green light / red light foods
Green Light Foods
You can eat Green Light foods anytime, anywhere. For the most part they’re very high in fiber, and/or loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytochmemicals (those incredibly amazing plant compounds that help us prevent the biggies like heart disease and cancer). You don’t have to think about portions or "too much" with these foods. Dig in.
Yellow Light Foods
The Yellow Light foods are those that still rank very high on our list, but you have to be aware of portion sizes (all are indicated). Remember, you can gain weight eating almost ANY food, if you eat too much of it. These foods are the stars of their categories, loaded with nutrients, but you still have limit them to your allotted number of daily servings.
Red Light Foods
Red Light Foods are not poison, but they do have qualities that make them less desirable, either for health or weight loss. For example, they are high in artery-clogging saturated fat, or contain a lot of refined sugar or flour. These are the foods that you want to avoid, or have occasionally as a treat.
Green Light Foods (in their commonplace categories)
| Vegetables | |
| Artichoke | Mushrooms |
| Arugala | Okra |
| Asparagus | Onions |
| Beans (green, wax, Italian) | Pea pods (snow peas) |
| Bean sprouts | Peppers (green, red, orange, yellow) |
| Beets | Pumpkin |
| Broccoli | Rutabaga |
| Brussels sprouts | Sauerkraut |
| Cabbage | Scallions |
| Carrots | Spinach, raw or cooked |
| Cauliflower | Tomato (one large) |
| Celery | Tomato sauce or canned tomatoes |
| Cucumber | Summer squash (yellow) |
| Eggplant | Swiss chard |
| Greens (collard, mustard, turnip) | Tomato/vegetable juice (low sodium) |
| Kale | Turnips |
| Kohlrabi | Water chestnuts |
| Lettuce (all) | Watercress |
| Leeks | Zucchini |
| Other | |
| Note: Starchy vegetables such as corn, peas, and potatoes are found in the Yellow Light Foods. | |
| Vegetable, chicken, or beef broth | |
| Water/Seltzer | Catsup |
| Calorie-free drinks | Horseradish |
| Fresh and dried spices | Mustard |
| Tomato salsa (made with no oil) | Pickles, dill, unsweetened |
| Flavorings & extracts | Hot (Tabasco) sauce |
| Worcestershire sauce | Vinegar |
| Low-sodium soy | |
| Lemon/Lime Juice | |
Yellow Light Foods (in their commonplace categories)
| Category | Food | Serving |
| Complex Carb | ||
| Whole wheat bread | 1 standard slice | |
| Whole wheat pita or tortilla (10” wrap). | 1/2 each | |
| Unsweetened, cold cereal with at least 4g fiber/serving (i.e. bran flakes, bran buds, etc.) | 3/4 cup | |
| Oatmeal (not sweetened) | 1/2 cup cooked | |
| Brown rice | 1/3 cup cooked | |
| Whole wheat pasta | 1/2 cup cooked | |
| Beans and peas (i.e. kidney, white, lima & garbonzo beans/chick peas; split, black-eyed, green peas, etc.) | 1/3 cup | |
| Lentils (cooked) | 1/3 cup | |
| Corn | 1/3 cup or 1 long cob | |
| Baked potato with skin | 1 small | |
| Baked sweet potato | 1/2 medium | |
| Winter squash (acorn, butternut, etc.) | 3/4 cup | |
| High fiber crackers with >3g fiber/serving (i.e. Finn, Kavali, Wasa | 4 (or serving indicated on box) | |
| Protein | ||
| Beef -- USDA Good or Choice lean grades such as round, sirloin, and flank steak; tenderloin; and chipped beef | 1 oz | |
| Pork – Tenderloin, fresh ham or Canadian bacon (note: not for people trying to avoid sodium/salt) | 1 oz | |
| Veal -- All cuts, except for fried veal cutlets | 1 oz | |
| Chicken, turkey, Cornish hen (without skin) | 1 oz | |
| All fresh and frozen fish | 1 oz | |
| Oysters | 2 oz | |
| Tuna (canned in water) | 1/4 cup | |
| Herring (uncreamed or smoked) | 1 oz | |
| Sardines (canned, with oil drained) | 2 med | |
| Low-fat or fat- free cottage cheese | 1/2 cup | |
| Grated parmesan | 2 Tbs. | |
| Low-fat cheese (with fewer than 55 calories per ounce) | 1 oz | |
| 95% fat-free luncheon meat | 1 oz | |
| Egg whites | 3 | |
| Egg substitutes (with fewer than 55 calories per 1/4 cup) | 1/4 cup | |
| Peanut butter (This can be counted as a Yellow Light protein or fat) | 1 tbsp | |
| Textured soy protein (i.e. veggie burger, soy crumbles, meatless meatballs, no-beef tenders, etc.) | 1 oz | |
| Tofu (firm, medium and soft) | 2 oz | |
| Tempeh | 2 oz | |
| Seitan (wheat protein) | 2 oz | |
