Bread/Starch Group
Each food in this group
supplies approximately 15g carbohydrate, 3g protein and 80
calories. Some vegetables that are very starchy are in this
group instead of the vegetable group. I was very rebellious
about this idea to begin with, but I have come to accept it as a
necessary part of following the exchange plan.
The following items are
equal to 1
Bread/Starch exchange:
Breads
1 ounce slice
of whole wheat bread
1 ounce whole
grain roll
3 tablespoons
whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 a whole
wheat English Muffin
1 ounce whole
wheat pita bread, 6-inches
1 small whole
wheat flour tortilla, 6-inches
2 small corn tortillas
2 crisp taco shells
2 slices high
fiber, reduced-calorie bread
1 reduced
calorie, high fiber hamburger or hot dog bun
.
.
Cereals
1-1/2 cups
puffed brown rice or whole wheat or kasha or millet
3/4 cup of
unsweetened cold cereals
1/4 cup Grape Nuts
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
1/4 cup dry
oatmeal or oat bran
1/2 cup cooked
white or yellow grits
3 tablespoons
dry white or yellow grits
2 tablespoons
of Farina or Cream of Wheat
1 large
shredded wehat biscuit or 1/2 cup of the smaller type
1/2 cup bran cereal
3 tablespoons
wheat germ
6 tablespoons
raw wheat bran
Grains &
Pastas
3 tablespoons
bleached or unbleached white flour
3 tablespoons
whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons
self-rising flour
3 tablespoons
bread flour
3 tablespoons
rye flour
1/2 cup cooked
wild rice
1/3 cup cooked
brown rice
1/3 cup cooked
white rice
1/2 cup cooked
wheat berries
1/2 cup cooked bulgur
1/3 cup cooked barley
1-1/2
tablespoons dry barley
1/2 cup cooked cornmeal
3 tablespoons
dry cornmeal
1/2 cup cooked
whole wheat macaroni
1/2 cup cooked
whole wheat egg noodles
1/2 cup cooked
whole wheat spaghetti
1 oz (dry)
whole wheat lasagna (1 average noodle)
1/4 cup millet
1/3 cup couscous
Starchy Vegetables
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
4 ounces raw potato
1/2 cup sweet
potatoes (with no added sugar)
1/2 cup corn
1 small corn
on the cob (6-inches long)
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup lima beans
1/3 cup baked beans
Snacks
3 cups plain,
air-popped popcorn
3 square whole
wheat graham crackers
6 saltine crackers
3/4 ounce
baked potato chips
3/4 ounce
baked tortilla chips
3/4 ounce pretzles
24 oyster crackers
4 rye crisp
crackers (Wasa)
2 rice cakes,
any flavor
1 cup low-fat croutons
5 reduced fat Triscuits
8 animal crackers
3/4 oz whole
wheat matzoh
The following items are
equal to 1/2
Protein exchange and 1 Bread/Starch exchange.
1/2 cup cooked
dry beans (kidney, pinto, etc.)
1/2 cup cooked
dry lentils or split peas
Vegetable Group
Items from the vegetable
group contain approximately 25 calories, 2g protein and 5g of
carbohydrates. Be sure to eat at least 4 servings of vegetables
everyday. The measurements apply to cooked, raw, canned or
frozen vegetables, unless otherwise stated.
The following items are
equal to 1
Vegetable exchange:
1/2 cup artichokes
1/2 cup asparagus
1/2 cup green beans
1 cup fresh
bean sprouts
1/2 cup beets
1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cup
Brussels sprouts
1 cup raw
shredded cabbage
1/2 cup cooked cabbage
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup cauliflower
1 cup celery
1 cup sliced cucumbers
1/2 cup cooked
egg plant
1/2 cup green
onions or scallions
1/2 cup cooked
greens (collards, turnip, etc.)
