Diabetes Exchange Lists were originally developed as a menu planning tool. Foods are grouped by their nutritional composition into various Exchange Lists. The exchange concept means you can exchange any food within a given list for any other food in that same list. Each item on the list has a similar amount of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and calories.
For many years dietitians provided set meal plans based on various calorie levels. People with diabetes were instructed to choose a certain number of exchanges from the food groups. For example, the plan for lunch might call for two starch exchanges, one fruit exchange, two nonstarchy vegetable exchanges, three lean meat exchanges, and one fat exchange. On the plus side, the meal plans encouraged a variety of foods from the various groups. Another benefit of following the meal plans precisely was that the calorie intake was controlled. But many people found these plans to be cumbersome and confusing, and compliance wasn’t that great. Not many people could be that regimented from one day to the next.
Nowadays, the Exchange Lists can be used for a wide variety of purposes. The starch, fruit, milk, and vegetable lists are used for counting carbs. The lists can also be used to count calories. Meats are separated into lean, medium-fat, and high-fat selections, making it easier to choose wisely. Fats are separated into monounsaturated (the heart healthiest), polyunsaturated (the next best thing), and saturated (limited intake suggested).
You may actually eat more than the exchange portion shown on the list. For example, the starch exchange list indicates that the serving size of rice is ⅓ cup cooked. That doesn’t mean that you’re allowed to eat only ⅓ cup of rice at a time. It just means that ⅓ cup of rice counts as “one starch exchange,” which is 80 calories, 15 grams of carb, 3 grams of protein, and 0–1 gram of fat. If you eat one full cup of cooked rice, that counts as 45 grams of carb, or three starch exchanges.
As you familiarize yourself with the lists in this appendix, you will notice that starchy vegetables and the dried bean family are housed in the starch exchange list, not the vegetable list. Some veggies, such as potatoes, have carb counts similar to grains, while others, such as broccoli, are far lower in carb, so they are on different lists. Not all dairy products are the same, either. Milk and yogurt have carbohydrate, but cheese and butter don’t. Cheese is listed with the meats, and butter is in the saturated fats list. Avocados and nuts are also in the fat group.
Spend some time looking through the lists to identify foods that you typically eat. When counting carbs, use standardized measuring cups to ensure accuracy (see Chapter 8 for more information and Appendix Bfor measurement conversion tables).
Starches
The starch list includes breads, grains, tortillas, rice, noodles, starchy vegetables, and legumes (dried beans). Each item in the starch list contains approximately 15 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, 0–1 gram fat, and 80 calories. (The foods in the Legumes section provide 7 grams of protein in addition to 15 grams of carbohydrate.) Table A-1 shows starch exchange serving sizes.
TABLE A-1 Starches
|
Type |
Food |
Portion Size |
|
Breads |
||
|
Bagel, large (4 ounces) |
¼ bagel (1 ounce) |
|
|
Biscuit (2½ inches across) |
1 |
|
|
Bread |
1 slice (1 ounce) |
|
|
Bread (reduced calorie) |
2 slices (1½ ounces) |
|
|
Bun (hamburger or hot dog) |
½ bun (1 ounce) |
|
|
Challah |
1 slice (1 ounce) |
|
|
Chapati (6 inches across) |
1 (1½ ounces) |
|
|
Cornbread (2-inch cube) |
1 (1½ ounces) |
|
|
English muffin |
½ muffin (1 ounce) |
|
|
Pancake (4 inches across by ¼ inch thick) |
1 pancake |
|
|
Pita bread (6 inches across) |
½ pita |
|
|
Roll, small |
1 (1 ounce) |
|
|
Stuffing, prepared |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Tortilla (6 inches across, corn or flour) |
1 tortilla |
|
|
Tortilla, large (10 inches across) |
⅓ tortilla |
|
|
Rice, noodles, and grains |
||
|
Amaranth, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Arrowroot, dry |
2 tablespoons |
|
|
