Vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet. They are low in calories and fat and high in dietary fiber and vitamins. However, not all vegetables are created equal. Some are higher in calories than others.
If you are watching your weight or trying to lose weight, it is important to know how many calories are in your favorite vegetables. This list provides the calorie content of some of the most popular vegetables, from low-calorie options like celery and cucumber to higher-calorie choices like potatoes and carrots.
So, whether you are looking to cut calories or just want to know more about the calorie content of your favorite vegetables, this calories in vegetables list is for you!
The Health Benefits of Eating Vegetables
Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. Eating a diet high in vegetables has been linked with a lower risk of several chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cataracts, macular degeneration, cognitive decline, and digestive tract cancers.
Vegetables are also a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin A, and potassium. They also contain antioxidants, which protect your cells from damage.
Vegetables are packed with nutrients that can help boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and improve your digestion. They can even assist you to lose weight by helping you feel full and satisfied because vegetables are a good source of fiber. Additionally, they’re low in calories and fat, which makes them a healthy choice for weight loss or maintenance.
So go ahead and load up your plate with some veggies at your next meal. Your body will thank you for it!
Why Calorie Counting is Important
Calorie counting is important for a few reasons. First, it helps you to be aware of how much food you’re consuming. It’s easy to overeat when you’re not paying attention to how many calories you’re taking in. Counting calories can help you make better food choices and eat less overall.
Second, calorie counting can help you to lose weight. If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to make sure you’re eating fewer calories than you’re burning. If you want to lose weight, calorie counting is one of the most effective tools you have at your disposal.
Calorie counting is a tried-and-true method for weight loss. By tracking the calories you consume each day, you can ensure you are not eating more calories than your body needs. This simple act can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight over time.
And finally, calorie counting can help you to maintain your weight and avoid weight gain. If you’re trying to maintain your weight, you need to make sure you’re eating the same number of calories that you’re burning.
Calorie counting is not hard, but it does take a little bit of effort. There are many different ways to count calories, and you may find one method is more effective for you than another.
You can use a food journal, a phone app, an app like MyFitnessPal, or even a fitness tracker, like Fitbit to help you keep track of your calorie intake. Just log in all the food you eat and the app will do the rest.
Calories in Vegetables List
If you’re trying to eat healthier, you probably already know that you should be eating more vegetables. But not all vegetables are created equal when it comes to calories.
While all veggies are good for you, some are higher in calories than others. So if you’re trying to watch your weight, it’s important to know which vegetables are the most calorie-dense.
So without further ado, here is the most complete list of the calorie content in vegetables. I have included fruits that are usually viewed and eaten as vegetables. To make it easier to compare vegetables, the serving size for all vegetables on the list is one cup. Also, the calories listed are for the raw vegetable.
| Vegetable | Calories Per Cup |
| Acorn Squash | 56 calories |
| Alpha Sprouts | 10 calories |
| Arugula | 10 calories |
| Asparagus | 27 calories |
| Artichoke | 60 calories |
| Avocado | 240 calories |
| Banana Squash | 82 calories |
| Bean Sprouts | 26 calories |
| Beet | 59 calories |
| Beet Greens | 39 calories |
| Bell Peppers | 38 calories |
| Bitter Melon | 24 calories |
| Black Olives | 154 calories |
| Bok Choy | 9 calories |
| Broccoli | 31 calories |
| Broccolini | 37 calories |
| Brussels Sprouts | 38 calories |
| Butter Lettuce | 7 calories |
| Butternut Squash | 82 calories |
| Cabbage | 22 calories |
| Carrot | 53 calories |
| Cassava | 330 calories |
| Cauliflower | 27 calories |
| Celeriac | 42 calories |
| Celery | 14 calories |
| Chard (Swiss Chard) | 35 calories |
| Chayote | 38 calories |
| Cherry Tomatoes | 26 calories |
| Chicory | 14 calories |
| Chinese Cabbage | 9 calories |
| Collard | 63 calories |
| Corn | 177 calories |
| Cucumber | 16 calories |
| Curly Kale | 33 calories |
| Daikon | 18 calories |
| Delicata Squash | 76 calories |
| Eddoes | 116 calories |
| Eggplant | 20 calories |
| Endive | 8 calories |
| Fennel | 27 calories |
| Fiddlehead Fern | 56 calories |
| French Beans | 44 calories |
| Frisee | 7 calories |
| Gem Squash | 25 calories |
| Green Beans | 30 calories |
| Green Onion | 32 calories |
| Hubbard Squash | 46 calories |
| Iceberg Lettuce | 8 calories |
| Jicama | 46 calories |
| Kale | 8 calories |
| Kohlrabi | 36 calories |
| Konjac | 18 calories |
| Leaf Lettuce | 5 calories |
| Leek | 54 calories |
| Mushrooms | 21 calories |
| Mustard Greens | 15 calories |
| Napa Cabbage | 13 calories |
| Nettle | 37 calories |
| Nori (Seaweed) | 14 calories |
| Okra | 33 calories |
| Olives | 160 calories |
| Onion | 46 calories |
| Parsnip | 100 calories |
| Peas | 118 calories |
| Plantain | 180 calories |
| Potato | 116 calories |
| Pumpkin | 30 calories |
| Radicchio | 9 calories |
| Radish | 18 calories |
| Red Cabbage | 44 calories |
| Rhubarb | 26 calories |
| Romaine Lettuce | 8 calories |
| Rutabaga | 52 calories |
| Salsify | 92 calories |
| Savoy Cabbage | 19 calories |
| Seaweed | 14 calories |
| Shallot | 116 calories |
| Skirret | 100 calories |
| Snow Peas | 67 calories |
| Spaghetti Squash | 31 calories |
| Spinach | 7 calories |
| Spring Onion | 32 calories |
| Summer Squash | 26 calories |
| Sweet Corn | 132 calories |
| Sweet Potatoes | 127 calories |
| Swiss Chard | 36 calories |
| Taro | 187 calories |
| Tatsoi | 33 calories |
| Tomatillo | 42 calories |
| Tomato | 36 calories |
| Turnip | 36 calories |
| Turnip Greens | 29 calories |
| Water Chestnut | 120 calories |
| Watercress | 4 calories |
| Winter Squash | 76 calories |
| Yam | 158 calories |
| Yellow Squash | 19 calories |
| Zucchini | 19 calories |
The Vegetables with the Least Calories
So as you can see, while all vegetables are relatively low in calories, some are lower than others. There are a variety of vegetables that are low in calories, making them a great choice for those looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. These vegetables are not only low in calories, but they are also high in nutrients, making them a great addition to any diet.
