Diabetic Exchange Lists

Our massive diabetic exchange lists make following your diet easy! Don’t guess at exchange values or waste time calculating them yourself. Our food exchange lists are easy to follow include the most popular foods around.

As you know, there are six categories of foods in the traditional diabetes food pyramid. We have organized our list to mirror these six categories.

Everyone also wants to know about free foods, such as coffee and tea. We will deal with each one of these categories in turn.

Please Note: All of the exchange values provided below are for illustration purposes only. Any given food item may be more or less depending upon the individual ingredients. The values provided are to help you plan your meals, but you should always review individual food labels to confirm exchange values.

To see how this all comes together you can check out an example such as the 1,800 calorie diabetic diet plan or the 1,500 calorie diabetic diet plan.

STARCHES AND BREADS DIABETIC EXCHANGE LISTS

One Exchange Value serving typically should conform to the following:

Calories: 80
Protien: 3 grams
Carbohydrates: 15 grams
Fat: minimal to none

When at all possible choose whole grain bread, pasta and cereal. Also, when evaluating breakfast cereals, make sure there is less than 5g of sugar per serving, otherwise you get “bumped up” into a higher number of exchange points.

You should also note that “starches” don’t just include the standard breads, pastas, and grains. They include high starch vegetables, such as potatoes, corn and some beans.

COMMON BREADS, ROLLS, PASTA, CEREAL LISTS

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Bread (white, wheat, etc.)	1 Slice	English Muffin	1/2 Med.
Bread, Red. Cal. (40c per slice)	2 Slices	Bagel	1/2 Med.
Bread, French/Italian	1 Slice	Roll, Dinner	1 Small
Bread Crumbs	3 Tbs.	Roll, Hambuger	1/2 Medium
Taco Shell	1 Fat, 1 Starch	Roll, Hot Dog	1/2 Roll
Corn Tortilla	1 Fat, 1 Starch	Cereal, cooked	1/2 Cup
Bran, Concentrated	1/3 Cup	Pasta, cooked	1/2 Cup

COMMON STARCHY VEGETABLES LISTS

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Corn, kernals	1/2 Cup	Beans, Lima	1/2 Cup
Corn, cob (5 x 1 inch)	1	Beans, split peas, lentils	1/3 Cup cooked
Potato, mashed	1/2 Cup	Roll, Dinner	1 Small
Potato, baked	1/2 Medium	Pumpkin	3/4 Cup
Sweet Potato, mashed	1/2 cup	Squash, Acorn	3/4 Cup
Sweet Potato, baked	1/2 Medium	Squash, Winter	3/4 Cup
Peas	2/3 Cup	Squash, Butternut	3/4 Cup

COMMON GRAINS DIABETIC EXCHANGE LISTS

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Rice, white, brown	1/3 Cup cooked	Barley, cooked	1/4 Cup
Rice, arborio	1/3 Cup	Cornstarch	2 Tbs.
Rice, basmati, wild	1/3 Cup cooked	Cornmeal, uncooked	2.5 Tbs.
Couscous	1/2 Cup cooked	Flour	3 Tbs.
Kaska, cooked	1/3 Cup	Quinona, uncooked	2 Tbs.

COMMON CRACKERS AND MISCELLANEOUS LISTS

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Popcorn, popped, no fat	3 Cups	Ginger Snaps	3
Popcorn, popped, light	3 Cups, 1 bread, 1 fat	Graham Crackers	3
Matzo, whole wheat	7	Melba Toast, rectangles	5
Matzo, regular	1	Melba Toast, rounds	5
Rice Cakes, whole	2	Saltines	6
Rice Cakes, mini	8	Pretzels	3/4 oz.

FRUIT EXCHANGE LISTS

One Exchange Value serving typically should conform to the following:

Calories: 60
Protein: 0 grams
Carbohydrates: 15 grams
Fat: 0 grams

As expected fresh fruit is the optimal choice. If you must eat other types (canned, frozen, etc.), make sure there is no sugar added.

