Diet plays an important role in helping you manage your blood sugars. While there are several different types of diabetic diets, they all aim to teach you how to make healthy food choices and control portions. The diabetic calorie exchange diet is the most structured; in addition to helping you manage blood sugars, it also helps promote a healthy weight.
Function
The diabetes exchange diet was developed by the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association as a low-fat, calorie-controlled meal planning guide for people with diabetes. Its primary purpose is to help you maintain a proper balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat intake throughout the day. The diet is individualized to meet your needs and you should consult with your doctor or dietitian before starting a diabetic exchange diet.
Features
On the exchange diet, foods are grouped into familiar food groups based on similarities in calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat content. Based on your calorie needs and blood sugar goals, your doctor or dietitian will determine how many servings you should eat from each food group each day and distribute them between meals and snacks. When meal planning, you "exchange" items within each group. For example, at breakfast you can exchange two slices of toast for an English muffin.
The Exchange Groups
The exchange groups include starches, fruits, milk, meat and meat substitutes, nonstarchy vegetables and fats. Each starch exchange contains 80 calories, 15 g of carbohydrate and 3 g of protein. Examples include one slice of bread and 1/3 cup of rice or pasta. Each fruit exchange contains 60 calories and 15 g of carbohydrates and include a small apple and 1 cup of diced melon. Each milk exchange contains 100 to 160 calories, 12 g of carbohydrate, 8 g of protein and 0 to 8 g of fat. Examples include 1 cup of milk or 6 oz. of yogurt. Meat and meat substitutes contain 45 to 100 calories, 7 g of protein and 0 to 8 g of fat. Examples include 1 oz. of meat or cheese and 1 egg. Each nonstarchy vegetable contains 25 calories, 5 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of protein. Examples include 1 cup of raw broccoli or 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli. Each fat exchange contains 45 calories and 5 g of fat. Examples include 1 tsp. of oil and 1 1/2 tsp. of peanut butter.
Benefits
In addition to helping you maintain your blood sugar level and promoting a healthy weight, the diabetic exchange diet can also begin to teach you how to count carbohydrates. The carbohydrate counting diet allows for greater flexibility in meal planning because you only have to control your intake of starches, fruits and milk. The diabetic exchange diet also helps to decrease your risk of heart disease by encouraging you to choose more low saturated fat-food items.
