High-volume, low-calorie foods for small appetites
A high-volume, low-calorie food is mostly water, so a usual serving has few calories. In USDA FoodData Central, 0.5 cup of sliced cucumber is 8 kcal, 1 cup of shredded romaine is 8 kcal, and 1 cup of ready-to-serve chicken broth is 15 kcal. Air-popped popcorn is 31 kcal per cup and 387 kcal per 100 g, so it is bulky by the cup and dense by weight. Pair the bulky foods with a protein food. Plain nonfat Greek yogurt is a protein food (61 kcal and 10.3 g protein per 100 g), not one of the lowest-calorie foods on this list. Your care team can tell you what fits your needs.
Disclosure: Cafeity is made by the author.
This page is a food list with USDA figures, not a diet plan. It shows what a usual serving of each food holds, so you can fill a plate on a day when a heavy meal doesn't appeal.
What "high volume, low calorie" means
Researchers call this energy density: the amount of energy in a particular weight of food, generally given as calories per gram (kcal/g). Water lowers energy density because it adds weight but no energy.
Separately, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, tell people to "prioritize nutrient-dense foods and home-prepared meals" and to "pay attention to portion sizes".
The list
Twenty-two foods, each from one USDA FoodData Central record. The serving is the portion stored on that record, and the serving figures are worked out from the record's per-100 g values. Where a record gives a weight without calling it a cup, the table says so.
| Food | Serving on the record | kcal | Protein | Fiber | Water per 100 g | FDC ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romaine lettuce, raw, shredded | 1 cup shredded, 47 g | 8 | 0.6 g | 1.0 g | 94.61 g | 169247 |
| Spinach, raw | 1 cup, 30 g | 7 | 0.9 g | 0.7 g | 91.4 g | 168462 |
| Cucumber, with peel, raw, sliced | 0.5 cup slices, 52 g | 8 | 0.3 g | 0.3 g | 95.23 g | 168409 |
| Zucchini, with skin, raw, sliced | 1 cup sliced, 113 g | 19 | 1.4 g | 1.1 g | 94.79 g | 169291 |
| Tomato, raw | 1 medium, 123 g | 22 | 1.1 g | 1.5 g | 94.52 g | 170457 |
| Green bell pepper, raw, sliced | 1 cup sliced, 92 g | 18 | 0.8 g | 1.6 g | 93.89 g | 170427 |
| Broccoli, raw | chopped portion, 76 g | 24 | 2.0 g | 1.8 g | 90 g | 747447 |
| Cauliflower, raw | portion, 85 g | 23 | 1.4 g | 1.7 g | 92.72 g | 2685573 |
| Cabbage, raw, shredded | 1 cup shredded, 70 g | 18 | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 92.18 g | 169975 |
| White mushrooms, raw, pieces | 1 cup pieces or slices, 70 g | 15 | 2.2 g | 0.7 g | 92.45 g | 169251 |
| Strawberries, raw, halves | 1 cup halves, 152 g | 49 | 1.0 g | 3.0 g | 90.95 g | 167762 |
| Watermelon, raw, diced | 1 cup diced, 152 g | 46 | 0.9 g | 0.6 g | 91.45 g | 167765 |
| Cantaloupe, raw | cubes, 160 g | 54 | 1.3 g | 1.3 g | 90.2 g | 746770 |
| Raspberries, raw | 1 cup, 123 g | 64 | 1.5 g | 8.0 g | 85.75 g | 167755 |
| Asparagus, raw | 1 cup, 134 g | 27 | 2.9 g | 2.8 g | 93.22 g | 168389 |
| Green beans, raw | portion, 85 g | 34 | 1.7 g | 2.6 g | 89.66 g | 2346400 |
| Carrot, raw | 1 medium, 61 g | 25 | 0.6 g | 1.7 g | 88.29 g | 170393 |
| Radishes, raw, sliced | 1 cup slices, 116 g | 19 | 0.8 g | 1.9 g | 95.27 g | 169276 |
| Kale, raw | 1 cup, 21 g | 7 | 0.6 g | 0.9 g | 89.63 g | 168421 |
| Orange, raw, all commercial varieties | 1 fruit (2-5/8 inch diameter), 131 g | 62 | 1.2 g | 3.1 g | 86.75 g | 169097 |
| Chicken broth, ready-to-serve (924 mg sodium per cup) | 1 cup, 249 g | 15 | 1.6 g | 0 g | 97.81 g | 174536 |
| Popcorn, air-popped (387 kcal per 100 g) | 1 cup, 8 g | 31 | 1.0 g | 1.2 g | 3.32 g | 167959 |
Three things the table shows:
- Greens and watery vegetables are the lightest per cup. A cup of shredded romaine is 8 kcal, and so is half a cup of sliced cucumber; a cup of spinach or kale is 7 kcal.
