Being diabetic will require you to examine the diabetic exchange list; recommended by the American Diabetic Association and by most dieticians.  A diabetic eating plan should be nutrient rich, low in calories and fat – but by no means should it be dull and boring.

Depending on your individual needs and working with a trained dietitian, you will be able to decide on how to use your “exchanges” within the course of a day.

Diabetic Exchange List – 7 food groups you need to know

Within this food exchange system; food are placed into one of seven groups.  Starches, fruits, protein, milk, fats, sweets (yes, I said even sweets!) and also free foods.  Viewing the list, you will see that there are several foods, within the same group, that contain very similar nutrients, and how they will affect your blood glucose.

If you are new to the concept of counting your carbohydrate intake, a diabetic exchange list is a great way to start, and make your life so much easier without being overwhelming.   For example: each serving within each category has about the same amount of carbohydrates (about 15 grams), and each one is considered a healthy carb choice.  This diabetic exchange list makes it easy for you, instead of you having to look up each food item on the internet or reading each label yourself to calculate the carbohydrates in every food you put on your plate.

Close look at Diabetic Exchange List:

Let us discuss some of the free foods available at your disposal, just because I like the word FREE and even better when it means less than 20 calories and less than 6 grams of carbohydrates in my food.  To enjoy in moderate amounts as often as you desire would be: club soda, a cup of coffee or tea with a sugar substitute (honey is a nice choice) or no sweetener at all, sugar free drink mixes, water, lemon juice, any favored extracts, garlic, herbs, sugar free gelatin, salad green and if you are like me, you will be putting hot sauce on everything!

I love fruit and was devastated when my diagnosis of diabetes came through, because I thought I would have to give up my beloved food staple, due to the sugar content – but thankfully that isn’t necessarily always the case.  Once you understand that one serving of fruit contains no protein, not fat, only 60 calories and 15 carbohydrate grams – you are equipped with the knowledge to enjoy this wonderful and refreshing food with no guilt at all.   In the beginning, you might want to invest in a small scale to know the exact portions of one serving until you will acquire the ability to be able to know it by sight.

A diabetic exchange list is available to insure that you have the proper portion of a particular food item and that you feed your body with a healthy mixture of proper nutrients, carbohydrates and calories.