Free Foods In The Diabetic Food Exchange List

Continued From << Diabetic Food Exchange List

Milk is an essential source of protein. One milk exchange is equivalent to eight grams of protein and twelve grams of carbohydrates. A cup of skim or non-fat milk is one serving. Two-thirds of fat free yogurt is one serving also. Belonging to the other carbohydrates list are a two-inch square of brownie, two small cookies, a granola bar, half a cup of ice cream and a third of a cup of frozen low-fat yogurt.

Meat and its substitutes are classified into four subgroups. These are the very lean, lean, medium-fat, and high-fat. Very lean meats have 35 calories and are equivalent to one exchange. An example of very lean meat would be an ounce of white meat with no skin, an ounce of fresh fish, or tuna canned in water. Fat free cheese and two egg whites are also considered very lean.

Lean meats have 55 calories. An ounce of dark meat, lean pork, and lean beef fall under this category. Drained tuna in oil is also classified under this group. Medium-fat meats, on the other hand, are low fat cheese, ground beef, and eggs. High fat meats are pork sausage, spare ribs, fried fish, regular cheese, lunch meat, and frankfurters.

Sidebar: The next article in this diabetes menu series is about diabetes sugar count.

Under the fat group, which is 45 calories, foods like peanut butter, almonds, and olive oil are included. These belong to the monounsaturated fats group. Under polyunsaturated fats, margarine and vegetable oil both at one teaspoon each is one serving. Saturated fat sources are butter, bacon, cream, and lard.

The diabetic food exchange list defines free foods as foods that have 20 calories or less. Examples would be soy sauce, spices, catsup, and sugar-free gelatin. Combinations foods are foods that combine these food groups together. To adequately determine your calorie intake for the day when eating them, a dietician would help. Examples of combination foods are lasagna, meatball spaghetti, pizza, and chicken noodle soup.