Your body uses insulin to help regulate blood glucose levels. If you have diabetes, you either do not make enough insulin or do not respond well to it, causing your blood glucose levels to be too high. Following a proper diet is essential if you have diabetes. one way to simplify this process is to follow a diabetes exchange diet.
Goals
The foods you eat can have a dramatic impact on your health, particularly if you have diabetes. Diabetic eating plans, such as exchange diets, have three main goals, the University of Arkansas explains. One goal is to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. The second is to keep your glucose and lipid levels under control. Finally, these diets try to make sure you eat a variety of foods to help you maintain your optimum health.
Exchange Diet Concept
Diabetes exchange diets divide foods into different groups: meats, starches, fruits, vegetables, dairy foods, fats and meats. One "exchange" of one item in a food group is nutritionally equivalent to an "exchange" of any other food in that group. When following this diet you are allotted a certain number of exchanges of each group to allot as you see fit throughout the day. Some foods may have listings in multiple exchange categories, such as starch and fruit, if they have both starchy and fruity components.
Plans
The number of exchanges you are allowed each day depends on your caloric needs, but the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders has some basic guidelines. If you are consuming between 1,200 and 1,600 calories per day, you can have six starches, three vegetables, two fruits, two milks, a serving of meat and up to three fats. Consuming between 1,600 and 2,000 calories allots you eight starches, four vegetables, three fruits, two milks, a serving of meat and up to four fats. A diet of between 2,000 and 2,400 calories allows you 10 starches, four vegetables, four fruits, two milks, one to two servings of meat and up to five fats.
Free Foods
Diabetes exchange diets also include a category known as "free" foods. According to the Mayo Clinic, free foods have less than 20 calories per serving and contain fewer than five grams of carbohydrates. You can consume these foods whenever you want without factoring them into your exchange diet. Free foods include coffee, bouillon, sugar-free beverages, lemon juice, horseradish, mustard, vinegar, garlic, herbs, hot pepper sauce, gum, salad greens, gelatin and flavored extracts
