Diabetic Meal Plan Systems

There are two main meal planning systems, exchange lists and carbohydrate counting. With your health care team, you will decide which system best meets your needs. You might be able to use a combination of systems for greater flexibility.
The exchange lists group foods into three categories:
• Carbohydrates (including lists of starches, fruits, vegetables, milk, and other carbohydrates such as dessert type foods).
• Meat and meat substitutes, and
• Fats
Within any one of the categories a food can be exchanged with another. The amount of energy provided by a specified serving size of the food is essentially the same. You choose from the different categories to design a plan for your meals and snacks.
With carbohydrate counting, the focus is on the amount of carbohydrates in the foods that you choose to eat. Your insulin or oral medication must be matched to the foods you eat. Your meal plan will tell you how many carbohydrate choices you can eat and when you can eat them. The carbohydrate can come from any type of food containing carbohydrates. In the beginning, this system will require that you to test your blood sugar several times a day, as well as weigh and measure your food.