Nutrition News

New Exchange Lists for Meal Planning
Barbara Quinn, MS, RD, CDE
August 8, 2003

Ever wonder how nutrition professionals calculate diet plans for their clients? One method is the "Exchange Lists for Food Planning," a system that categorizes foods with similar calories and nutrient values based on specified serving sizes. Exchange lists are useful tools for planning calorie-controlled diets and meal plans that require specific amounts of carbohydrate, protein, fat and other nutrients. (See Understanding Nutrition, 9^th edition, pp. 41-42.)

Exchange lists are revised regularly as new data on the nutrient content of food becomes available. The current (2003) Exchange Lists for Meal Planning just released by the American Dietetic Association are based on an updated food database from several sources, including the United States Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

Here are some items worth noting in the revised edition of the Exchange Lists for Food Planning:

New serving sizes for bagels and pasta
Guaranteed to get the attention of anyone who counts calories or carbohydrates, serving sizes for bagels and pasta just got smaller. Based on current nutrient analyses, one starch exchange--the amount of a grain product, pasta or starchy vegetable equivalent to one slice of bread, or 80 calories and 15 grams carbohydrates-- is ¼ bagel or 1/3 cup pasta. In other words, one whole (4-inch) bagel is similar in calories and carbohydrates to four slices of bread. One cup of pasta equals 3 slices of bread in calorie and carbohydrate content.

Fruit and Juice
One exchange in this group provides 60 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrates. Serving sizes similar in calories and carbohydrates include: one small banana, 12 fresh cherries, 3 dried plums (prunes), or 2 tablespoons of raisins.

Juices differ in calorie content based on the concentration of fructose (fruit sugar) they contain. For example, 1/2 cup of orange juice, pineapple juice, or grapefruit juice is equivalent in calories and carbohydrates to just 1/3 cup prune juice, apple juice, or fruit juice "blends."

Non-starchy vegetables
Vegetables such as artichokes, beets, and greens that contain approximately 25 calories per serving (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw) are listed as "Non-starchy vegetables" to delineate them from "Starchy vegetables" such as corn, peas, and potatoes.

Milk and yogurt
Soy beverages have been added to the milk exchange group. One cup low-fat or fat free soy milk is equivalent in calories and carbohydrates to one cup non-fat or low-fat milk.

Two-thirds cup of plain, non-fat or low-fat yogurt is the revised serving size that is similar in calories and other nutrients to one cup of milk.

Meat and meat substitutes
No significant changes are noted in this category. (See Nutrition Now, 3rd ed. Table C-2.)

Fats
Sources of dietary fat continue to be designated in three categories: saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats. As part of the monounsaturated fat group, a "serving" (45 calories and 5 grams of fat) of avocado is now "2 tablespoons" rather than 1/8 avocado as in previous exchange lists.

The 2003 Exchange Lists for Meal Planning are in the July 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (http://www.eatright.org). View the revised USDA Nutrient Database online at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp.