 1 fruit (25 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 127 cal | 533 kJ |
Physalis | 100g | 1 berry (5 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 49 cal | 206 kJ |
Pineapple | 100g | 1 pineapple (905 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 50 cal | 210 kJ |
Plantains | 100g | 1 plantain (179 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 122 cal | 512 kJ |
Plum | 100g | 1 plum (66 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 46 cal | 193 kJ |
Pomegranate | 100g | 1 pomegranate (282 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 83 cal | 349 kJ |
Quince | 100g | 1 quince (92 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 57 cal | 239 kJ |
Raisins | 100g | 1 cup (145 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 299 cal | 1256 kJ |
Rambutan | 100g | 1 rambutan (9 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 82 cal | 344 kJ |
Raspberries | 100g | 1 cup (123 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 52 cal | 218 kJ |
Rhubarb | 100g | 1 stalk (51 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 21 cal | 88 kJ |
Starfruit | 100g | 1 star fruit (91 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 31 cal | 130 kJ |
Strawberries | 100g | 1 cup (152 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 32 cal | 134 kJ |
Tamarind | 100g | 1 tamarind (2 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 239 cal | 1004 kJ |
Tangerine | 100g | 1 tangerine (88 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 53 cal | 223 kJ |
Watermelon | 100g | 1 wedge (286 g) | 1 oz. (28 g) | 30 cal | 126 kJ |