Diabetes food exchanges can help you plan your meals. When you use the exchange system for keeping track of your carbohydrate intake, 1 carb exchange equals 15 grams of carbohydrate.
Foods that contain carbohydrates include starches, such as bread and pasta, fruit, milk and milk products, and some desserts.
If you don't have an exchange list handy, it can be difficult to know how much food equals 1 exchange.
What does a 15 gram carbohydrate serving look like?
1. Starches
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Bread - 1 slice
Cereals (cold) - 3/4 cup
Grains - 1/3 cup
Pasta - 1/2 cup
Legumes - 1/3 cup
Potatoes - 3 oz.
Corn - 1/2 cup
Pretzels - 3/4 ounces
Popcorn - 3 cups
2. Fruit
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Apple, banana, orange, nectarine - 1 small
Peach - 1 medium
Grapefruit - 1/2
Berries - 1 cup
Melon - 1 cup
Juice, unsweetened - 1/2 cup
Jelly, jam - 4 teaspoons
3. Dairy
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Milk - 1 cup
Yogurt - 3/4 cup
4. Desserts
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Cookies - 2 small
Ice cream - 1/2 cup
5. Sources
Food Exchange Lists. Retrieved May 7, 2009, from National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute - Obesity Education Initiative Web site: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/fd_exch.htm#1Kulkarni, Karmeen D., MS, RD, BC-ADM, CDE (2005 ). Carbohydrate Counting: A Practical Meal-Planning Option for People With Diabetes . Retrieved May 7, 2009, from Clinical Diabetes Web site: http://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/23/3/120#TBL1