Generally speaking, the lowest calorie vegetables are those with a high water content such as lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, celery, kale, bok choy, eggplant, and watercress.
Some experts believe that ‘free foods’ are those that are 25 calories or less per serving. Now you have an excellent list from which to select free vegetables. Perhaps, there are some vegetables new to you such as daikon, frisee, and bitter melon. And I encourage you to try them.
It is great to broaden your palate, especially with lower calorie vegetables, so you don’t get bored only eating all the common, more popular vegetables.
The Vegetables with the Most Calories
When it comes to the highest-calorie vegetables, there are a few that stand out from the rest. Some of the most calorie-dense vegetables include starchy staples like corn, green peas, white potatoes, and root vegetables.
Starchy vegetables have more starch, which is a type of carbohydrate that is broken down into glucose. Not only are they higher in calories, but they also have less fiber. Which means you will not feel as full and satisfied. Starchy vegetables can also cause a spike in your blood sugar levels.
Avocados and olives are also in the high-calorie category. However, although they do contain a lot of calories, they both contain healthy fats that provide many important health benefits.
While you shouldn’t avoid these vegetables altogether, you should be aware that they pack a bigger calorie punch than other options. However, if you’re looking to add more vegetables to your diet but are concerned about calories, you may want to choose lower-calorie options more often or limit them to 25% of your plate.
Personally, I still think that the nutritional value of higher-calorie vegetables is still far superior to junk food, fast food, or highly processed foods. It’s all about choosing wisely 80% of the time.
The Healthiest Way to Eat Vegetables
The above calories in vegetables list state the calories for raw vegetables. However, there are a ton of different ways to cook vegetables. You can roast them, sauté them, stir-fry them, microwave them, or even just eat them raw. The possibilities are endless!
Each method of cooking vegetables has its own benefits. The best cooking method depends on the type of vegetable, as well as your own personal preferences. Some people prefer to eat raw vegetables, while others prefer cooked vegetables.
If you want to get the most nutrition out of your veggies, you need to cook them the right way. All cooking methods will change the nutrient composition of vegetables to some degree, but some cooking methods will destroy certain nutrients while others will actually increase the nutrient content.
Raw Vegetables
There are a lot of different opinions out there about eating raw vegetables. Some people swear by the benefits of eating raw veggies, while others prefer to cook them before eating. Eating raw vegetables is generally going to be less calorie-dense than eating them cooked.
Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts are best eaten raw. These vegetables contain an enzyme called myrosinase, which gives you anti-cancer benefits when you chop or chew them.
Cooked Vegetables
Basically cooking vegetables makes them easier to digest, meaning your body can extract more nutrients from them. Cooking vegetables breaks down the plant’s cell walls, which releases more of the nutrients that are bound to those cell walls. Cooked vegetables provide more antioxidants, including beta carotene, lutein, and lycopene, than raw vegetables do.
Cooking also gives you more minerals. Heating releases bound calcium, making it more available for your body to absorb. Cooking veggies also increases the amount of magnesium and iron that are available to your body.
In general, it’s best to keep cooking time, temperature, and the amount of liquid to a minimum to retain the important nutrients. That’s why steaming is one of the best ways to cook most vegetables. Microwaving is another great option that uses little to no water and can preserve nutrients such as Vitamin C.
When you boil vegetables, water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C, B1, and folate leach into the water. However, if you consume the water as well as the vegetables, for example, in soups and stews, these vitamins won’t be wasted.
Sauteing vegetables in a bit of healthy cooking oil, such as extra-virgin olive oil, is a great way to cook many vegetables. Not only does it maximize flavor, but the addition of olive oil appears to increase the absorption of some fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients. Grilling and roasting in the oven are best suited to green beans, asparagus, broccoli, celery, onions, Swiss chard, and onions.
The amount of calories in vegetables can be affected by the way they are prepared. For example, adding butter, oil, or cheese to vegetables will increase the calorie content.
Ultimately, the best way to cook vegetables is the way that you enjoy them the most. As long as you’re eating them regularly, you’ll be getting all the nutrients you need. So whether you’re trying to cut down on calories or pack in more of them, the way you prepare your vegetables can make a big difference.
Eat your Vegetables for Good Health
Vegetables are a healthy, low-calorie food option. However, not all vegetables are created equal. Some are higher in calories than others. If you are watching your weight or trying to lose weight, it is important to know how many calories are in your favorite vegetables.
This vegetable calorie chart provides the calorie content of some of the most popular vegetables, from low-calorie options like celery and cucumber to higher-calorie choices like potatoes and carrots and everything in between. The good news is that you also now know the best way to eat your vegetables – raw, steamed, micrwaved or sauted.
You mom was right when she encouraged you to eat your vegetables. Research has consistently shown the powerful health benefits of vegetables. So what are you waiting for? Start today!
