How to Make an Exchange Meal Plan

The exchange diet is a meal planning system that helps diabetics to maintain stable blood sugar levels. This plan is also helpful for weight control. According to the American Diabetes Association, the exchange system tracks carbohydrate intake by grouping foods into six categories: starches, dairy, protein, fruits, fats, and sweets. An additional group, called free foods, is calorie-free. Each starch, fruit or milk exchange contains 15 grams of carbohydrates. Two slices of bread or one cup of oatmeal are equivalent exchanges, since they each raise blood sugar the same amount.

Instructions

Preparation

• 1

  Meet with your doctor and ask if the exchange meal plan is recommended for you. Request a referral to a dietitian from your doctor.

• 2

  Ask a dietitian for exchange diet recommendations.

  Consult with a dietitian to learn how many exchanges you need from each food group to meet your individual dietary needs. Different people need different amounts of exchanges to stay within the correct calorie and carbohydrate range.

• 3

  Obtain a food exchange list from your dietitian, or see Resource 1 to print your own copy. This list describes the amount of food needed for each dietary exchange. Post your list in a visible spot in your kitchen for easy reference when you plan and prepare meals.

• 4

  Measure food portions to follow the exchange diet successfully.

  Purchase food measuring equipment, such as cup, 1/2 cup, tablespoon and teaspoon measures. To avoid difficulty remembering portion sizes while eating out, see Resource 3 for a downloadable wallet-size card from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Plan Your Dietary Exchanges

• 5

  Write your daily allotted exchanges for each food group at the top of a sheet of paper. Draw one column for each day of the week and one row for each meal and snack.

• 6

  Record the exact number of exchanges needed in each meal slot and fill in the amounts and types of each food that you will eat. For example, for a breakfast requiring two starch exchanges, one milk exchange, and one fruit exchange, you might choose one cup of milk, one orange and two slices of toast. You can still eat your favorite foods, but always measure your serving sizes to avoid using up all of your allotted exchanges in one meal.

• 7

  Purchase each of the foods needed for the week. While shopping, remember that many food labels now list dietary exchanges in the nutrition information section.

• 8

  Using your food exchange list, prepare your foods one meal at a time.