The premise behind a food exchange diet is simple. Dieters use food exchange lists, like the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute's "Food Exchange List," to exchange a diet-recommended food item with one of equitable nutrient value. With these substitutions, a 1600-calorie food exchange diet offers dieters a diverse array of meals that satisfy the palette and accommodate different mealtime situations while still fulfilling the diet's caloric requirements.
Components
A 1600-calorie food exchange diet has two main components. It allows for the consumption of 1600 calories each day. It should be noted that a 1600-calorie diet may or may not be right for you, as your caloric intake is based upon your level of activity, weight, age and sex. Before starting such a diet, confirm with your medical practitioner that a 1600-calorie diet is right for you. The second component of this diet is that it is based upon food exchange lists. This means that if you plan a meal, you can modify the meal using food exchange lists to substitute unwanted foods for preferred foods with the same nutritional value.
Time Frame
The 1600-calorie food exchange diet allows for the consumption of 1600 calories per 24-hour period of time. Because this diet calls for the consumption of nutritionally balanced meals every day, it is safe and healthy for use over an extended period of time. You can thus use this diet for as short or long a period of time as you need to maintain and/or lose a given amount of weight, depending on your body's specific caloric requirements.
Significance
The greatest appeal of the 1600-calorie food exchange diet is that it is tailored specifically to you, the user. According to the Mayo Clinic, diets are more likely to be successful if they are adapted to the preferences and lifestyle of their users. This diet, with its food exchange lists, can be modified so that it contains the foods you like and accommodates your varying meal-time situations.
Sample Meal
Consider a breakfast made up of a half-English muffin, 2 egg whites, 1 cup of cut cantaloupe and 1 cup of fat-free milk. With a 1600-calorie food exchange diet, this breakfast can be modified using a food exchange list, such as that of National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute. To make an exchange, find a food from this breakfast on the exchange lists, then choose something else from the same list and substitute it into your breakfast. You could, for example, exchange the cantaloupe with an array of other fruits, like a banana or 1 cup of strawberries.
Warning
Consult a physician before beginning this diet. If you have a food allergy, food intolerance or diabetes, you should only use food exchange lists that have been approved by your doctor. This ensures that the foods you are exchanging are safe and healthy for you. Finally, a 1600 calorie-per-day diet may or may not be the right number of calories that you need to maintain or lose weight; a health care professional can help you determine what's right for you.
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