
The Food System at Noom. Green, yellow and red. These 3 colors are central to the food system at Noom. All foods are in 1 of these 3 categories. Which color category the food is in, is dependent on that food’s caloric density. That is what the Noom food plan is and we will talk about caloric density shortly here in this article.
The Food System At Noom
So how do the green, yellow, and red foods work? Green foods are considered very healthy and nutritious for you. Foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. 30% of your daily intake should be in this category, but more is always welcome and even encouraged on the Noom food plan. Yellow foods are comprised of lean meats, low-fat dairy, and starchy carbs. They can still be quite healthy, but they have a higher caloric density and should be taken in moderation. 45% of your daily intake should be in the Noom yellow food list. Red foods tend to be the highest calorie foods and most do not have much nutritional value. There are a few exceptions to this rule however from the nutritional value aspect. 25% of your daily intake should be from the red food category.
So What Is Caloric Density?
Noom’s goal is for you to learn healthy nutritional habits and feel full by eating fewer calories. Noom knows full well, you will not succeed through the program or through life if you are hungry all the time. This is where caloric density comes into play. You want to eat foods that
Let’s look at grapes and raisins as an example. They are both the same food. 1 cup of grapes, high in water content has 62 calories. 1 cup of raisins, low in water content has 500 calories. You will feel full after eating both, but the grapes have much fewer calories. The raisins in comparison, have a high caloric density. If you eat foods with a lower caloric density, you will feel full and satisfied for fewer calories and can lose weight as well!
Caloric Density And The Food System At Noom
For the Noom food plan, every food in its database (3.7 million items and growing!) will be categorized in the color system by its caloric density. Every food will have calories and portion size listed to choose from. Green foods have a very low caloric density, yellow foods are middle of the road, and red foods have a very high caloric density. Eating foods in the yellow and red categories within their daily limits will be conducive for weight loss and maintenance in the long run. These foods when taken occasionally and in moderation can help you from feeling deprived. Daily intake of green foods should be at least 30%, but more is definitely allowed because of their low caloric density and their nutritional value. The more of merrier of the greens!
I lost 50 pounds on the Noom Weight Loss Program. Tracking my food was so easy with the color system and tracking food on the go with the easy to use Noom app. If you are ready to lose the weight and you’d like to give Noom a try, click the link below and try it out for yourself with Noom’s free trial.
Food Tracking On The Noom App
Throughout the course, you will want to track your foods on your phone’s Noom app. You will be set up on this app on day 1 when you sign up. The app is like the epicenter of where it happens at

Logging Food Screen
The logging food screen looks like this at the beginning of the day. You press each meal or snack to track it. You will get a running tabulation of how many calories you are using in each meal or snack that day. The analysis button in the top right-hand corner can tell you what color category your foods landed for the day. How many calories were used in that category, and how many calories are either left, or over in each category. Very helpful tool! As time goes along this aspect will make you very aware of just what types of foods you are eating. Knowing this can help you plan differently as you go along if needed.


Click on the specific meal or snack category and that is where you add your meals. Add each specific food item and amount. You’ll get a drop-down menu for your choice. Personally, this is my favorite app for tracking food. I find it picks up your most frequently used foods very quickly and are prevalent at the top of the drop-down menu items when you are making choices. It even senses your most common choices with your meals and snacks. Super easy process and takes little time to complete.
You can add your own recipes by pressing on the pot icon above the search bar. You can also scan a barcode for the food items information if you can’t find it in the database. Depending on how you had set up your preferences, you may get a notification on your phone if you are overdue with tracking. Just another accountability feature!
Green Foods
When you think of green foods, think healthy and nutritious foods with low calories. Remember these foods have a low caloric density. Fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods, non-fat dairy products. If you are hungry and want something, this is a good category to head to. Eat away and enjoy according to Noom! Here are some examples, but not them all!
