Low-calorie density foods 🍗🥔

These, along with fruits and vegetables, should make up most of your meals.

Low-fat sources of protein

These are primarily lean meats and eggs, which offer plenty of protein without the extra calories from fat:

• Chicken breast

• Turkey breast

• Lean pork

• Lean beef

• White fish (cod, haddock, tilapia)

• Shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster)

• Lean cuts of bison

If you opt for higher-fat meats, try to trim off the fatty parts.

Watch out for sauces and condiments! You can turn a healthy, low-fat chicken breast into a high-fat meal if you pair it with high-fat mayo or buttery sauces. Opt for lighter condiments to keep your meal low in calories.

Starches: Rice, potatoes, and pasta

Yes, these have low-calorie density, if prepared without fat (no butter, no oil) and served without additional condiments like mayonnaise.

For example, boiled or baked potatoes have 100–130 calories per 100 grams, which is a low-calorie density. Try eating only boiled potatoes all day and watch how quickly you lose weight. (Actually, don’t do that! You'd miss out on other important nutrients. This is just to illustrate a point.)

"But what about the carbs?" you ask. Yes, they contain carbs, and that's perfectly fine. Carbs have 4 calories per gram, just like protein, and much fewer than fat. They won’t magically make you store fat compared to other nutrients, so don’t stress about enjoying them in moderation.

Low-fat dairy

This can be tricky since dairy products range from low-fat to very high-fat. Check labels and choose the low-fat options. Some good choices include:

• Cottage cheese

• Greek yogurt (low-fat is even better)

• Ricotta cheese (low-fat version recommended)

• Skyr (Icelandic yogurt)

• Quark

• Mozzarella (low-fat version preferred)

If you like milk, go for the skimmed variety. Whole milk is high in calories due to its fat content.

Flavored or unflavored dairy?

Some people prefer unflavored dairy, like plain yogurt, to minimize carbs and reduce calories.

But if you don’t enjoy unflavored options, it can be hard to stick with them, and you may revert to less healthy choices. Instead, choose a flavored version you like (e.g., strawberry yogurt), as long as it’s still low-fat and high in protein.

While flavored options might have slightly more calories (10–20% more), they can be more sustainable choice in the long run.

Animal vs. plant-based protein

You don’t need to consume animal-based protein on your weight loss journey. If you prefer getting your protein from plants and plant-based products (such as legumes, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc.), that’s perfectly fine. In most cases, these options have an even lower calorie density compared to their animal-based counterparts.