We use calorie density to categorize foods according to colors, which you may have read about in the first week of your program. The calorie density (CD) or energy density of a food is a measurement of the average calories per weight (in grams) or volume (in mL) of that food. Sodium and carbs may also affect the color of a food.
CD = Calories per serving / Grams per serving
The table below shows how we classify our foods:
| Types | Green | Yellow | Orange |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Foods | Low (CD < 1.0 | Medium (1.0 < CD < 2.4) | Higher (2.4 < CD) |
| Beverages | Low (CD < 0.4) | Medium (0.4 < CD < 0.5) | Higher (0.5< CD) |
| Soups, Sauces, Spreads | Low (CD < 0.5) | Medium (0.5 < CD < 1.0) | Higher (1.0 < CD) |
| Water, Plain Tea, Plain Coffee, Spices, Vitamins, and Health Supplements | No Color | No Color | No Color |
Because our program helps you to manage various types of conditions and promotes nourishment through wholesome and fresh foods, there are some foods that may prove an exception to this calorie density rule.
Please note that this is a basis for how the food colors are determined, but other factors will affect the final color of a food. The most important thing to remember is that the goals are still the same, and it’s more about staying within your weight loss zone and macros (if macros tracking is enabled). You can always report any errors if you feel the colors are incorrect.
Whole vs. Refined Foods
White and wheat bread or white and brown rice might have similar calorie densities, but we want to support our members in opting for the better option. To do this, the color of whole-grain foods will be adjusted (CD < 2.4 = Green and CD > 2.4 = Yellow).
Whole Wheat/Grain foods are also typically bumped down a color.
- Applies to whole wheat/grain breads, rolls, pasta, tortillas, unsweetened oat meals, brown/red/black rice, plain popcorn, quinoa.
Dairy
Includes foods that are primarily dairy-based, such as cheese, milk, sour cream, and yogurt.
- Nonfat dairy is Green
- Low-fat dairy is Yellow
- Whole fat dairy is Orange
Drinks with Artificial Sweeteners
We categorize diet sodas and other low-calorie drinks containing artificial sweeteners as yellow. Although they have no calories, many studies have shown that diet sodas don’t satiate your desire or thirst, and they’re super processed. We want to encourage our members to consume these with caution because they can potentially contribute to weight gain and might have high sodium content.
Examples of artificial sweeteners:
- Aspartame
- Cyclamate
- Saccharin
- Stevia
- Sucralose
- Mogrosides
Alcoholic Beverages and Sodas
We adjust the color for these beverages to indicate lower consumption. These kinds of beverages are often high in sugar and contribute to weight gain without providing much nutritional value. Alcoholic beverages that have the CD of a green food are displayed as yellow, and sodas that have the CD of a yellow food are displayed as orange.
Canned Fruit and Beans
These are considered to be in the soup/sauce category because their nutrition information often includes a lot of water weight, which will lower their CD.
Reporting Errors
Sometimes there are discrepancies between your nutrition labels and our database. For those differences, we have a way to report within the app:
- Tap the Log your meals task card on the home screen.
- Pick the meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) you want to log.
- Enter the food you want to log.
- Select More in the top right corner.
- You’ll see four options: Nutrition Facts, Flag a Problem, What does this color mean?, and Flag a Problem. Select Flag a Problem and indicate what the problem is.
Your new entry will get passed along to our food database team for review, but please keep in mind that it won’t be immediately added to our database. We have a dedicated team working to ensure that the food entries in our database are accurate and to make sure the nutritional information from the submissions from members like you is correct.