Barley, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Buckwheat groats, cooked |
½ cup |
|
|
Bulgur wheat, cooked |
½ cup |
|
|
Cornstarch, dry |
2 tablespoons |
|
|
Couscous, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Farro, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Flour (wheat, dry) |
3 tablespoons |
|
|
Grits, cooked |
½ cup |
|
|
Kasha, cooked |
½ cup |
|
|
Maize, cooked |
2 tablespoons |
|
|
Matzo meal, dry |
2½ tablespoons |
|
|
Millet, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Oatmeal, cooked |
½ cup |
|
|
Pasta or noodles, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Polenta, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Popcorn |
3 cups (popped) |
|
|
Quinoa, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Rice, cooked, brown or white |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Sorghum, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Tabbouleh, prepared |
½ cup |
|
|
Teff, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Wild rice, cooked |
½ cup |
|
|
Starchy vegetables |
||
|
Cassava |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Corn |
½ cup |
|
|
Corn on the cob, large |
½ cob (5 ounces) |
|
|
Hominy, canned |
¾ cup |
|
|
Parsnips |
½ cup |
|
|
Peas, green |
½ cup |
|
|
Plantain, cooked |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Potato, baked, with skin |
1 small (3 ounces) |
|
|
Potato, boiled, mashed |
½ cup (3 ounces) |
|
|
Pumpkin, canned |
1 cup |
|
|
Squash, acorn or butternut |
1 cup |
|
|
Succotash |
½ cup |
|
|
Yam or sweet potato, plain |
½ cup |
|
|
Yucca, cooked |
¼ cup |
|
|
Legumes |
||
|
Baked beans |
⅓ cup |
|
|
Beans: black, garbanzo, kidney, lima, navy, pinto, white (cooked) |
½ cup |
|
|
Lentils, cooked |
½ cup |
|
|
Peas: black-eyed, split-peas (cooked) |
½ cup |
|
|
Refried beans, canned |
½ cup |
|
Fruits
Each item in the fruit list contains approximately 15 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams protein, 0 grams fat, and 60 calories. Table A-2 shows fruit exchange serving sizes.
TABLE A-2 Fruits
|
Type |
Food |
Portion Size |
|
Fresh |
||
|
Apple, small, 2 inches across |
1 (4 ounces) |
|
|
Apricots |
4 (5½ ounces) |
|
|
Banana, extra small, ½ large |
1 (4 ounces) |
|
|
Blackberries, blueberries |
¾ cup |
|
|
Cherries |
12 (3 ounces) |
|
|
Figs, fresh, medium |
2 (3½ ounces) |
|
|
Grapefruit, large |
½ (11 ounces) |
|
|
Grapes, small |
17 (3 ounces) |
|
|
Kiwi |
1 (3½ ounces) |
|
|
Mango, cubed |
½ cup |
|
|
Melon: cantaloupe, honeydew, cubed |
1 cup |
|
|
Nectarine, small |
1 (5 ounces) |
|
|
Orange, small |
1 (6½ ounces) |
|
|
Papaya, cubed |
1 cup |
|
|
Peach, medium |
1 (6 ounces) |
|
|
Pear, large |
½ (4 ounces) |
|
|
Persimmon (2½ inches across) |
½ |
|
|
Pineapple, cubed |
¾ cup |
|
|
Plums, small |
2 (5 ounces) |
|
|
Raspberries |
1 cup |
|
|
Strawberries |
1¼ cups |
|
|
Watermelon, cubed |
1¼ cups (13½ ounces) |
|
|
Dried fruit |
||
|
Apples |
4 rings (1 ounce) |
|
|
Apricots |
8 halves (1 ounce) |
|
|
Dates, small |
3 (1 ounce, including pits) |
|
|
Dried fruits (blueberries, cherries, cranberries, and mixed fruits) |
2 tablespoons (¾ ounce) |
|
|
Figs |
3 (1 ounce) |
|
|
Prunes |
3 (1 ounce) |
|
|
Raisins |
2 tablespoons (¾ ounce) |
|
|
Canned fruit, unsweetened |
||
|
Applesauce, unsweetened |
½ cup |
|
|
Fruit cocktail |
½ cup |
|
|
Grapefruit sections |
¾ cup |
|
|
Mandarin oranges |
¾ cup |
|
|
Peaches |
½ cup |
|
|
Pears |
½ cup |
|
|
Fruit juice |
||
|
Unsweetened apple, grapefruit, orange, pineapple |
½ cup |
|
|
Fruit juice blends of 100% juice, grape, prune |
⅓ cup |
|
Milk and Yogurt
Each item in the milk and yogurt list contains approximately 12 grams carbohydrate and 8 grams protein. Fat content and calories vary:
|
Type of Milk |
Fat (Grams) |
Calories |
|
Nonfat, 1 percent |
0–3 |
100 |
|
Reduced fat, 2 percent |
5 |
120 |
|
Whole |
8 |
160 |
Table A-3 shows exchange serving sizes for milk and yogurt. Chapter 12 has the scoop on nonnutritive sweeteners that you may find in yogurts. For soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, and all other milk substitutes, read the Nutrition Facts food labels as products vary (see Chapter 7 if you need guidance).
