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The Spectrum of Food Choices
(a representative, but not exhaustive, list) |
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Group 1 |
Group 2
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Group 3 |
Group 4 |
Group 5 |
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Most healthful | More healthful | Intermediate | Less healthful | Least healthful |
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Description |
Lowest in bad stuff, highest in good stuff.
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Somewhat higher in monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat Low sodium Low-fat dairy
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Some seafood, more fat, some refined carbohydrates higher sodium
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Foods containing additional fat, higher fat animal protein and fewer protective nutrients. |
Highest in bad stuff, lowest in good stuff. |
Fruits |
Fresh; choose locally grown fresh fruit when available. Apples Bananas Berries Cranberries Cherries Currants Figs Grapes Guava Kiwi Lemon Lime Litchi nuts Mango Melon Oranges Papaya Persimmons Pomegranates Quinces Rhubarb Starfruit Tangerines Watermelon Winter melons Zapote
Dried fruit, without added sugar: Cherries Cranberries Dates Mango Papaya Raisins
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Frozen and canned (packed in water or its own juice, no added sugar). Avocados Olives
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Dried fruit with added sugar Canned fruit packed in syrup Coconut meat, raw or shredded (dried)
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Vegetables |
Fresh, frozen or low-sodium canned: Choose locally grown fresh vegetables when available. Artichokes Arugula Asparagus Bamboo shoots Bell peppers, red, green, yellow or orange Bok choy Broccoli Cabbage Carrots or celery Cauliflower Celery Chilies Chinese celery Corn Cucumber Dandelion greens Edemame (soy beans) Eggplant Escarole Fennel Garlic Ginger Grape leaves Green beans Green leafy vegetables Jicama Kale Leeks Lettuce Mushrooms Mustard greens Napa or Chinese cabbage Okra Onions Parsnips Pickles Potatoes Radicchio Scallions Seaweed Shallot Spinach Squash, summer and winter Sun dried tomatoes, not in oil Swiss chard Tomatoes Tomato paste Tomato sauce Water chestnuts Watercress |
Canned vegetables, regular sodium |
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Grains/Cereals
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100 percent Whole grain bread, bagels, English muffins, pita bread 100 percent Whole grain low-fat crackers (Woven Wheat, Finn Crisp, Wasa) Amaranth Barley Brown rice Buckwheat Bulgur Corn Corn tortillas (not fried) Couscous, whole wheat Faro High fiber whole grain cereals (containing at least 4 grams fiber per 100 calories and less than 5 grams sugar) Hominy grits made without fat, butter or bacon Kasha Millet Oatmeal Oats Pasta made from whole grain Polenta Polvillo Potatoes Quinoa Rice crackers, whole grain Rye Soba noodles Spelt Sweet potatoes Tabouli grain salad made without oil Tortillas, fat free Udon noodles Wheat Wheat berries Wheat tortillas, fat-free Wild rice Yams |
Reduced fat flour tortilla |
Regular fat flour tortillas Angel food cake Fat-free biscuit mix Rice crackers, white rice White bread, bagels, pita bread or English muffins White pasta White flour
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Fried breads Fried desserts Pastries Pies Donuts Cakes Cookies Fried rice Fried noodles Fried tortillas Biscuits Croissants
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Legumes |
Fresh, dried, frozen, canned (no added salt), jarred (no added salt), vacuum sealed (no added salt): Black beans Black-eyed peas Cannelinni or butter beans Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) Fava beans Great white northern beans Italian white beans Lentils Lima Mung beans Navy beans Peas Pinto beans Red beans (kidney beans) Sprouted beans Wax (yellow) beans |
Regular sodium canned, jarred or vacuum sealed beans and lentils
Baked beans |
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Pork and beans |
Protein |
Egg whites or liquid egg substitutes Hummus made without oil or Tahini Soy and soy alternatives: Tofu Tempeh Natto Edemame Soy hot dogs Soy fat free sausage Veggie burgers
