Weight Watchers New PointsPlus Power Foods

Many Weight Watchers love that we can "eat what we want" so long as we count points. The combination of "unlimited food choices" with "limited portion size" remains a fundamental feature with the new PointsPlus point system that Weight Watchers just unveiled. While other eating regimes and diets work great for people, me, I cannot imagine giving up bread, rice, potatoes and especially fruit. Why does an apple or a carrot belong on an "eat occasionally" list? The fact that Weight Watchers has no food restrictions is one of WW's best features.

But – the new PointsPlus program will gently nudge our food choices toward what Weight Watchers calls 'Power Foods'. This is a good thing, training our palates and our bodies to choose and enjoy healthy foods in healthy portion sizes. Change is a often good, so is focus!

INTRODUCING THE NEW WEIGHT WATCHERS POWER FOODS

Weight Watchers has identified about 130 healthy foods that are 'preferred' (my word), what WW calls 'Power Foods'.

Some of the Power Foods have zero points, I mean, 'PointsPlus values', that's what the new point system calls what we used to call just 'points'.

For the first time, the zero-point foods includes many fresh fruits along with the usual zero-point vegetables. WW does specify certain features. For example, skim milk is a Power Food but higher-fat milks are not.

But WW is also going further. For example, wild salmon is a Power Food but farm-raised salmon is not.

In my recipe list for the new Weight Watchers Power Foods, all listed below, I've included WW's specific details in [brackets]. If a food is [shown in brackets] but is not linked to a recipe list, that means I don't currently have any recipes for that ingredient. As you can see, I have recipes for nearly all the Power Food ingredients but ooops, have some real work to do in the grains department!

Virtually all of Weight Watchers' new healthy whole-food 'Power Foods' are already every-day ingredients in the recipes here at Kitchen Parade, my food column, and A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables. Readers, this means that if you like my recipes, I think you'll adjust easily to the new PointsPlus values!

HOW TO USE THE NEW WEIGHT WATCHERS POWER FOODS

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO COUNT POINTS, AT ALL or TEMPORARILY For Weight Watchers who choose not to count points, eat only Power Foods and eat just until satisfied, not until full. Power Foods replace Weight Watchers former 'CORE' plan where counting points is not required. The Power Foods might be a useful tool during periods when life is too busy or too complicated to count points.

IF YOU WANT to FOCUS on HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES & HEALTHY PORTION SIZES For the rest of us who do count points, the Power Foods list will help us focus on ingredients and foods that will result in healthy food choices and healthy portion sizes. I love the Power Food list, even if I think that some things are missing, like tomatillos and farro and wish that sugar-free Jello and commercial popcorn weren't on it at all.

Please Know

Kitchen Parade is not affiliated with Weight Watchers, check here for more information. As always, I urge those who are interested in following the Weight Watchers programs to sign up at a local WW center.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Power Foods

FRUIT
Apples Apricots Bananas Blackberries Blueberries Cantaloupe Cherries Clementines Cranberries [Fresh] Currants [Fresh Dates] Grapefruit Grapes Honeydew Kiwi Mangoes Melons Nectarines Oranges [Papayas] Peaches Pears Pineapple Plums Raspberries Strawberries Tangerines Watermelon

VEGETABLES
Artichokes Asparagus Beets Bell Peppers Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery [Chinese Vegetables] Corn Cucumber Edamame Eggplant Endive Green Beans Peas Greens Hearts of Palm Jerusalem Artichokes Jicama Kale Leafy Greens Lettuce Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnips [Pimientos] Poblano Peppers Potatoes [Fresh] Pumpkin Radishes Sauerkraut Scallions Snow Peas Spinach Sugar Snap Peas Spinach Sprouts Summer Squash Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Turnips [Water Chestnuts] Watercress Winter Squash Zucchini

LEGUMES, GRAINS, CEREALS & RICE
Beans, Canned & Dried Lentils
[Barley] Buckwheat [Bulgur] Quinoa
[Cream of Rice] [Cream of Wheat] Cornmeal [Grits] Oatmeal
[Whole Wheat] Pasta
[Brown] Rice Wild Rice

DAIRY
Skim Milk [Low-Fat] Buttermilk
[Fat-Free] Cheese [Fat-Free] Cottage Cheese Fat-Free Ricotta
[Fat-Free] Sour Cream [Fat-Free or Light] Yogurt
[Soy Milk] [Soy Yogurt]

PANTRY STAPLES
[Reduced-Calorie] Bread [Sugar-Free] Gelatin [Reduced-Fat] Popcorn [Fat-Free Salsa] Stock

MEAT, EGGS, FISH, SHELLFISH & OTHER PROTEINS
[Lean] Chicken [White Meat] Turkey [Ostrich]
[Lean] Beef [Beef Liver] [Lean] Ham [Lean] Pork [Lean Veal]
Elk Venison
Eggs Egg Whites Cooked Eggs [Egg Substitute]
Fish [Wild] Salmon Tuna
Scallops Shrimp
[Other Shellfish: Abalone, Clams, Crab, Lobster, Mussels, Oysters, Squid]
Tofu