- Fruit is mostly water too, but higher per cup than greens. A cup of diced watermelon is 46 kcal, strawberry halves 49 kcal, raspberries 64 kcal, and one orange 62 kcal.
- Popcorn reads two ways. Air-popped popcorn is 31 kcal per cup because a cup weighs only 8 g. By weight it is 387 kcal per 100 g, far denser than anything else here.
A note on broth. One cup of ready-to-serve chicken broth (FDC 174536) is 15 kcal and 924 mg of sodium. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, say the general population ages 14 and above should consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, with lower limits for children. Broths differ a lot, so the label on the carton or can is the check.
Pair them with protein
Most of the foods above carry little protein. Two protein foods, from the same USDA database:
- Plain nonfat Greek yogurt (FDC 330137): 61 kcal and 10.3 g protein per 100 g. The 156 g portion stored on that record is 95 kcal and 16.1 g protein.
- One large raw egg white (FDC 172183, 33 g): 17 kcal and 3.6 g protein.
For more options, see the printable protein food list, and log what you eat in the protein tracker. This page doesn't set a protein target; that's a conversation for your care team.
Ideas for small-appetite days
One way to build a plate: mostly one of the watery foods, plus a protein food you already tolerate. A few combinations from the table:
- Sliced cucumber and shredded romaine beside a small bowl of plain nonfat Greek yogurt.
- Sliced zucchini and mushroom pieces with an egg white.
- A cup of strawberry halves or diced watermelon next to yogurt.
These are ideas, not portions to aim for. For more on eating when food doesn't appeal, read eating with no appetite and meal prep for small appetites.
A grocery list to start
A short basket drawn from the table:
- Romaine or spinach
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Strawberries or raspberries
- Broth, after checking the sodium on the label
- A protein food, such as plain nonfat Greek yogurt or eggs
For a longer list, see the low-appetite grocery list. For protein at the start of the day, see high-protein breakfasts.
Log what you eat in Cafeity
Food logging in Cafeity keeps a record of what you ate, next to the rest of your day. See the GLP-1 food tracker for how it works. The app records what you log. It doesn't grade the meal or promise an outcome.
Cafeity is on the App Store for iPhone. There is no Android version yet.
Common questions
What are high-volume, low-calorie foods?
They are foods that take up space for few calories, usually because they are mostly water. Researchers describe that as energy density: calories per gram. USDA figures for cucumber, romaine, zucchini, and ready-to-serve chicken broth are in the table on this page. Air-popped popcorn is low in calories per cup and high in calories per gram.
Are high-volume foods a good idea on a small appetite?
They are one way to fill a plate when you do not want a heavy meal. This page is a food list, not a plan for you. Pair the bulky foods with a protein food if that sits well, and ask your care team what fits your needs.
Which high-volume foods on this list have the most protein?
Among the bulky foods, a cup of asparagus has 2.9 g of protein and a cup of mushroom pieces has 2.2 g, from the USDA records in the table. That is still a small amount. Plain nonfat Greek yogurt and egg white, in the protein section, carry more protein per serving.
Is fruit a high-volume food?
Some fruits are mostly water and still higher in calories per cup than leafy greens. On this list, 1 cup of diced watermelon is 46 kcal, 1 cup of strawberry halves is 49 kcal, and 1 cup of raspberries is 64 kcal. One orange is 62 kcal. They are fruit servings, not the same as a cup of cucumber.
How can I track what I eat on a GLP-1?
Log the food you actually eat. In Cafeity, food logging keeps that record next to the rest of your day. The app does not tell you what the meal means. Your prescriber or a dietitian does. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: one record per food, by the FDC ID in the table; figures read from the FoodData Central API on 20 Oct 2026.
- Rolls BJ. The relationship between dietary energy density and energy intake (definition of energy density).
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (sodium, nutrient-dense foods and portion sizes).
How these pages are researched and corrected: editorial policy.
Related pages
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