1 cup raw greens
1/2 cup cooked mushrooms
1 cup raw mushrooms
1/2 cup okra
1/2 cup
chopped onions
1/2 cup pea pods
1/2 cup bell peppers
1 cup radishes
1 cup salad greens
1 cup lettuce
1/2 cup sauerkraut
1/2 cup cooked spinach
1 cup raw spinach
1/2 cup summer squash
1/2 cup tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup tomato
or vegtable juice
1/2 cup
turnips or rhudabagas
1/2 cup zucchini
1/2 cup water
chestnuts or bamboo shoots
Fruit Group
Each food in the Fruit
Group supplies your diet with 15g carbohydrate and 60 calories.
The following items are
equal to 1
Fruit exchange:
Protein Group
Each food with in this
group contains approximately 55 calories and 3g fat. These are
referred to as lean meats. Meats with a higher fat content will
“cost” a protein exchange plus 1/2 to 1 fat exchange.
The following items are
equal to 1
Protein exchange:
1 ounce cooked
or canned fish
1 ounce cooked
shell fish (clams, shrimp, crab, etc.)
The following items are
equal to 1
Protein exchange plus 1/2 Fat exchange:
1 ounce cooked
corned beef, all visible fat removed
1 ounce lean
ground beef (15 - 20% fat)
4 ounces tofu;
1/2 cup
1/4 cup tempeh
1 egg, any size
1/4 cup part
skim ricotta cheese
1 ounce part
skim mozzarella cheese (1/4 cup shredded)
1 ounce 2%
milk hard cheese like cheddar (1/4 cup shredded)
1/4 cup canned salmon
1 ounce hot
dog (3g of fat per ounce)
1 ounce
chicken or turkey bologna or salami (1 slice)
1 ounce cooked
lean turkey sausage
The following items are
equal to 1
Protein exchange and 1 Fat exchange:
1 ounce or 1/4
cup shredded hard cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, Colby, American, etc.)
1 tablespoon
peanut butter (sugar-free prefered)
1 ounce cooked
& drained pork sausage
3 slices
turkey bacon
1 ounce
Neufchatel Light Cream Cheese
The following items are
equal to 1/2
Protein exchange and 1 Bread/Starch exchange:
1/2 cup cooked
dry beans (kidney, pinto, etc.)
1/2 cup cooked
dry lentils or split peas
Milk Group
The foods in this group
supply 90 calories, 12g carbohydrate, 8g protein and less than 3g fat
per listed serving.
The following items are
equal to 1
Milk exchange:
1/3 cup
instant nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup
reconstituted dry milk
1/4 cup nonfat
buttermilk powder
1/2 cup
evaporated skim milk
1 cup fresh
skim milk
1 cup fresh 1% milk
1 cup plain
nonfat yogurt, homemade or purchased
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/2 cup
fat-free cottage cheese (this can also be 2 Protein exchanges)
6 to 8 ounces
artificially sweetened fruit-flavored nonfat yogurt
1 dairy shake,
sugar-free (Alba, not Slim-Fast)
2 packets
sugar-free hot cocoa (1 packet would be 1/2 a Milk exchange)
The following items are
equal to 1
Milk exchange and 2 Fat exchanges:
1 cup whole
milk or buttermilk or yogurt
1/2 cup
evaporated whole milk
Fat Group
Fat exchanges contain 5g
fat and 45 calories each. By choosing reduced fat versions of
common items like margarine, butter and mayonnaise, you can stretch
out your fats to cover more territory.
The following items are
equal to
1 Fat exchange:
1/8 of an
avocado (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon
bacon grease
1 slice bacon
1 teaspoon margarine
2 teaspoon
whipped margarine or butter
2 tablespoons
shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon
cream cheese
1 tablespoon
heavy cream
2 tablespoons
half & half
1 teaspoon lard
1 teaspoon margarine
1 tablespoon
reduced fat margarine
1 teaspoon
regular mayonnaise
1 tablespoon
reduced fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon oil
(any type)
2 teaspoons
peanut butter
1 tablespoon
commercial salad dressing
2 tablespoons
reduced fat salad dressing
1 teaspoon
vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons
sour cream
8 to 10 large
olives (green or black)
2 teaspoons Tahini
1/2 tablespoon
70% Vegetable Oil Spread
.
