Diabetes is a disease that must be managed with insulin, diet or oftentimes, both. Keeping track of the sugars you put in your body is not just a matter of weight control. It's a matter of survival. The American Diabetes Association developed a diet plan featuring exchange lists to help diabetics control their carbohydrate intake while offering plenty of options to combat diet fatigue. The diet categorizes food into six groups--starches, milks, fruits, meats, sweets, fats and free foods--and exchange lists for each meal contain several choices from each group. Lists are designed for caloric intake levels, including 1,800, 2,000 calories and more, depending on your weight.
Breakfast
All exchange lists include three meals and snacks. The breakfast options for an 1,800-calorie exchange list must be varied enough to provide 2 servings, or "exchanges," of carbohydrates, 1 fruit, 1 milk and 1 fat. Free foods--those that don't affect blood sugar--are allowed during any meal.
Carbohydrate examples equaling one "exchange" are 1/2 English muffin, 1/2 half small bagel, 1/2 cup grits or 3/4 cup unsweetened cereal. One fruit exchange could be 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 1/4 cup strawberries or 1 small orange. Milk items include liquid milk products and yogurts, but not cheeses. They are a little more complicated as their fat values vary, so each item is assigned an exchange value based on 1 cup of reduced-fat milk. One 2/3 cup portion of plain yogurt equals one milk exchange value, while 2/3 cup yogurt with fruit equals 1 milk exchange and 1 carbohydrate. Available fats options are 1 tsp. margarine or 2 tbsp. cream cheese for your bagel.
Lunch
Lunch includes 2 starches like 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes, 1/2 hamburger bun or 2 rice cakes. Meats valued at 1 exchange are 1 oz. of ground beef or 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. Three meat exchanges are prescribed for lunch. You should choose 1 exchange value of fruit, fat and veggies. Some fat ideas for lunch are 6 cashews or 1 tbsp. of reduced fat mayonnaise.
Dinner
Dinner is the largest meal, but it should be eaten before 8 p.m., according to the Mayo Clinic. The meal includes 3 meat values, 2 vegetables, 2 starch, 2 fat and 1 fruit. Fats ideas at dinner include 2 tsp. of margarine for starches or vegetables, 2 tbsp. of oil and vinegar for salad or 2 tsp. of oil for cooking meats.
Snacks and Free Foods
Snacks are just as important as meals, and you shouldn't skip them to reduce your overall calorie intake. A consistent blood-sugar level requires light snacks between heavier meals. Snacks should be spaced evenly throughout the day, but they should not exceed 1 fruit, 1 milk and 1 starch. Snack ideas include 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt, 1/2 small bagel or 1/2 banana.
Free foods are allowed with any meal or during any snack. They include calorie-free beverages like unsweetened tea or diet soda, condiments like mustard or horseradish, sugar-free gelatin and salad greens.
Member Comments