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Apple	1 small	Apricots	4 Medium
Applesauce, unsweet.	1/2 Cup	Banana, 9 inch	1/2
Blackberries	3/4 Cup	Cantaloupe, sectioned	1/3 melon
Blueberries	3/4 Cup	Cantaloupe, cubed	1 cup
Boysenberries	1 Cup	Cherries, fresh	12
Grapefruit, 4 inch	1/2	Dates	3
Grapes	15	Figs	2 small
Guava	1.5 small	Honeydew Melon 6.5 inch	1/8 Melon
Mango, whole	1/2	Honeydew Melon, cubed	1 cup
Mango, cubed	1/2 Cup	Kiwifruit	1 large
Lemon	1 large	Peach, 2.5 inch	1
Orange, 3 inch	1	Pear	1 small
Nectarine, 2.5 inch	1 Cup	Papaya, 3.5 inch	1/2
Pineapple, diced	3/4 Cup	Papaya, cubed	1 cup
Pineapple, canned	1/3 Cup	Plum, 2 inch	2
Pomegranate, 3.5 inch	1/2	Prunes, medium	3
Rasberries	1 Cup	Raisins	2 Tbs.
Strawberries	1 1/3 Cup	Rhubarb, cubed	3 cups
Tangerine, 2.5 inch	2	Watermelon, diced	1 1/4 cup

COMMON FRUIT JUICES

Item	Item	Item	Serving
Apple Juice, unsweet.	4 oz.	Lemon Juice, unsweet.	6 oz.
Cranberry Juice, Low Cal.	10 oz.	Orange Juice, unsweet.	4 oz.
Grape Juice, unsweet.	4 oz.	Pineapple, Juice, unsweet.	4 oz.
Grapefruit Juice, unsweet.	5 oz.	Prune Juice, unsweet.	3 oz.

VEGETABLE EXCHANGE LISTS

One Exchange Value serving typically should conform to the following:

Calories: 28
Protein: 2 grams
Carbohydrates 5 grams
Fat: 0 grams

Raw vegetables are considered the best choice, particularly dark leaf vegetables, such as spinach. Steaming vegetables is the next best preparation choice.

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Artichoke	1/2	Okra	1/2 Cup
Asparagus, chopped	1 Cup	Onion	1/2 Cup
Bamboo Shoots	1/2 Cup	Pea Pods, snow	1/2 Cup
Bean Sprouts	1/2 Cup	Pepper, green, red, yellow	1 Cup
Beets	1/2 Cup	Radishes	1 Cup
Broccoli	1/2 Cup	Rutabagas	1/2 Cup
Broccoli Rabe	1/2 Cup	Sauerkraut	1/2 Cup
Brussels Sprouts	1/2 Cup	Scallions	1/2 Cup
Cabbage	1 Cup	Spinach, cooked	1/2 Cup
Carrots	1/2 Cup	Squash, Summer	1 Cup
Cauliflower	1 Cup	Squash, Zucchini	1 Cup
Celery	1 Cup	Tomato	1 medium
Collard Greens	1 Cup	Tomato, paste	1.5 Tbs.
Egg Plant	1/2 Cup	Tomato, sauce, can	1/3 Cup
Fennel, bulb	1/2 Cup	Tomato, juice	1/2 Cup
Garlic	5 cloves	Turnips	1/2 Cup
Green Beans	1 Cup	vegetables, mixed	1/4 Cup
Kale	1/2 Cup	Vegetable, juice	1/2 Cup
Leeks	1/2 Cup	Wax Beans	1 Cup
Mushrooms, Fresh	1 Cup	Water Chestnuts	5 Whole
Mustard Greens, cooked	1 Cup	Chili Pepper	5 small

LOW CARB AND LOW CAL VEGETABLE

Some vegetables have very little carbohydrates or calories. They are not technically “free” foods as outlined below, but if eaten raw they may be eaten in greater quantity. This does not mean you can eat 12 lettuce heads in one sitting, but generally you do not have to stress over the serving size like other foods.