- apples
- oranges
- strawberries
- peaches
- watermelon
- whole wheat bread
- quinoa
- whole grain pasta
- rolled oats
- brown rice
- non-fat yogurt
greek yogurt (non-fat)- non-fat cottage cheese
- skim milk
- non-fat latte
- green beans
- potatoes
- broccoli
- asparagus
- carrots
- egg whites
- canned tuna
- white fish
- shrimp
- tofu
- salsa
- spices
- tomato sauce
- horseradish
- lemon juice
Yellow Foods
Yellow foods are higher in caloric density, but can still be nutritious and healthy. This makes them the middle of the road category on the Noom food plan. Foods in this category would include lean meats, starchy carbs, low-fat dairy. Yellows make up about 45% of your daily intake at Noom. Here are some examples, but not them all!
- avocado
- olives
- dried apricots
- canned pineapple
- figs
- turkey
- steak (sirloin, t-bone)
- lean pork
- chicken
- eggs
- hummus
- fruit cup
- rice pudding
- plain pancake
- fruit cocktail
- rice (basmati, yellow, wild)
- english muffins
- corn tortillas
- whole wheat bagel
- couscous
- low-fat cream cheese
- yogurt (low-fat)
- low-fat milk (1-2%)
- cheese (low-fat)
- low-fat cottage cheese
- diet sodas
- grapefruit juice
- orange juice
- light beer
- fruit smoothie
Being in the middle, Noom yellow foods tend to be less on the mind of “Noomers”. It is an important category to use and if you’d like more information on the yellow category, please read my blog post, “Yellow Foods at Noom (and Their Significance With Weight Loss)”
Red Foods
Red foods have the highest calorie density and are generally the least nutritious (in most cases but not all). These foods should be enjoyed a little less frequently and in smaller portions. It makes up about 25% of your daily intake. Consider using the 25% daily intake in this category for the healthier options in this category. You can also use this if you would like a little indulgence now and then-with portion size in mind. Here is a list of some red foods, but not all of them!
- dates
- raisins
- dried cranberries
- nuts (almonds, pecans)
- trail mix
- bacon
- 80% beef
- fried chicken
- salami
- chicken wings
- ice cream
- cinnamon roll
- chocolate milk
- cupcakes
- chocolate (milk & dark)
- tortilla chips
- potato chips
- protein bars
- pretzels
- peanut butter
- white bread
- biscuits
- granola
- croissant
- flour tortillas
- butter
- string cheese
- whole milk
- half and half
- curd
Get Your Noom Food Lists Printables!
The Noom app is a super-easy way to track your food and I love it! Besides remembering your most common foods very quickly, it is so easy to use on the go. Sometimes, it is nice to have the Noom food lists in a printable form. It makes it easy when you would like a quick glance at an entire category, or when you are doing your meal planning, grocery list or even grocery shopping! You can download your free Noom Food Lists Printables here with a quick signup below.
Noom’s Food System In A Nutshell
Noom wants you to live a healthy life-at Noom, and beyond your life at Noom. They teach you to make changes
The color system helps you to navigate what foods will keep you full and satisfied by understanding their calorie density and nutritional values. Making wise choices is possible when you are aware of where your food choices fit into the green, yellow and red categories.
Noom’s Easy To Use Phone App
Noom’s easy to manage phone app makes food tracking a breeze. They have 3.7 million food items (and counting) in their database making it easy to find your foods. Noom’s recognition of your most popular foods will appear frequently with the first 2-3 letters typed. You can add favorite recipes. Check your calorie tracker simply by opening the app. Check your green-yellow-red food ratio with the Analysis button in the food tracking link. Know where you stand for the day with your choices.
Losing weight is hard. We all know that. Having tools and systems at your disposal can make your journey easier. If you want to lose weight, Noom offers a free trial. Try it. See if it fits your goals. What have you got to lose but the weight?

After years of weight issues, I have finally found the formula of combining healthy food choices, regular exercise and positive behavior change to lose weight for good. Coupled with, exploring self-development, being productive and living simply, I am now maintaining a healthy lifestyle and in a good place. I enjoy writing articles to help my readers to become the best they can be!

Thank you for outlining ning the food colours for me. I was struggling to get the yellow box checked. I wish you well and enjoyed reading your beautiful article.
Thank you so much Ober for the kind remarks. I also find the yellow category for me can sometimes fall by the wayside. I’m glad you find the article helpful. Enjoy your journey!
