There ARE foods which you can use to pad the substance of your daily diet without adding the Calories. Of course, the only true ‘zero-Calorie’ food is plain water. But the ones we’re looking at today come close…
Broccoli Chicken Stir Fry: One of my faves! With or without the peanuts…
A great way to get clean, lean protein and near-zero-calorie veggies!
I’ll bet you already include some or all of the foods we’re going to name in today’s post in your regular weekly diet. But you could eat lots more of them without fear of unhealthy consequences. And they would help you load up with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, biologics and fibre!
Off we go…
… On our garden tour of micro-Calorie foods!
Broccoli
King of the cruciferous veggies. Just 31 calories per cup, raw. And it’s even less if you eat it cooked. Not only is it chock-full of essential nutrients, it’s high in anti-oxidants. And you can fit it into almost any soup, salad, casserole or stew. Or just serve it solo, as a side. Remember how much Scott and Joey like Mom’s broccoli covered with cheddar cheese sauce? Okay, that ups the calories, and adds other things you may not want. But you’re making the cheese sauce, so you control what goes into it!
Cabbage
Another cheap, accessible cruciferous veggie. Almost every Western cuisine (and a good many Asian ones, too) have cabbage culture embedded in their repertoires. It’s got fibre, it’s nurient-rich, and it provides any dish you bless with it a unique, sweet/umami undertone.
Cucumber
It may seem insubstantial. But wait until you get into the Nutrition Facts! Its fresh, mild, sweetish flavour has made it a favoured companion of a huge variety of foods over the centuries, across many traditional cuisines. My Mom always said, “It’s not a proper tossed salad without cucumber!” But you can juice, purée and process cucumber in any number of creative ways!
Summer Squash
Think: Zucchini! The squash of many faces – and applications! All summer squashes are full of vita-mins, minerals and fibre. Bake ’em! Stuff em! Soup or stew em! Make squash Pie – and flavour it either sweet or savoury! Contrary to popular belief, you can never really have too much Zucchini!
Lettuce
Romain is the undisputed King of Lettuces. It’s loaded with nutrients we all need every moment of every day. Maybe not the central focus of most dishes we love, it’s an invaluable adjunct to the ‘main event’. Try one of my favourite snacks: Peanut Butter with shredded lettuce rolled up like a burrito in a fresh, soft flour tortilla!
Spinach
We’ve all heard how nutritious Spinach is. But some folks – many, in fact, dislike spinach because of its sharp, strong flavour. As we suggested a few posts back, pair it with something softer, sweeter and umami-compatible such as beetroot tops or Baby Bok Choi.
Mushrooms
They can be found at relatively inexpensive prices in some supermarket produce departments where they price mushies according to each type’s individual value and rarity. Alas, some grocers price all their mushrooms at the same price – and it’s always high, to cover the cost of the fancier varieties. But mushrooms are packed with nutrients in spite of their notoriously bland flavour. And they are a great source of natural umami (flavour-boosting) effects.
Asparagus
You either love it or hate it. If you’re lucky, you love it! Though Asparagus stems can be stringy (especially the fat, ‘male’ stalks), the upper stems and tips are buttery, creamy soft, and deliver a unique earthy, herby, umami flavour when prepared properly. And they contain a host of classic nutrients plus a bonus load of mechanical fibre.
My take
These are just a few of the near-zero-calorie foods you can enjoy daily to boost your nutrient intake and vary your veggie roster.
The food declared by the experts to be the most nutritious and closest to zero Calories is actually Cress. (See photo, top of page. Visit this page for the complete Cress low-down.) Imagine all the other virtually sinless foods out there you could try…
~ Maggie J.