TABLE A-3 Milk and Yogurt
|
Type |
Food |
Portion Size |
|
Nonfat, skim, and low-fat milk and yogurt |
||
|
Buttermilk |
1 cup |
|
|
Evaporated skim milk |
½ cup |
|
|
Milk, nonfat, skim, or 1% |
1 cup |
|
|
Yogurt, nonfat or 1%, plain or flavored with a nonnutritive sweetener |
⅔ cup |
|
|
Reduced-fat milk and yogurt |
||
|
Milk, 2% |
1 cup |
|
|
Yogurt, 2%, plain or flavored with a nonnutritive sweetener |
⅔ cup |
|
|
Whole milk and yogurt |
||
|
Evaporated whole milk |
½ cup |
|
|
Milk, whole |
1 cup |
|
|
Yogurt, plain, whole |
1 cup |
|
Nonstarchy Vegetables
As I mention earlier in this appendix, some vegetables (including potatoes, corn, peas, and legumes) are similar to starches in terms of carbohydrate counts, so you will find them grouped on the starch list. Each item in the following nonstarchy vegetable list contains approximately 5 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams protein, 0 grams fat, and 25 calories:
· Amaranth
· Artichoke
· Asparagus
· Baby corn
· Bamboo shoots
· Bean sprouts
· Beets
· Bitter melon
· Bok choy
· Broccoli
· Brussels sprouts
· Cabbage
· Carrots
· Cauliflower
· Celery
· Chayote
· Cucumber
· Eggplant
· Green onions
· Greens (collard, kale, mustard, dandelion)
· Hearts of palm
· Jicama
· Kohlrabi
· Leeks
· Mushrooms
· Nopales
· Okra
· Onions
· Pea pods (snow, sugar snap)
· Peppers (all varieties)
· Radishes
· Rutabaga
· Sprouts
· Summer squash
· Swiss chard
· Tomatoes
· Turnips
· Zucchini
Salad greens such as arugula, chicory, endive, escarole, lettuce, radicchio, spinach, and watercress have minimal impact on blood-glucose levels due to their very low carb count. Salad greens are included in the “free foods” list later in the chapter.
Table A-4 shows nonstarchy vegetable exchange serving sizes, which depend on the preparation method.
TABLE A-4 Nonstarchy Vegetables
|
Food |
Portion Size |
|
Vegetables, all, raw |
1 cup |
|
Vegetables, all, cooked |
½ cup |
|
Vegetables, all, juiced |
½ cup |
Meats and Meat Substitutes
A meat or meat substitute exchange is carbohydrate free (has negligible carbohydrate) and contains 7 grams of protein. The different Exchange Lists in the following sections are based on the fat and calories in a portion that gives you 7 grams of protein.
Lean meats and meat substitutes
Each item in the lean meats and meat substitutes list contains approximately 0 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams protein, 0–3 grams fat, and 45 calories. Table A-5 lists serving sizes equivalent to an ounce. Any 4-ounce serving of protein from this list provides 28 grams of protein and about 180 calories.
TABLE A-5 Lean Meats and Meat Substitutes
|
Food |
Portion Size (Cooked) |
|
Beef, Select or Choice, trimmed of fat: ground round, chuck roast, round, sirloin, tenderloin, jerky |
1 ounce |
|
Cheeses with 3 grams of fat or less per ounce, low-fat |
1 ounce |
|
Cottage cheese, fat-free or low-fat |
¼ cup |
|
Egg substitute, plain |
¼ cup |
|
Egg whites |
2 |
|
Fish, fresh or frozen: catfish, cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, orange roughy, salmon, tilapia, trout, tuna |
1 ounce |
|
Game: buffalo, ostrich, rabbit, venison |
1 ounce |
|
Hot dog, only those with 3 grams of fat or less per ounce |
1 |
|
Lamb: roast, chop, leg |
1 ounce |
|
Lunch meat, 3 grams or less of fat per ounce: chipped beef, deli thin-sliced meats, turkey ham, turkey kielbasa, turkey pastrami |
1 ounce |
|
Oysters, medium, fresh, or frozen |
6 |
|
Pork, lean: Canadian bacon, chop, ham, tenderloin |
1 ounce |
|
Poultry without skin: Cornish hen, chicken, domestic duck or goose (drained of fat), turkey |
1 ounce |
|
Sardines, canned |
2 medium |
|
Shellfish: clams, crab, imitation crab, lobster, scallops, shrimp |
1 ounce |
|
Tuna, canned in water or oil, drained |
1 ounce |
|
Veal: loin chop, roast |
1 ounce |
Medium-fat meats and meat substitutes
Each item in the medium-fat meats and meat substitutes list contains approximately 0 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams protein, 4–7 grams fat, and 75 calories. Table A-6 lists serving sizes equivalent to an ounce. Any 4-ounce serving of protein from this list provides 28 grams of protein and about 300 calories.
