Foods That Are Low in Fat & Calories

Doctors typically suggest a low-fat, low-calorie diet for people who are trying to lose weight or have other health issues. Many food choices, especially fast food, are loaded with fat and calories. However, you don't need to eat just salads and rice cakes to achieve cutbacks in poor nutrition.

Fruits

• Apples, berries, watermelon and cantaloupe are just a few of the low-fat, low-calorie fruits available. Choose ones that are more water-based. A large banana has about 115 calories, which is rather high for a fruit. Avocados have 35 g of fat.

Vegetables

• Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots are good choices for lower fat and lower calorie diets. However, many people like to eat certain vegetables with fatty dressings and dips.

Lean meats

• Ham, turkey and chicken are good lean luncheon meats with little fat. However, many also have high salt content, especially ham.

Pasta

• Pasta is low in fat and calories, but you need to be careful of what you put on it. Avoid creamy sauces like alfredo sauce. Stick with lighter ones like a marinara sauce. Also try not to top your pasta with a lot of cheese, especially parmesan cheese.

100-calorie snacks

• Many snack companies are putting out various products like potato chips, cookies and other treats that add up to only 100 calories per serving. Be careful with certain items, because they may be low in calories but have quite a bit of fat.

Dairy

• Dairy is typically thought of as having a lot of fat, but there are choices that are rather low. Certain cheese are part-skim milk, such as mozzarella. Yogurt is also normally low in calories and fat. Even sour cream can be low or non-fat.