DIET VARIETY

USE THE FOOD ExCHANGE LIST...

Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics

Diet is very important in the management of diabetes mellitus. The quantity of food and the total caloric intake should not vary too much from day-to-day. Use the Food Exchange System where foods providing almost the same amounts of calories, carbohydrates, proteins and fats are grouped together. This provides variety in the daily diet and also accommodates seasonal changes in the availability of foods. This makes planning the diet an easy task.

The Food Exchange List can be used to design diets to meet individual tastes and preferences at specific energy levels. The initial diet is usually calculated by the dietitian as one needs a thorough knowledge of the system as well as of food composition, but once completed, the user can select a specific number of foods from the Exchange Lists.

Each exchange list provides a number of food items which can be interchanged within the group but they should not be exchanged with food from any other exchange list.

In the Food Exchange System, there are differences in weights and sizes of portion for different foods within an exchange list but each one provides the same amount of carbohydrate and energy.

For example: I vegetable exchange, consisting of 50 gm of double beans or 90 gm of onion or 105gm of carrot provides 10 gm carbohydrates and 50 calories.

The different groups of food exchanges are :


The Glycemic Index of Foods is also an important aspect while selecting foods for the diet.

The Glycemic Index is a scientifically proven way of ranking carbohydrates in foods. It is a number that tells you how fast a particular food raises the blood glucose. Foods that contain carbohydrates that break down very fast, ( simple carbohydrates), have a high GI and will make the blood glucose rise very fast, while foods containing carbohydrates that break down slowly have a low GI and raise blood glucose levels slowly. Therefore, people with diabetes should have small meals and snack regularly on foods rich in complex carbohydrates, protein and dietary fibre.

Glycemic Index of Common Indian Foods


(Source: Diet and Diabetes, TC Raghuram, Swaran Pasricha, RD Sharma, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.)

FOOD EXCHANGE LISTS

1. Vegetable Exchange List -A


(Note: The carbohydrate and caloric contents of these vegetables are negligible, so they can be used in any quantity.)

Vegetable Exchange List – B


(Nutritive value: Carbohydrate – 10 gm; Calories -50 Kcal)

2. Fruit Exchange


(Nutritive value: Carbohydrates -10 gm; Calories – 50 Kcal)

3. Cereal Exchange List

(Nutritive value: 30 gm of cereal provides carbohydrates - 20gm; Calories - 100 Kcal; Protein – 2 gm)


4. Legume and Pulse Exchange

( Nutritive value: 30gm of food items in this list provides Calories- 100Kcal; Carbohydrates- 15 gm; Protein – 6 gm.)


5. Meat, Fish and Poultry Exchange


(Nutritive value: Protein – 10gm; Calories -70Kcal. )

* Provides 100 Kcal

Some flesh foods contain excess fat. Visible fat and skin of poultry should be removed.

6. Milk and Milk Product Exchange


(Nutritive value: Protein -5gm; Calories- 100 Kcal)

* Provides 10gm protein.

7. Fats and Nuts Exchange.


(Nutritive value: Fat -11gm; Calories- 100 Kcal)

Your dietitian will advise you about the amount of calories, carbohydrates and protein you need in your diet.

Eating well is a pleasure and it is possible to eat well if you make the right choices.