TABLE A-6 Medium-Fat Meats and Meat Substitutes
|
Food |
Portion Size (Cooked) |
|
Beef, Prime grades, trimmed of fat: corned beef, ground beef, meatloaf, prime rib, short ribs, tongue |
1 ounce |
|
Cheeses with 4–7 grams of fat per ounce: feta, mozzarella, pasteurized processed cheese spread, reduced-fat cheeses, string |
1 ounce |
|
Eggs |
1 |
|
Fish, fried |
1 ounce |
|
Lamb: ground, rib roast |
1 ounce |
|
Pork: cutlet, shoulder roast |
1 ounce |
|
Poultry: chicken with skin, fried chicken, dove, ground turkey, pheasant, squab, wild duck or goose |
1 ounce |
|
Ricotta cheese |
¼ cup (2 ounces) |
|
Sausages with 4–7 grams of fat per ounce |
1 ounce |
|
Veal cutlet, no breading |
1 ounce |
High-fat meats and meat substitutes
Each item in the high-fat meats and meat substitutes list contains approximately 0 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams protein, 8 or more grams of fat, and 100 calories. Table A-7 lists serving sizes equivalent to an ounce. Any 4-ounce serving of protein from this list provides 28 grams of protein and about 400 calories.
TABLE A-7 High-Fat Meats and Meat Substitutes
|
Food |
Portion Size |
|
Bacon, pork |
2 slices (1 ounce each before cooking) |
|
Bacon, turkey |
3 slices (½ ounce each prior to cooking) |
|
Cheeses, all regular (full-fat, not reduced-fat): American, bleu, brie, cheddar, hard goat, Monterey jack, queso fresco, Swiss |
1 ounce |
|
Hot dog, regular (full-fat, not reduced-fat): beef, chicken, pork, turkey |
1 |
|
Lunch meat, 8 or more grams of fat per ounce: bologna, pastrami, hard salami |
1 ounce |
|
Pork: ground, sausage, spareribs |
1 ounce |
|
Sausage with 8 or more grams of fat per ounce: bratwurst, chorizo, Italian, knockwurst, Polish, smoked, summer sausage |
1 ounce |
Fats
Fats are divided into three groups based on the type of fat they contain: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, or saturated. Each item in the fats list contains approximately 0 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams protein, 5 grams fat, and 45 calories. Nuts contain small amounts of carbohydrate and protein but are predominately fat. Table A-8 shows the exchange serving sizes for fats.
TABLE A-8 Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated, and Saturated Fats
|
Type |
Food |
Portion Size |
|
Monounsaturated fats |
||
|
Almonds |
6 |
|
|
Avocado |
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) |
|
|
Brazil nuts |
2 |
|
|
Cashews |
6 |
|
|
Filberts (hazelnuts) |
5 |
|
|
Macadamia nuts |
3 |
|
|
Nut butters: almond butter, cashew butter |
1½ teaspoons |
|
|
Oil: canola, olive, peanut |
1 teaspoon |
|
|
Olives, black |
8 large |
|
|
Olives, green with pimento |
10 large |
|
|
Peanuts |
10 |
|
|
Peanut butter |
1½ teaspoons |
|
|
Pecans |
4 halves |
|
|
Pistachios |
16 |
|
|
Polyunsaturated fats |
||
|
Margarine, trans fat–free |
1 tablespoon |
|
|
Margarine, trans fat–free: squeeze, stick, tub |
1 teaspoon |
|
|
Mayonnaise, reduced-fat |
1 tablespoon |
|
|
Mayonnaise, regular |
1 teaspoon |
|
|
Oil: corn, cottonseed, flaxseed, grape seed, safflower, soybean, sunflower |
1 teaspoon |
|
|
Pine nuts |
1 tablespoon |
|
|
Salad dressing, regular |
1 tablespoon |
|
|
