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Ever wanted an easy way to figure out what foods go into those colorful Beachbody portion control containers? Wish you could just type in a food and see what container it goes in and how much you should eat? Well, you’re in for a treat because I’ve created a searchable Beachbody portion control food list for you. Use it to find what foods go in which container, how much you get and which nutrition & workout programs include each food.
Portion Control System
Each Beachbody workout program comes with its own nutrition plan. Many of the programs use the color coded portion control system created by Autumn Calabrese in 21 Day Fix and recently updated in Ultimate Portion Fix. The containers help you eat the proper portion sizes. They are broken down by food type:
- Green= Vegetables
- Purple= Fruits
- Red= Proteins
- Yellow= Carbohydrates
- Blue= Healthy Fats
- Orange= Seeds & Dressings
- Teaspoon= Oils & Nut Butters
Food Lists
Each nutrition plan comes with a food list that lets you know what goes in each container. The food lists for each plan are written in a hierarchy. The most nutrient-dense foods are at the top of each list. Kale, raspberries, chicken breast, sweet potatoes, avocado are all top of the list items. Beachbody does say not to skip foods lower down the list because “variety is an important part of getting all the nutrients you need and will keep eating fun.” I agree.
For the most part you can just fill your container with the specified food, making sure the lid closes. You can also put two different items from the same food lists into a container at once to fill it up. For example, to make a salad you can fill half a green container with lettuce and the other half with tomatoes.
But it can get tricky when foods don’t fit in the container. In that case the food list will tell you the amount of that food that equals a container. For example, instead of having to chop up your asparagus you know you can just enjoy 10 asparagus spears.
Foods In Multiple Containers
Here’s where it can get really confusing. Some foods fall into multiple containers depending on how they are prepared or the ingredients used. Some examples include:
- Pumpkin
- Pasta Sauce
- Salsa
These foods can be listed as purple or green. Sugar content is one of the main factors that determines if a food falls on the green food list or purple food list.
Shift Shop throws a curve in the plans by putting Winter squash on both the Green and Yellow food lists. The nutrition plan explains that this is done to give more variety in the abbreviated Shift Shop Yellow list.
Treats & Special Foods
The food lists for each fitness program are pretty similar. Some nutrition plans, like Ultimate Portion Fix, include treat swaps you can substitute in 2-3 times each week. These include things like wine and cookies. The foods are marked as substitutions (Yellow Sub or Purple Sub) in the searchable list.
But some nutrition plans are more dialed in, like 80 Day Obsession, and do not include some of the lower food list items like waffles and pancakes. However, 80 Day Obsession includes what is referred to as “refeed days” where you get to enjoy higher glycemic carbs. Think white bread, pretzels, FIXATE cookies. Autumn refers to them as “dirty yellows” and they are on the Supplemental Yellow Food List.
Searchable Beachbody Portion Control Food List
By now you can see how things can get pretty confusing. My best advice is to not think too hard about the food lists. I created the searchable Beachbody Portion Control Food List to make it easier to find what foods go in which containers and answer questions like:
- Can I eat pickles and what container do they fall in?
- Is wine on the 80 Day Obsession Food List?
- How many almonds count as a blue container?
How To Use The Searchable Food List
The food list tells you each food item, the portion for that food item, what color container it counts as, and which fitness programs include that food item. It is currently sorted alphabetically by food item. You can also sort by container color or sort to see all items in a particular fitness program.
Find a food without sorting or scrolling by using the search function (ctrl+f) and typing in the food you’re looking for.
Subscribe Below to Access the Searchable Food List
As an Ultimate Portion Fix Master Coach I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about the food lists or any Beachbody program. If you’re looking for accountability or help with meal planning I’ve got you covered as well.