Exchange Meal Plan

(En español: Plan de intercambio de alimentos)

Say: iks-change meel plan

People who have diabetes need to pay attention to what they're eating. The exchange meal plan can help them do that. For this meal plan, foods are divided into six groups: starch, fruit, milk, fat, vegetable, and meat. The plan sets a serving size (amount) for each food - whether it's pizza or peas. Within each group, each serving has similar amounts of calories, protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

That way, the person can mix and match these foods and know what they're eating. Someone with diabetes needs to keep track of carbohydrates, especially, because they cause blood sugar levels to rise. A person can use the exchange plan to get the amount of carbohydrate he or she could eat each day.