Alfalfa Sprouts	Lettuce
Chicory	Parsley
Chinese Cabbage	Pickes, unsweet.
Cucumber	Pimiento
Endive	Spinach
Escarole	Watercress

MEAT AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES EXCHANGE LISTS

Meat and Meat Substitutes are a little more involved for determining One Exchange Value of any given serving. The conventional wisdom is that meat exchange values are determined based on their fat content as follows:

	Nonfat	Low Fat	Medium Fat	Higher Fat
Calories	40-45	55	75	100
Protein	7g	7g	7g	7g
Carbohydrates	0g	0g	0g	0g
Fat	0g	3g	5g	8g

High fat meat choices should be rare occasions. If at all possible stick with low fat options. Also, avoid frying meat and try to bake, barbeque or broil when cooking.

If eating hamburger, you may also want to rinse the meat after you cook it. This will remove a tremendous amount of the fat. Lastly, trim any excess fat before cooking.

NO FAT MEAT AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES

Item	Serving
Cheese, fat free	1 oz.
Cottage Cheese, fat free	1/4 Cup
Ricotta, 100% Skim	1 oz.

The above diabetic exchange lists should get you started toward implementing your exchange diet. However, as you may have determined, many of the foods we eat come already prepared.

Initially, it will take some time to figure the appropriate exchange value, but the reward will be well worth it. Great health and feeling great!

LOW FAT MEAT AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES EXCHANGE LISTS

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Cottage Cheese, 1% Fat	1/4 Cup	Pork, tenderloin, trimmed	1 oz.
Cheese, low fat	1 oz.	Poultry, chicken, no skin	1 oz.
Beans, dried, cooked	1/2 Cup (1 meat, 1 starch)	Poultry, turkey, no skin	1 oz.
Egg, substitute, raw	1/4 Cup (55 cal.)	Ground Chicken	1 oz.
Fish and Shellfish	1 oz.	Ground Turkey	1 oz.
Tuna, water packed	1/4 Cup	Canadian Bacon	1 oz.
Lunch Meat, 95% fat free	1 oz.	Tofu	3 oz.

MEDIUM FAT MEAT AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES EXCHANGE LISTS

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Beef, chipped	1 oz.	Veal, no breast	1 oz.
Beef, flank steak	1 oz.	Cheese, mozzarella part skim	1 oz.
Beef, hamburger 15% fat	1 oz.	Cheese, ricotta part skim	1 oz.
Beef, rin eye	1 oz.	Cheese, processed lite	1 oz.
Beef, sirloin	1 oz.	Cheese, lite	1 oz.
Beef, tederloin	1 oz.	Parmesan	3 Tbs.
Beef, top round	1 oz.	Romano	3 Tbs.
Beef, bottom round	1 oz.	Egg	1
Lamb, non breast	1 oz.	Egg, substitute (56-80 cal.)	1/4 cup, raw
Pork, ground	1 oz.	Lunch Meat, 86% lean	1 oz.
pork, sparerib	1 oz.	Turkey Bacon	2 slices
pork, tenderloin	1 oz.	Peanut Butter	1 Tbs., 1 meat, 1 fat

HIGHER FAT MEAT AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES

Eat these meats only infrequently. The saturated fat content is not good for you.

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Beef, brisket	1 oz.	Cheese, blue	1 oz.
Beef, rib steak	1 oz.	Cheese, brie	1 oz.
Beef, corned beef	1 oz.	Cheese, cheddar	1 oz.
Beef, hamburger 80% lean	1 oz.	cheese, colby	1 oz.
Beef, rib roast	1 oz.	cheese, colby	1 oz.
Lamb, breast	1 oz.	Cheese, monterey jack	1 oz.
Pork, ground	1 oz.	Cheese, provolone	1 oz.
Pork, spareribs	1 oz.	Cheese, swiss	1 oz.
Pork, sausage (link, patty)	1 oz.	Cheese, processed	1 oz.
Veal, breast	1 oz.	Cheese, low fat goat	1 oz.
Poultry, duck	1 oz.	Organ Meat, liver, kidney, heart	1 oz.
Poultry, goose	1 oz.	Fried Fish	1 oz.