Free Exchanges
Free foods have less than
20 calories and less than 5g carbohydrates each. You don’t
have to add them towards your exchanges. If a food has a specified
serving size, limit yourself to 3 or 4 of these total, spread
throughout the day. This doesn’t mean you can eat 3
servings of sugar-free jelly and 3 tablespoons of fat-free
mayonnaise, and 3/4 cup of salsa. It does mean that you can
have one serving of each of these items throughout the day.
Combined, they would add up to 3 servings total. Foods without a
serving size listed, can be consumed as often as you like.
The following items are
equal to 1
Free exchange:
1/2 cup
unsweetened rhubarb
1/2 cup
unsweetened cranberries
1 tablespoon
fat-free cream cheese
2 teaspoons
powdered creamer
1 tablespoon
fat-free mayonnaise
Non-stick
cooking spray
1 tablespoon
fat-free salad dressing
2 tablespoons
fat-free Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup salsa
1
tablespoon Nonfat Sour Cream
2 tablespoons
Whipped Topping
1 sugar-free
hard candy
Sugar-Free or
Unflavored Gelatin
Sugar-Free Jam
or Jelly
2 tablespoons
sugar-free syrup
Sugar
Substitutes & Artificial Sweeteners
bouillon cubes
& broth powders
1 tablespoon
unsweetened cocoa powder
Regular or
Decaffeinated Coffee
Regular or
Decaffeinated Tea
1 tablespoon
Soy Bacon Bits
Sugar-Free Tang
1 tablespoon
Barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons Sugar-Free
Syrup
Diet soda pop
Sugar-Free
Fruit Drink Mixes
1 tablespoon Ketchup
horseradish
lemon juice
lime juice
mustard
soy sauce
hot sauce
vinegar
garlic
Worcestershire Sauce
herbs & spices
pimiento
flavorings 7 extracts
sugar-free pickles
alfalfa sprouts
cabbage
green onions
lettuce
parsley
celery
cucumbers
mushrooms
radishes
spinach
zucchini
pimiento
Other Carbohydrates
The main purpose of this
exchange group is to give your diet greater flexibility. Other
carbohydrates are usually made up of sugar. Each exchange in this
group must be used to replace a Bread/Starch exchange. Foods in
this group are not as nutritious or healthy as the Bread/Starch
exchanges they replace. For this reason I recommend you limit
yourself to one per day. Remember, you must omit one of your
Bread/Starch exchanges, whenever you use the Other Carbohydrate exchange.
The following items are
equal to 1
Other Carbohydrate exchange:
1 cup
Sugar-free canned Spaghetti Sauce (Hunts Brand & others) 1/2 cup
has less than 45 calories.
1 cup
Reconstituted (prepared with water): chicken noodle, tomato,
vegetable beef, & reduced fat cream soups
1 tablespoon
White Sugar
1 tablespoon
Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons
Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon
regular Jam or Jelly
1 tablespoon Molasses
1 tablespoon Honey
2 tablespoons
Low Sugar Preserves, Jam or Jelly
2 tablespoons
Reduced Calorie Pancake Syrup
1 tablespoon
regular pancake syrup
1 tablespoon
real maple syrup
1 tablespoon
granulated fructose
1 tablespoon
Sucanat sweetener
The following item is
equal to
1/2 a Milk exchange and 1/2 an Other Carbohydrate exchange.
1/2 cup
sugar-free instant pudding, prepared with reconstituted non-fat
dry milk or skim milk
The following item is
equal to
1/2 a Milk exchange and 1 Other Carbohydrate exchange.
1/2 cup
regular instant pudding, prepared with reconstituted non-fat
dry milk or skim milk
These exchange lists are
based on the Diabetic Exchange Plan produced by the American Diabetes
Association. There may be one or two small discrepencies due to
typos or updates in the official plan. Be sure to check with
your doctor or dietician before following any eating plan, especially
if you have been diagnosed with diabetes, insulin resistance or any
other medical concern.