Seeds: flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower |
1 tablespoon |
|
|
Tahini or sesame paste |
2 teaspoons |
|
|
Walnuts |
4 halves |
|
|
Saturated fats |
||
|
Butter, reduced-fat |
1 tablespoon |
|
|
Butter, stick |
1 teaspoon |
|
|
Butter, whipped |
2 teaspoons |
|
|
Chitterlings, boiled |
2 tablespoons (½ ounce) |
|
|
Coconut, shredded |
2 tablespoons |
|
|
Coconut milk |
1½ tablespoons |
|
|
Cream, half-and-half |
2 tablespoons |
|
|
Cream, heavy |
1 tablespoon |
|
|
Cream, light |
1½ tablespoons |
|
|
Cream, whipped |
2 tablespoons |
|
|
Cream cheese, reduced-fat |
1½ tablespoons |
|
|
Cream cheese, regular |
1 tablespoon |
|
|
Oil: coconut, palm, palm kernel |
1 teaspoon |
|
|
Salt pork |
¼ ounce |
|
|
Shortening or lard |
1 teaspoon |
|
|
Sour cream, reduced-fat |
3 tablespoons |
|
|
Sour cream, regular |
2 tablespoons |
|
Free Foods
These items have few or no calories, carbohydrates, protein, or fat:
· Bouillon, broth, consommé
· Carbonated water, club soda, diet soft drinks, diet drink mixes
· Coffee, tea, herbal tea
· Flavoring extracts (such as vanilla, almond, peppermint)
· Herbs, spices, garlic, hot-pepper sauce
· Lemons, limes
· Mustard, horseradish
· Nonnutritive sweeteners (sugar substitutes; see Chapter 12 for more information)
· Salad greens (arugula, chicory, endive, escarole, lettuce, radicchio, spinach, and watercress)
· Sugar-free gelatin
· Vinegar
Measuring foods increases carb-counting accuracy. The Nutrition Facts food label correlates serving sizes and product weights to carbohydrate amounts (see Chapter 7 ). To count carbs in fresh or bulk foods, refer to Chapter 8 and Appendix A , where foods are organized by serving size and carbohydrate content. At the minimum you need standardized measuring cups, but a food scale comes in handy for items that don’t fit neatly into a cup. The following tables show equivalent measures in various units.
Liquid Measurement Conversions: Ounces to Milliliters, Deciliters, and Liters
|
1 fluid ounce |
= |
30 ml |
= |
0.3 deciliters |
|
8 fluid ounces |
= |
240 ml |
= |
2.4 deciliters |
|
33.8 fluid ounces |
= |
1,000 ml |
= |
1 liter |
Volume Conversions: U.S. Units to Metric Units
|
1 cup |
= |
16 tablespoons |
= |
240 ml |
|
¾ cup |
= |
12 tablespoons |
= |
180 ml |
|
⅔ cup |
= |
10⅔ tablespoons |
= |
160 ml |
|
½ cup |
= |
8 tablespoons |
= |
120 ml |
|
⅓ cup |
= |
5⅓ tablespoons |
= |
80 ml |
|
¼ cup |
= |
4 tablespoons |
= |
60 ml |
|
2⅛ cup |
= |
2 tablespoons |
= |
30 ml |
|
1 tablespoon |
= |
3 teaspoons |
= |
15 ml |
|
1 teaspoon |
= |
⅓ tablespoon |
= |
5 ml |
|
½ pint |
= |
1 cup |
= |
8 fluid ounces |
|
1 pint |
= |
2 cups |
= |
16 fluid ounces |
|
1 quart |
= |
2 pints |
= |
32 fluid ounces |
|
1 gallon |
= |
4 quarts |
= |
128 fluid ounces |
Weight Conversions: Metric to U.S. Units
|
28 grams |
= |
1 ounce |
= |
pound |
|
0.45 kilograms |
= |
16 ounces |
= |
1 pound |
|
1 kilogram |
= |
35.3 ounces |
= |
2.2 pounds |
Length Conversions: Basic
|
12 inches |
= |
1 foot |
|
3 feet |
= |
1 yard |
|
100 centimeters |
= |
1 meter |
Length Conversions: Metric to U.S. Units
|
2.54 centimeters |
= |
0.0254 meters |
= |
1 inch |
|
30.45 centimeters |
= |
0.3045 meters |
= |
1 foot |
|
91.44 centimeters |
= |
0.9144 meters |
= |
1 yard |