ZeroPoint foods are one of the cornerstones of the WeightWatchers® Points Program. They’re nutritional powerhouses that help set you up for a healthier pattern of eating and that you can lean on as go-to staples when sitting down to a meal. No weighing, measuring, or tracking required!
Are you using your ZeroPoint foods to their full potential? Read on for our best tips and tricks to see how these ZeroHeroes can save the day.
Beans, peas & lentils
ZeroPoint foods in the category include: Cannellini beans, chickpeas, edamame, peas, lentils, red kidney beans, and split peas.
Ways to use them
- Add moisture to chocolate cake and brownie batters with the addition of puréed black beans. You won't be able to taste the beans with the rich cocoa flavour.
- Purée canned chickpeas or white beans and use them to replace some of the fat in peanut butter cookies and to bind together edible cookie dough and biss balls.
- Roast or air-fry seasoned chickpeas or shelled edamame for easy, protein-rich crunchy snacks.
- Add beans to pasta dishes to amp up the protein while keeping things plant-based.
Corn & popcorn
ZeroPoint foods in the category include: Air-popped popcorn, no added ingredients, canned corn, and corn on the cob.
Ways to use them
- Swap air-popped popcorn for croutons in soup and salad recipes.
- Reduce the amount of bread in your stuffing recipes by replacing half the bread with plain popcorn.
- Minimise higher-calorie ingredients (like nuts, chocolate, and dried fruit) in homemade granola bars and biscuits by stirring plain popcorn into your batters and mixes.
- Purée fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels to add sweetness and creaminess to pasta sauces.
- Rely on corn’s naturally-occurring sugar to add sweetness to puréed desserts such as panna cotta.
- Grill whole ears of corn, cut off the kernels, and use them to impart smoky-flavour to salsa.
Eggs
ZeroPoint foods in the category include: eggs, all varieties, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, without added fat and soft-boiled eggs.
Ways to use them
- Make mini two-bite sandwiches with halved hard-boiled eggs instead of bread.
- Cook up a stack of really thin omelette and slice them into strips to make wheatless noodles.
- Blend eggs with mashed ripe bananas for easy, 2-ingredient gluten-free pancake batter.
- Crack eggs directly into capsicum halves and bake.
- Line the cups of a muffin pan with thin slices of deli ham or turkey and add eggs, then bake.
Fruits
ZeroPoint foods in the category include: apple, banana, berries, fresh dates, mango, orange, and watermelon.
Ways to use them
- Swap unsweetened apple purée for some of the sugar or oil in cake and biscuit batters.
- Purée frozen bananas with your favourite fruits to make dairy-free “nice” cream.
- Air-fry or bake very thin apple slices until crispy for fruity chips.
- Use watermelon instead of tomatoes in summer salads and use whole watermelon slabs as the base of no-cook desserts.
- Skip traditional pie crust and bake pie filling in cored apples, or stuff strawberries with cheesecake filling.
Non-starchy vegetables
ZeroPoint foods in the category include: carrots, cauliflower, pumpkin, zucchini, broccoli, mushroom, and tomato.
Ways to use them
- Spiralise carrots, beets, zucchini, or butternut pumpkin and use them as a spaghetti stand-in.
- Use puréed cauliflower rice to add (nearly) flavourless creaminess to soups and sauces.
- Cut back on flour by using some grated cauliflower, butternut pumpkin, or zucchini as part of the base of pizza crust and taco shell recipes.
- Swap riced broccoli or cauliflower for regular rice in grain-based main dishes and side dishes.
- Add pumpkin purée to frittata recipes to give them a custard-like texture.
- Skip tortilla chips and make nachos using baby capsicums wedges instead.
Tofu & tempeh
ZeroPoint foods in the category include: Firm or silken tofu and plain tempeh.
Ways to use them
- Use silken tofu as a cream or mayo replacement in salad dressings, deli-style salads, and sauces.
- Purée tofu into dips, soups, and smoothies to give them a silky smooth texture.
- Blend silken tofu until smooth and add to chocolatey desserts instead of heavy cream without imparting any flavour.
Yoghurt & cottage cheese
ZeroPoint foods in the category include: 99% fat-free, plain, Greek yoghurt, 97% fat-free cottage cheese, and unsweetened, plain, soy yoghurt.
Ways to use them
- Make pizza crusts, bagels, cinnamon rolls, and mini pies using two-ingredient dough.
- Swap sour cream and mayo in dips with yoghurt or cottage cheese.
- Swirl yoghurt into soups as a garnish for a hint of tanginess.
- Add Greek yoghurt to softened cream cheese so you can spread it further throughout a dish.
- Blend cottage cheese until smooth and add to mac and cheese for a creamier sauce.