DIARY DIABETIC EXCHANGE LISTS

Dairy Exchange Value per serving is split into nonfat, low fat and medium to high fat categories.

Dairy choices are best if nonfat or low fat. The key is also to avoid as much, or all saturated fat in this category. If you are not a big dairy consumer, make sure you take a calcium supplement. Amongst other things, this will help with avoiding or minimizing diabetes and osteoporosis.

One Exchange Value serving typically should conform to the following:

	Nonfat	Low Fat	Med. - High Fat
Calories	80	107	125-150
Protein	8g	8g	8g
Carbohydrates	12g	12g	12g
Fat	0	3	5-8

NONFAT DAIRY

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Skim Milk	8 oz.	Low-Fat Milk, 0.5%	8 oz.
Nonfat Yogurt, Plain	8 oz.	Lactaid Milk, skim	8 oz.
Canned Evaporated Milk	4 oz.

LOW FAT DAIRY

Item	Serving
Low Fat Milk, 1%	8 oz.
Yogurt, plain	8 oz.
Lactaid Milk, 1%	8 oz.

MEDIUM TO HIGH FAT DAIRY

Item	Serving
Low Fat Milk, 2%	8 oz.
Whole Milk	8 oz.

Fats

One Exchange Value serving typically should conform to the following:

Calories: 45
Protein: 0
Carbohydrates: 0
Fat: 5

Try and choose unsaturated or low saturated fat choices. Better cooking oil choices including safflower, olive, canola, etc.

LOWER OR SATURATED FAT LISTS

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Avocado, 4 inch	1/8	Nuts, Pecans	2 whole
Margarine	1 Tsp.	Nuts, Pine Nuts	1 Tbs.
Mayo	1 Tsp.	Nuts, Pistachio	12 whole
Mayo, Reduced Calorie	1 Tbs.	Nuts, Walnuts	2 whole
Nondairy Creamer	2 Tbs.	Oils, olive, safflower, canola	1 Tsp.
Nondairy Creamer, lite	5 Tbs.	Oil, corn sunflower	1 Tsp.
Nuts, Almonds	6 whole	Olives, green	5 small
Nuts, Brazil	2 med.	Olives, black	2 large
Nuts, cashews	5-8 whole	Dressing, Italian	1Tbs.
Nuts, Hazelnuts	5 whole	Dressing, mayo based	2 Tsp.
Nuts, Macadamia	3 whole	Seeds, sunflower	1 Tbs.
Nuts, peanuts, Spanish	20 whole	Seeds, Pumpkin	2 Tsp.
Nuts, peanuts, Virginia	10 whole	Seeds, Sesame	1 Tbs.

MEDIUM OR HIGHER SATURATED FAT LISTS

Item	Serving	Item	Serving
Butter	1 Tsp.	Cream, light	1.5 Tbs.
Bacon, crisp	1 strip	Cream, sour	2 Tbs.
Coconut, shredded	2 Tbs.	Cream, whipped, can	1/3 cup
Nondairy Whipped Topping	3 Tbs.	Cream Cheese	1 Tbs.
Cream, half and half	2 Tbs.	Margarine	1 Tsp.
Cream, Heavy	1 Tbs.	Oil, palm, coconut	1 Tsp.

FREE FOODS LIST

Finally, if you have read this far, you are now rewarded with some free food items!! Wahoo!! They may not seem like much, but let’s take what we can get. If the item has an * next to it, it has high sodium, so be careful.

The following items have very few calories and are considered free!.

Bouillon Cubes	Broth, Clear	Soda, no calorie
Coffee	Cranberries, unsweet.	Most Extracts
Most Herbs	Horseradish	Lime Juice
Most Mustards	Sugar Substitutes	Pickles, unsweet.
Soy Sauce	Steak Sauce, most	Tabasco Sauce
Taco Sauce	Tea	Vinegar, most

SUMMARY

The above diabetic exchange lists should get you started toward implementing your exchange diet. However, as you may have determined, many of the foods we eat come already prepared.

Initially, it will take some time to figure the appropriate exchange value, but the reward will be well worth it. Great health and feeling great!