THE CORE LIST (to remind myself)

The Core Foods are nutritious and include all food groups. Use the summary below to help guide your food choices. For more detail on foods, see the Plan Manager Core Food List. You can also use Find & Explore or our site search to find browse or search for more Core Foods.



Vegetables:
Fresh, frozen or canned (without added sauce, fat or sugar)

Details
Vegetables cannot contain ingredients that are not Core Foods (e.g., regular refried beans, pork & beans, corn in butter sauce, dried tomatoes packed in oil, French fries and sweet pickles are not Core Foods.
Vegetable juices are not Core Foods.

Fruits:
Fresh, frozen or canned fruits (without added sugar)

Details
Canned fruit must be packed in water or juice (not syrup).
Dried fruits are not Core Foods.
Fruit juices are not Core Foods.

Soups:


Fresh, dried, canned, frozen or homemade soups made only with Core Foods
Bean soup (e.g., lentil soup, split pea soup)
Bouillon
Broth-based soup
Tomato soup

Details
Cream soups are not Core Foods.

Fat-Free Dairy Products and Dairy Substitutes:


Fat-free milk, cheese, cottage cheese, plain yogurt -- all count towards your daily milk servings
Reduced-calorie dairy shakes and Weight Watchers Smoothies (both count towards milk servings, both are limited to once a day)
Fat-free, sugar-free pudding (counts towards milk servings)
fat-free, sugar-free instant hot cocoa (limited to once a day)
Fat-free sour cream
Soy milk (calcium-fortified and unflavored), cheese and plain yogurt

Starches, Grains and Cereals:


Whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, potatoes, and grains
Cornmeal
Rolled oats
Any whole-grain cereals that do not contain added sugar, nuts or dried fruit
Cooked (hot) cereal

Details
Whole-wheat pasta, brown rice or potatoes are limited to one meal a day
Cold cereals are limited to one meal a day and must be eaten with fat-free milk or fat-free plain yogurt.
Hot cereal must be a plain variety that does not contain added sugar, nuts or dried fruit.
Bread is not a Core Food.

Lean Meats:

Beef, lamb, pork, veal and game meats

At the meat case look for cuts from the "loin," "round," and "leg"
Choose visibly lean cuts and trim any excess fat
Ground beef with no more than 7% fat is limited to one meal a day. Processed meats such as deli products and hot dogs are not Core Foods.
Poultry - Chicken and turkey


Trim any visible fat before preparing and remove skin before eating
Ground turkey or ground chicken is limited to one meal a day

Fish and Shellfish:
Fresh, frozen, or canned, any variety

Details
Canned varieties must be packed in water, broth or tomato juice (not packed in oil).

Meat Substitutes:


Dried beans and lentils
Tofu, any type
Quorn
Vegetarian burgers, frozen

Egg and Egg Substitutes:


Whole eggs, egg whites and egg substitutes

Oils:


Fat-free salad dressings
Fat-free margarine
Fat-free mayonnaise
Nonstick cooking or baking spray
Extracts, flavorings, and herbs

Details
Include 2 teaspoons of olive, canola, safflower, sunflower, or flaxseed oil each day. Use your weekly POINTS Allowance for any additional oil used.
Beverages:


Coffee (without sugar)
Tea (without sugar)
Diet soft drinks
Club soda
Seltzer (plain or flavored, unsweetened)
Water

Details
Beverages containing alcohol are not Core Foods
Condiments:


Baking powder
Baking soda
Capers
Cocktail sauce
Hot sauce (pepper sauce)
Ketchup
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Mustard
Salsa (fat-free)
Soy sauce (shoyu)
Spices
Steak sauce
Sugar substitutes
Taco sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Vinegar
Worcestershire sauce

Extras:


Gelatin (unflavored and sugar-free flavored)
Weight Watchers Fruities (available for sale at Weight Watchers meetings in participating areas).

At Snack Time Choose:Fat-free milk
Fruits and veggies
Popcorn (94% fat-free)
Vegetable soup
Weight Watchers Fruities
1 Weight Watchers Smoothie
You can also use your weekly POINTS Allowance for between-meal snacks.