(Pictured: Load up on non-starchy vegetables without the consequences of weight gain.)

By Stephanie Watson

Cutting is critical when you’re trying to lose weight. You cut calories. You cut fat. Basically, anything that’s crammed with carbs, sweetened with sugar, or dipped in a deep fryer is suddenly off-limits.

But dieting doesn’t have to require deprivation. Delicious (and healthy) food can still be part of your dining repertoire. Some members of the produce family are so light in calories and fat that you can eat them with relative abandon.

The one category of food you can eat loads of without suffering the consequences of weight gain are non-starchy vegetables, says Alexis Supan, an outpatient dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine. “Mostly any vegetable besides potato, corn and peas, you can eat endlessly,” she said.

A cup of chopped broccoli or a grilled portobello mushroom contains just 30 calories and less than 1 gram of fat. Chow down on two cups of lettuce and consume less than 16 calories. Because of its high water content, a whole tomato has a mere 22 calories. Cauliflower, kale, carrots and sprouts are similarly nutrient-dense and light in calories.

These produce mainstays bring a few other things to the table. “What makes them so incredible and so beneficial for weight maintenance and weight loss is they are high in macronutrients [such as carbohydrates] and micronutrients [vitamins and minerals]. And they’re rich in fiber,” said Beata Rydyger, a registered nutritionist based in Los Angeles. Fiber keeps blood sugar levels stable, which helps avoid sudden attacks of the munchies that might otherwise make you crave junk food.

If vegetables aren’t your favorite, you might be thinking how unappealing this way of eating sounds. But there are ways to spice up veggies to make them more palatable. For instance, roast them in olive oil spray, then add a blend of garlic and other herbs and spices. If you love dip, which tends to be high in fat, use salsa instead to add even more vegetables into the mix. Or blend a ranch flavor packet into plain Greek yogurt.

What about fruit?

Fruit is a different story. You don’t want to go overboard.

“Grapes are a perfect example. A lot of people love to snack on grapes and could eat the whole bag in an afternoon without really thinking about it. But grapes are a high-sugar food,” Supan said. “Keeping most fruits to a cup-and-a-half for the day is a good goal.”

The exceptions are berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries), kiwi, and grapefruit. These are high in fiber and low on the glycemic index — which means they won’t boost your blood sugar too much. Just be careful before eating grapefruit to make sure it doesn’t interact with any medications (such as statins) you take. And don’t load it up with sugar to make it taste sweeter.

If you want all-you-can-eat food, it may be worth revisiting your entire diet to make sure it’s satisfying. “When people eat the right meals throughout the day, that tends to fill them up much more, and they don’t have that constant hunger,” Supan said.

Some food packs a powerful nutritional punch. Examples are healthy proteins such as fish, chicken, tofu or beans, which should be part of each meal. You also want to add healthy fats from nuts and olive oil, vegetables and whole grains such as quinoa or brown rice to your meals. They’re satisfying and fight off urges to overindulge.

Snacking on other high-protein, high-fiber food will help hold you over until dinnertime. A can of tuna, an apple with a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter, a handful of nuts, a cup of plain air-popped popcorn, a half-cup of cottage cheese, or a hard-boiled egg make excellent options.

Moving away from processed meat and toward plant-based proteins can provide benefits for your heart as well as your waistline. A November 2023 analysis published in BMC Medicine found that replacing processed meat with nuts, legumes, and whole grains lowers the risk of heart disease and death.  

Drinking a glass of water or having a cup of bone broth (which contains protein in the form of collagen) might also help fill you up before a meal.

When it comes to dieting, the aim is not “How low can you go?” Your body needs calories for energy. Try to focus less on the numbers and more on the overall quality. The most important thing is to eat whole foods — ones that aren’t processed in a factory. 

Eating nothing but low-calorie food could rob your body of the nutrients it needs, such as calcium that keeps bones strong. Plus it could leave you hungry, the opposite of the intended effect. 

When dieting, don’t go it alone. Get some help from your primary-care doctor or a dietitian. Your doctor can check your vitamin and cholesterol levels to make sure you safely embark on your new way of eating. A dietitian can assess your needs and create a meal plan that’s tailored to your goals and sustainable.

Source: AARP. Stephanie Watson is a freelance writer.