Go Foods for Better Weight Control

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Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

What do GO foods have in common?

• High in water

• High in fiber

• Low in calorie density

• Low in fat

• No added sugar

GO foods are high in water content — this means that cooked whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, barley, and whole grain pasta are better choices than lower moisture items like bread and crackers. Not that bread and crackers are bad — don’t make them the bulk of your preferences.

Fruits and vegetables are the best of all choices!! They are high in water content and fiber. And they are low in calorie density and fat.

GO! foods include fruits, vegetables, nonfat dairy, cooked whole grains, lean protein, and legumes.

What is calorie density?

Calorie density: the concentration of calories in a given weight of food.

Compare foods by grams, ounces, pounds or kilos:

Item Calories per pound

  • lettuce 77

  • apple 224

  • potato, baked 320

  • cheese 1824

  • potato chips 2432

  • olive oil 4000

See how the more refined and higher-fat foods are higher in calorie density than the unprocessed ones.

The GO foods are the base of MyPlate, too. They are right in line with all of the recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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