I have been gathering information about Noom and found your article very helpful. You neatly packaged the bits I wanted to know and gave it to me in an easy to digest way. I really like the attitude you are illustrating about life through your work here. Thanks for creating a little spot of sunshine on the web.
Thank you so much Shannon. I am glad to hear you found the article helpful! Noom is a great program and once you get accustomed to how it works, it works really well. As I said in the article, it is the easiest tracking system I have used! Wishing you much success Shannon!
Good morning! Can you tell me about salads and mustards, turnip greens? Which color group would these be in? Can all these groups be cooked in any way or baked or boiled? Spices and seasonings – any kind? Do you keep away from sugar and flour?
These are questions that all other diets have and that’s why I am asking.
Please email me . Thank you and have a blessed day!
Hi Wilma. Thanks so much for getting in touch. Those are excellent questions! With regard to the mustard greens and turnip greens, they are green foods. Salad lettuces like iceberg, romaine, raddicio, spinaches are all green. What you need to be careful of is what you prepare them with or add to the salad you are building . Oils or butters with their fats will be counted as red. Some oils such as olive oil or coconut oil which is actually heart healthy in small quantities, is considered red based on their caloric density as I described in the article. Sugars and certain types of flour like white or all purpose flour are considered red foods. They don’t have nutritional value but they do taste good! All foods fit in one of the 3 categories and you are even allowed to consume 25% red foods in a day. I like Noom as a healthy lifestyle program because they do not believe in depriving yourself of foods you enjoy. Being able to eat foods on occasion and in moderation is more likely to maintain your health long term. Learning healthy eating will enable you to understand the choices out there. It allows you to make the best decisions long term, with occasional indulgences. I hope that helps Wilma and please check back from time to time as I post healthy lifestyle articles quite frequently! Have a nice day and enjoy your journey!
Donna
Do you have a complete list of the red, green, and yellow foods? I’m trying to do some meal planning and thus grocery shopping and wanted to go prepared.
Hi Judith! Good for you on planning ahead with your meals! That is a fabulous way to keep yourself on track! Two thumbs up! Are you on Noom now? If so, you can ask your goal specialist to send you some links for the Noom Food lists. That’s how I got mine originally. I had some ideas in the article here on the foods that are in each of the color categories. You can also checkout this link from an article on Noom’s website https://web.noom.com/blog/eat/2015/01/calorie-density-how-to-eat-more-to-weigh-less/
Unfortunately, I don’t have lists of my own yet, but I plan to release some in January. Please check back for those and other helpful Noom guides I’m putting together. I hope this helps in the meantime. Thanks for reading!
It’s so great that this isn’t a binge diet where you are going to yoyo with weight. Instead it is teaching you about food to ensure a long term healthier lifestyle change. The colour system sounds really easy to follow too.
It’s the easiest system I’ve used for food when trying to lose weight. Thanks for reading it Sarah-Marie!
Is there an amount of calories , that is calculated to be like the color chart 30%,45%. …how does one decide the percentage. Can a non paying person use the app
Hi Debbie,
The very cool thing about Noom’s app is that they do the calculating for you. You can check your progress out through the day and it will show you how many calories you are using in the categories to help keep you on track. You can download Noom’s app for free. You will still have the ability to track your foods and know which color category your choices are going into. It’s worth a go for free! Good luck!
Hi Donna
I have been on Noom for 12 weeks and I have lost 10 lbs. I am super happy but I am starting to think about maintenance. I really wish I could have access to booms food tracker only for the future. Any tips or suggestions from your own experience on keeping the weight off?
Hi Lori! That is a really good question and I’m not sure everyone really realizes this. Noom has a free version of their app that you can use when you are ready to go out on your own! The basic differences between the free version and the one you used on the program is that there are no lessons, no goal specialist or group and no syncing between devices such as an apple watch or Fitbit. There is no difference at all with food tracking and you can still track exercise. The weight tracker is there too. You can still set your pedometer steps per day too. I was like you in that I still wanted to be aware of my eating and follow the food tracker for awhile. It is always good to know, if you want that little bit of awareness or accountability, the free app is there for you to use. I hope that helps!