The Exchange Diet was developed by the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association as a diet guide for people with diabetes. But it's not just for people with diabetes. The Exchange Diet can help anyone learn how to control portions and eat a balanced and healthy diet.
Calories
How many calories you need to eat each day depends on your weight goals, age, gender, activity level, height and weight. Your doctor can help you determine your daily calorie needs based on these factors. In general, a 2,000-calorie diet can help most moderately active women and sedentary men over the age of 51 maintain weight, and promote weight loss in younger men, both active and sedentary.
Basic Diet Guide
The Exchange Diet divides foods up into groups based on their common nutrient composition. Groups include starches, fruits, milk, non-starchy vegetables, meat and meat alternatives and fats. A single serving in each individual food group contains the same amount of calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat, allowing you to exchange items within their food group when meal planning. Your meal plan consists of a set number of servings from each of the food groups. A dietitian can help you create a meal plan based on your food preferences. A basic 2,000-calorie Exchange Diet may consist of 11 starch exchanges, eight meat exchanges, four vegetable exchanges, three fruit exchanges, two milk exchanges and four fat exchanges.
The Exchanges
Portion control is a major component of the Exchange Diet; therefore it is important to know the portion sizes of different food items in each food group. Carefully measuring and tracking your portion intake when following the Exchange Diet will help you stay within your calorie range. Each starch exchange contains 80 calories and includes one slice of bread, 1/2 cup of cooked peas or corn or 1/3 cup of cooked rice or pasta. Calories in each exchange of a meat or meat alternative vary depending on its fat content, ranging from 45 to 100 calories per exchange. One meat or meat alternative exchange equals 1 oz. of meat, fish or poultry, one egg, 1 oz. of cheese or 1/2 cup of tofu. Non-starchy vegetables -- broccoli, green beans, cauliflower -- contain 25 calories per serving with 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw equal to one exchange. Fruits have 60 calories per serving and include one small piece of fresh fruit, 1/2 cup of unsweetened canned fruit or 2 tbsp. of dried fruit. Calories in milk also vary depending on fat content, ranging from 100 to 160 calories; one exchange equals 1 cup of milk or 1 cup of plain yogurt. Each fat exchange contains 45 calories, and includes 1 tsp. of margarine or oil, 1 tbsp. of reduced-fat salad dressing or 1 1/2 tsp. of nut butter.
Meals
How you divide your food exchanges is up to you. But, you should eat at least three meals a day to control hunger and keep your energy levels up. Try to include as many food groups in each meal as possible to balance your intake. Making snacks a regular part of your meal plan can also manage hunger and help you meet your nutrient needs.
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