90/10 Traffic Light Food Zones Based on Michi's Ladder

**Thanks to Coach Ryan Chapman for organizing Michi's Ladder into a much simpler system to follow here ** 

Green Light Zone 90% of Calories from this Tier, no need to track them
Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
Beef, Lean cuts (between 10% and 20% fat) Cottage Cheese (F) Egg Whites Fish (Broiled, Steamed, Grilled) Fowl (skinless, dark meat) Fowl, Ground (between 10% and 20% fat) Lamb, lean Shakeology Yogurt (Greek or Regular, unsweetened) (F)	Apples Applesauce (raw, unsweetened) Artichokes Asparagus Bananas Beans (low sodium if canned) (P) Beets Berries (fresh) Bok Choy Bread products (100% Whole Wheat only, no HFCS) Broccoli Broths (low sodium only) Brussell Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Citrus Fruits Coffee (Black) Corn CousCous (100% whole wheat) Cucumbers Dates Eggplant Figs Garlic (fresh, not powdered) Granola (raw, no sugar or preservatives) Grapes Greens, Leafy (all types) Herbs Hummus Kiwi Lentils (P) Lettuce Mangoes Melons Milk (fat free or whole raw) (P)(F) Muesli (raw, no sugar or preservatives) Mushrooms Nectarines, Peaches Oatmeal Onions Papaya Pasta (100% Whole Wheat) Pears Peas Peppers Pineapple Plantains Plums, Prunes Quinoa (P) Radishes Raisins Rice (Brown and Wild) Spelt Squash Stevia Sweet Potatoes, Yams Tea (unsweetened) Tomatoes Vegetable Juice Vinegar Water Yacon Syrup Zucchini	Almond Milk (unsweetened and unflavored) Avocados Butter, Unsalted Coconut Flaxseed Hempseed Nut Butters (raw, unsalted) (P) Nut Butters (roasted, unsalted) (P) Nuts (raw, unsalted) (P) Nuts (roasted, unsalted) (P) Olive Oil Olives Sunflower Seeds
Yellow Light Zone 10% of Calories for this tier...keep track of these only
Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
Beef, ground and cuts (greater than 20% fat) Beef, Lean cuts (between 10% and 20% fat) Canadian Bacon Fowl (skinless, dark meat) Fowl (with skin) Fowl, Ground (between 10% and 20% fat) Fowl, Ground (greater than 20% fat) Ham Hot Dogs (Turkey) Jerky (Turkey) Lamb, lean Pork (fatty cuts, pork chops, etc) Veal	Applesauce (big brand) Agave Nectar Broths Corn Tortillas and Tortilla Chips Crackers (whole grain only) Chili (not homemade, no sugar or lard added) Granola (not raw, no sugar added) Honey Jam or Marmalade (no sugar added) Lettuce (Iceberg) Maple Syrup (natural, no sugar added) Milk (1% or 2%) (P)(F) Muesli (big brand) Molasses Oatmeal (Flavored and sweetened) Pancakes (buckwheat or whole wheat, not 100%) Pickles Popcorn (plain) Potatoes (baked or boiled) Refried Beans (low-fat) Rice Cakes Rice Milk Rice (white) Sauerkraut Sugar alcohols (anything ending in -tol) Tortillas (whole wheat, not 100%) Wine Artificial Sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, saccharine, etc) Bagels (Refined Flour) Beer Bread (Refined Flour) Chips (low-fat, baked) Coffee (sweetened and/or creamed, includes lattes, etc) Crackers (not whole grain) Graham Crackers Ice Cream (sugar or fat free) Jell-o Juice (from concentrate) Milk (whole, not raw) Muffins Nut Butters (big brand, not natural) Popcorn (with salt and butter) Pancakes Pasta Pretzels (not 100% whole wheat) Sauces (steak, BBQ, ketchup, etc) Sherbet Soup, Canned (creamy) Soy Sauce Yogurt (frozen)	Almond Milk (sweetened and/or flavored) Butter (salted) Canola Oil Mayonaise
Red Light Zone Just avoid these for 6 weeks..see how you feel!
Alcohol (hard liquor) Cake Candy Cereal (sugared) Chips (potato or corn) Milk Chocolate Cinnamon Roll Coffee (extremely sugared and full cream versions, mochas, lattes, etc) Cookies Creamed Veggies Creamer (non-dairy) Doughnuts Energy Drinks (sugared versions) Fast Food (unless you can verify all ingredients are from upper Tiers) Fried Foods of any kind (excludes items litghly sauteed in EVOO) Gravy High Fructose Corn Syrup Hot Dogs Hydrogenated Foods Ice Cream Juice (sugar added) Margarine Pastries Pies Pizza (restaurant) Salad Dressing (creamy, full fat) Sausage Soft Drinks, Diet Soft Drinks, Regular Sports Drinks and Sports Nutrition Products (unless you are seriously training and using them properly) Syrup Sugar Vegetable Oil (big brand)