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Anchovies, fresh Arctic char Butterfish Canned light tuna Catfish Caviar Clams Cod Crab Crawfish Flounder Halibut Herring Lobster Mahimahi Monkfish Mussels Orange roughy Pacific flounder Pacific sole Pollack Salmon, wild Alaska and Pacific Sanddabs Sardines not packed in oil Scallops Sea bass Shrimp Snapper Squid/calamari Striped bass, Sturgeon Tilapia Trout Tuna, fresh or canned light |
Poultry, light meat chicken, turkey Products made from light chicken and turkey, such as poultry-based luncheon meats, poultry-based sausage, poultry-based hot dogs
Deli sliced turkey
Albacore tuna Anchovies in oil Oysters
Fish high in mercury: King mackerel Shark Swordfish Tilefish (golden snapper)
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Bacon Bacon bits Bologna Beef Bison Deli sliced ham, pastrami, roast beef Deviled eggs Egg salad sandwich Egg yolks Elk Fried chicken Fried fish or shellfish Ham Head cheese Hot dogs made from pork or beef Lamb Organ meats Pork Sausage made from beef or pork Venison
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Dairy and dairy substitutes
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Enriched oat milk Enriched rice milk Enriched soy milk
Fat-free or skim milk Fat-free buttermilk Fat-free sour cream Fat-free cream cheese Fat-free cottage cheese Fat-free yogurt
Canned evaporated milk— Fat-free (skim) Coconut water Fat-free dry milk powder |
Low fat dairy (1 percent) Sweetened non-fat and 1 percent yogurt
Fat free frozen yogurt Fat free puddings and sweets (up to 2 servings daily)
Parmesan cheese as a flavor enhancer
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Reduced fat dairy products (2 percent)
Reduced-fat cheese (2 percent)
Canned evaporated milk, reduced fat (2 percent)
Non-dairy creamer (1 Tbsp)
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Lite coconut milk
Full fat dairy products (4 percent) Full fat goat milk
Non-dairy whipped cream
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All other full fat cheese Coconut milk Half & half Heavy cream Butter |
Fats/oils |
Fish oil (omega 3 fatty acids) Fat-free non-dairy salad dressings Non-stick cooking spray
Fat-free margarine spreads
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Canola oil Flaxseed oil Olive oil Safflower oil Sesame oil
Nuts and nut butters: Almonds, unsalted Cashews, unsalted Mixed nuts, unsalted Peanuts, unsalted Pecans, unsalted Pumpkin seeds, unsalted Sesame seeds Sunflower seeds, unsalted Walnuts |
Lite or reduced fat margarines free of trans-fats
Low-fat mayonnaise
Corn oil Peanut oil Sesame oil Soybean oil
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Margarines, regular Mayonnaise, regular
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Trans fats Tropical oils: Coconut oil Palm kernel oil Palm oil
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Herbs, spices and other flavor additives |
Bonito flakes Brewer’s yeast Broth, vegetable, mushroom Capers Chili flakes Chutneys Fennel seeds Flax seeds Fresh or dried herbs and spices, such as allspice, cinnamon, basil, cumin, curry powder, corriander, parsley, oregano, etc. Garlic Green chiles, canned Hoisin sauce and plum sauce Malt powder Miso Mustard Natural vanilla Pepper Plain and flavored vinegars Poppy seeds Rice wine vinegar, low sodium Salsa or picante sauce Vinegars Yeast Wheat germ |
Bouillon cubes/granules, vegetable (low-sodium) Sesame seeds Soy sauce (low-sodium) Barbeque sauce Rice wine vinegar, regular sodium Sofrito Dark chocolate (small amounts)
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Bouillon cubes/granules, vegetable, regular sodium Table salt |
Chicken broth |
Beef broth |
Sweeteners
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Stevia |
Splenda Unsweetened jam, jelly or preserves
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High fructose corn syrup White, brown, or raw sugar or syrup Corn syrup Honey Maple syrup Molasses Sweetened jam, jelly or preserves
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Beverages |
Green Tea, iced and hot Caffeine free herbal teas, iced and hot Fruit juice (up to 8 oz daily) Beer (up to 12 oz daily) Wine (up to 6 oz daily) Sake |
Black tea Caffeine free, sugar free colas and other sodas (if sweetened with stevia or Splenda) Decaffeinated coffee Decaffeinated tea |
Coffee Regular colas and soda |
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