The meal exchange plan was introduced in 1950 as a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Public Health, The American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association. Originally, it was designed as a diet to help people with diabetes control glucose levels; the exchange plan carefully counts carbohydrates, as well as calories, protein, fats and fiber content. It's a user-friendly, flexible diet that teaches portion control and can also be used for weight loss.
Exchange System Basics
This diet is called the exchange system because you can exchange one food for another; but only within that food category. This allows you to substitute one protein for any other protein and one starch for any other starch -- granting a flexibility that many other diets don't. With planning, you can continue to enjoy many of your favorite foods. There are seven food categories: milk, fat, fruits, vegetables, protein, starch and a "free" category for foods such as condiments that contain less than 20 calories per serving. The number of exchanges you get from each category depends on your individual caloric needs -- based on your gender, weight and health concerns.
Easy to Use
One of the reasons the meal exchange diet is easy to use is that the exchanges are simple to equate to real portion sizes. For example, a starch exchange contains 80 calories, 15 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of protein and no fat. You don't need to memorize this, however, because you'll learn that a starch exchange is a slice of whole grain bread, 1/2 a hamburger bun, 1/2 an English muffin, or 1/2 cup of cooked pasta, rice or hot cereal. You may need to use multiple exchanges from the same food category at a single meal.
Exchanges
The number of exchanges you'll consume depends on your total caloric intake. The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests that if you're following a 1,500 calorie diet, you eat two milk, three fat, three fruit, three vegetable, five protein and eight starch exchanges. If you need 2,000 calories daily, eat two milk, four fat, three fruit, four vegetable, eight protein and 11 starch exchanges. It's important to put foods in their proper categories; cheese is actually a protein exchange, not a milk exchange -- only milk and yogurt and milk exchanges. Some foods require multiple exchanges, such as chips or crackers, which may be one starch plus one fat exchange.
Meal Exchange Diet Tips
Avoid hunger by eating smaller meals and snacks throughout the day. Waiting too long between meals can lead to hunger and cause overeating. Consume a combination of high-fiber carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats at every meal; this will help slow digestion and the conversion of food into glucose, as well as keeping you feeling full longer. It can be very helpful to keep a food journal, especially in the beginning, to keep track of the number of exchanges you eat from each category.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Diabetes Diet -Exchange List; Harvey Simon, MD; May 5, 2009
- "Diabetes Spectrum"; Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetes: The 2008 Revision of Exchange Lists for Meal Planning; by 1. Patti Bazel Geil, MS, RD, FADA, CDE
- "New York Times Health Guide"; Diabetes Diet - Type 1; May 20, 2009
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