| Soy (veggie) bacon | 1 strip | |
| Veggie (soy) hotdog | 1 frank | |
| Veggie deli "meats" | 1 oz | |
| Tofu Chicken nuggets | 1 oz ea | |
| Faux tuna | ||
| *Most prepared meat substitutes | 1 oz | |
| Eggless eggs (usually soy) | 1/4 cup | |
| Fruit | ||
| Grapefruit (medium) | 1/2 | |
| Grapefruit (segments) | 3/4 cup | |
| Grapes (small) | 15 | |
| Honeydew melon (medium) | 1/8 | |
| Honeydew melon (cubes) | 1 cup | |
| Kiwi (large) | 1 | |
| Mango (small) | 1/2 | |
| Nectarines (2 1/2 in. across) | 1 | |
| Orange (2 1/2 in. across) | 1 | |
| Papaya | 1 cup | |
| Peach (2 3/4 in. across) | 1 | |
| Pear (1/2 large) | 1 small | |
| Persimmon (medium, native) | 2 | |
| Pineapple (raw) | 3/4 cup | |
| Plum (raw, 2 in. across) | 2 | |
| Pomegranate | 1/2 | |
| Raspberries (raw) | 1 cup | |
| Strawberries (raw, whole) | 1 1/4 cups | |
| Tangerine (2 1/2 in. across) | 2 | |
| Watermelon (cubes) | 1 1/4 cups | |
| Dried Fruit | ||
| Apples | 4 rings | |
| Apricots | 7 halves | |
| Dates (medium) | 2 1/2 | |
| Figs | 1 1/2 | |
| Prunes (medium) | 3 | |
| Raisins | 2 tbsp | |
| Dried cranberries | 2 tbsp | |
| Fruit Juice | ||
| Apple juice/cider | 1/2 cup | |
| Grapefruit juice | 1/2 cup | |
| Grape juice | 1/3 cup | |
| Orange juice | 1/2 cup | |
| Pineapple juice | 1/2 cup | |
| Prune juice | 1/3 cup | |
| Vegetables | See Green Light Foods | |
| Fats | ||
| Avocado | 1/8 medium | |
| Margarine w/ pant sterols (i.e. Benecol) | 1 tsp | |
| Reduced fat sour cream | 1 tbsp | |
| Reduced fat cream cheese | 1 tbsp | |
| Soy mayonnaise (reduced-calorie) | 1 tsp | |
| Non-stick spray | 1 second | |
| Nuts and Seeds: | ||
| Almonds, dry roasted | 6 | |
| Cashews, dry roasted | 1 tbsp (3 whole) | |
| Pecans | 2 | |
| Peanuts (small) | 20 | |
| Peanuts (large) | 10 | |
| Walnuts | 2 whole | |
| Other nuts | 1 tbsp | |
| Seeds | 1 tbsp | |
| Oil (corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean, sunflower, olive, peanut) | 1 tsp | |
| Olives (small) | 10 | |
| Olives (large) | 5 | |
| Salad dressing, vinaigrette with olive oil | 2 tsp | |
| Salad dressing, reduced-calorie (2 tbsp of low-calorie dressing is a free food) | 2 tbsp | |
| Peanut butter (This can be counted as a Yellow Light Protein or fat) | 1 tbsp | |
| Dairy | ||
| Skim milk | 1 cup | |
| 1/2% milk | 1 cup | |
| 1% milk | 1 cup | |
| Low-fat soy milk (unsweetened) | 1 cup | |
| Low-fat rice milk (unsweetened) | 1 cup | |
| Low-fat nut milk (unsweetened) | 1 cup | |
| Low-fat buttermilk | 1 cup | |
| Evaporated skim milk | 1/2 cup | |
| Dry nonfat milk | 1/3 cup | |
| Non-fat cottage cheese (can be counted as a protein or a dairy) | 1/2 cup | |
| Plain non-fat yogurt | 8 oz. | |
| Plain non-fat soy yogurt | 8 oz. | |
| Low-fat cottage cheese | 1/2 cup | |
Red Light Foods (in their commonplace categories)
| Complex carbs | |
| Doughnuts, cookies, cakes, Danish, coffee cake, muffins, biscuits, pan breads, etc. | |
| White flour products (white breads, pasta,) | |
| Breakfast bars and granola bars with high sugar | |
| Sweetened cereals (hot or cold) | |
| Protein | |
| Most USDA Prime cuts of beef, such as ribs, corned beef | |
| Spareribs, ground pork, pork sausage (patty or link) | |
| Patties (ground lamb) | |
| Any fried fish, poultry or meat product | |
| All regular cheese, such as American, Blue, Cheddar, Monterey, Swiss | |
| Luncheon meat, such as bologna, salami, pimiento loaf | |
| Sausage, such as breakfast, Polish or Italian | |
| Knockwurst, smoked | |
| Bratwurst | |
| All regular frankfurters (hot dogs) | |
| Fruit | |
| Canned fruit in syrup | |
| Jellies/jams | |
| Fruit based sodas | |
| Apple sauce with added sugar | |
| Fruit ices, pops and sorbets | |
| Vegetables | |
| Any deep fried vegetable (i.e. tempura) | |
| Vegetables with heavy sauce or butter | |
| Vegetables juices with added sugars/corn syrup (i.e. V8 Splash) | |
| Fat | |
| Butter | |
| Bacon and sausage | |
| Coconut, shredded or milk | |
| Coffee whitener, liquid | |
| Coffee whitener, powder | |
| Dairy | |
| Whole milk | |
| Evaporated whole milk | |
| Whole milk plain yogurt | |
| Condensed Milk | |
| All items following are calculated as a fat | All creams (heavy, light, half & half, etc. |
| Cream cheese (regular) | |
| Sour cream (regular) | |
