Amla and weight loss: tiny calories, a lot of fibre

12 kcal in 2 amlas, about 50 g.
0.2 g protein per serving, from IFCT 2017.
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Amla fits a weight-loss plan easily: two amlas (50 g) give just 12 kcal with 3.9 g of fibre. It does not burn fat on its own, but it is one of the lowest-calorie fruits in IFCT 2017 and a sharp, refreshing way to replace a sugary snack.

Medical review by a registered doctor on our panel is pending. Every number is from IFCT 2017, the Indian Food Composition Tables published by ICMR's National Institute of Nutrition.

Published 18 October 2026 · Last updated 18 October 2026

Amla nutrition, per serving and per 100 g

Amla: IFCT 2017 figures
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	12 kcal	24 kcal
Protein	0.2 g	0.3 g
Carbohydrate (available)	2.2 g	4.4 g
Dietary fibre	3.9 g	7.8 g
Fat	0.1 g	0.2 g

Serving: 2 amlas, about 50 g. IFCT 2017 food code E021, "Gooseberry (Emblica officinalis)", the mean of 5 regions sampled. IFCT does not report glycaemic index, so this page prints none.

The verdict on amla

Whole fruit

One counted fruit in place of a sweet or a packet snack.

1.4 g of protein for every 100 kcal.
One serving gives 0.2 g of the roughly 58 g of protein a day ICMR-NIN's RDA sets for a 70 kg adult.
3.9 g of fibre in a serving.

How amla fits a plan that loses fat and keeps muscle

IFCT 2017 lists Indian gooseberry at 24 kcal and 7.8 g of fibre per 100 g: about the lowest calories and among the highest fibre of any fruit we list. Its sourness means nobody eats ten at a time, which makes it naturally self-limiting.

Fresh amla with salt, amla in a chutney, or grated into a salad adds flavour for almost no calories. Amla juice is popular for weight loss, but straining it removes most of the fibre that makes the fruit filling.

Amla in an Indian kitchen

Fresh amla is in season in winter and is very sour, which is why it is usually eaten with salt, as a chutney, or grated into a salad or dal. Amla murabba and candied amla are preserved in sugar syrup, so they count as a sweet rather than a fruit. Fresh amla juice diluted with water, with no sugar added, is common in North India. Amla powder adds sourness to a raita or a buttermilk. Keep fresh amla in the fridge for a week or two.

Pair it, or swap it

Amla chutney with a besan chilla, or a fresh amla after lunch, adds sharp flavour without sugar.

Worth knowing

Murabba, candy and sweetened amla juice add a lot of sugar. Amla supplements are not the same as eating the fruit.

Amla against similar foods

Per 100 g, IFCT 2017
Food	Energy	Protein	Fibre
Amla	24 kcal	0.3 g	7.8 g
Guava, white	32 kcal	1.4 g	8.6 g
Orange	37 kcal	0.7 g	1.3 g
Papaya	24 kcal	0.4 g	2.8 g

Amla: questions people ask

Does amla juice help weight loss?

No juice burns fat. Whole amla is very low in calories with plenty of fibre; juice keeps little of the fibre. Drink it unsweetened if you like it.

How many calories are in amla?

IFCT 2017 gives amla 24 kcal per 100 g; two amlas give about 12 kcal.

When should I eat amla?

Any time it replaces a sweeter snack. Some people find it sharp on an empty stomach; with or after a meal suits most.

Sources

[1] Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017
National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad, 2017. Table 1, Proximate Principles and Dietary Fibre: energy, protein, fat, available carbohydrate and dietary fibre per 100 g edible portion, the mean of the regions sampled. Every figure on this page comes from it.
Read the source
[2] ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians
ICMR-NIN, Hyderabad, 2024. Recommends combining cereals with pulses in a 3:1 ratio for protein quality, meeting vegetarian protein needs from pulses, beans and milk, keeping added sugar under 5% of energy and salt to 5 g a day, and slow, steady weight reduction.
Read the source
[3] ICMR-NIN Expert Group on Nutrient Requirements for Indians. Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements
ICMR-NIN, Hyderabad (brief note), 2020. Sets the protein RDA for healthy Indian adults at 0.83 g per kg of body weight a day, and 1 g per kg for people on a cereal-based diet with lower-quality protein.
Read the source
[4] Wycherley TP, et al. Effects of energy-restricted high-protein, low-fat compared with standard-protein, low-fat diets: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012. In energy-restricted trials, higher-protein diets produced slightly greater fat loss and better preservation of fat-free mass than standard-protein diets.
Read the source
[5] Shukla AP, et al. Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels
Diabetes Care, 2015. Eating vegetables and protein before carbohydrate in the same meal produced lower post-meal glucose and insulin than the reverse order, in a small crossover study.
Read the source

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