Keep Calories in Check
Keep Calories in Check
How can you strive for 5 cups of fruits and veggies without blowing the lid off calories?
It’s easy to find ones that have 100 calories or less per cup—see the examples below. But some have added ingredients, like sugar syrups, butter, mayo or fryer oil, that jack-up the calories.
For example...
- 1-½ cups of a typical fruit smoothie could give you 1 cup of fruit. Yet the other ingredients bring it up to 250 calories!
- Raw chopped cabbage has only 25 calories per cup, but add mayo and classic coleslaw climbs to 450 calories for a cup!
- Starchy choices like potatoes, corn and peas count, but limit them to ½ cup a day if you are watching calories.
If you’re trying to lose weight, 5 cups is a great goal—but get more bang for your buck with the lower calorie veggies since they’ll help you feel full without the extra calories!
Calories | Fruit Examples | Veggie Examples | Starchy Examples |
25 | | 2 cups chopped Romaine Lettuce | |
1 cup raw Cauliflower |
50 | 1 cup Melon
or Berries | 1 cup Vegetable Juice | |
1 cup cooked Green Beans |
90 | 1 large Orange | 1 cup Vegetable Stir Fry | |
100 | 1 cup Grapes or
Unsweetened Canned Fruit | | |
110 | 1 cup 100% OJ | | |
120 | 1 large Banana or
medium Grapefruit | 1 cup Tomato Soup | |
150 | 1 cup 100% Grape Juice | 1 cup Marinara Sauce | 1 cup Lentil Soup |
180 | 1 cup Canned Fruit in Syrup | 1-1/2 cup Beef and
Broccoli Stir Fry | 1 cup Corn
(or 2 medium ears) |
250 | 1-1/2 cups Fruit Smoothie | 1 cup Green Bean Casserole | 1 large Baked Potato
or 1 cup mashed |
1/2 cup Raisins | 1 cup Baked Beans |
450 | | 1 cup Creamy Coleslaw | 1 cup Potato Salad |
