Starches & Breads
Bread
- Bagel (deli size) 1/4 (1 oz.)
- Bun (hamburger, hot dog) 1/2 (1 oz.)
- English muffin 1/2
- Pita (6" across) 1/2
- Tortilla, flour or corn (6" across)
- Whole wheat, rye, white, pumpernickel, raisin (no icing). 1 slice (1 oz.)
Cereals/Grains/Pasta
- Bran Cereal, concentrated such as Bran Buds®, All-Bran® 1/3 cup
- Bran Cereal, flaked 1/2 cup
- Cooked Cereal, grits, bulgur 1/2 cup
- Macaroni, noodles, spaghetti (cooked) 1/3 cup
- Puffed cereal 1 1/2 cups
- Ready to eat unsweetened cereal 3/4 cup
- Rice, white or brown 1/3 cup
- Shredded wheat 1/2 cup
- Wheat germ 3 tbsp.
Crackers/Snacks
- Graham cracker (2 1/2" square) 3
- Matzo 3/4 oz.
- Melba Toast 4 slices
- Oyster crackers 20
- Popcorn, popped, no fat added 3 cups
- Pretzels 3/4 oz.
- Rice cake (4" across) 2
- Rye crisp (2" x 3 1/2") 4
- Saltine crackers 6
Starchy Vegetables
- Beans, baked 1/3 cup
- Corn 1/2 cup or 6" cob
- Lentils, beans, or peas (dried), such as kidney, white, split, black-eyed 1/2 cup
- Lima beans (frozen) 2 oz.
- Peas, green (canned or frozen) 1/2 cup
- Potato, baked 1 small (3 oz.)
- Potato, mashed 1/2 cup
- Winter squash (acorn, butternut) 1 cup
- Yam or sweet potato, plain 1/3 cup
Starch Foods Prepared with Fat
(Count as 1 starch/bread exchange and 1 fat exchange)
- Biscuit (2 1/2" across) 1
- Chow mein noodles 1/2 cup
- Corn bread (2" cube) 1 (2 oz.)
- Cracker, round butter type 6
- French fried potatoes (2-31/2" long) 1 cup (2 oz.)
- Muffin (small cupcake size, plain)1
- Snack chips, fat-free or baked 15-20 (3/4 oz.)
- Stuffing, prepared 1/3 cup
- Taco shell (6" across) 2
Meats & Meat Substitutes
Beef
- Lean cuts, such as USDA Good/Choice round, sirloin, or flanked steak, tenderloin, chipped beef 1
oz.
- All other cuts 1 oz.
Cheese
- Cottage or ricotta 1/4 cup
- Diet (less than 55 calories per oz.) 1 oz.
- Parmesan, grated 2 tbsp.
- Other cheese (except cream cheese)1 oz.
Eggs
- Egg substitute (less than 55 calories per 1/4 cup) 1/4 cup
- Egg white 2
- Egg, whole1
Fish & Seafood
- All fresh or frozen fish 1 oz.
- Clams, crab, lobster, shrimp, scallops 1 oz.
- Herring, smoked 1 oz. Oysters 6 medium
- Sardines (canned) 2 medium
- Tuna (water-packed) 1 oz. Salmon (canned)1 oz.
Miscellaneous
Pork
- Lean cuts, such as Canadian bacon; fresh ham; canned, cured, boiled ham; tenderloin 1 oz.
- Other cuts 1 oz.
Poultry
- Chicken, turkey, Cornish hen (skin removed)1 oz.
Veal
- Lean chops and roasts 1 oz.
- Cutlets 1 oz.
Vegetables
One portion of each vegetable in this list contains about 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, and 25
calories.
If no portion size is listed, the following measurements should be used:
- Cooked vegetables or juice 1/2 cup
- Raw vegetables 1 cup
Check Free Foods and Starches/Breads for vegetables not listed here:
- Asparagus
- Beans (green, wax, Italian)
- Bean sprouts
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- Cabbage (cooked)
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Greens (collard, mustard, etc.)
- Mushrooms (cooked)
- Okra
- Onion
- Pea pods (snow peas)
- Peppers (green)
- Radishes
- Sauerkraut
- Spinach (cooked)
- Summer squash (crookneck)
- Tomato (1 large)
- Tomato or vegetable juice
- Turnip
- Water chestnuts
- Zucchini (cooked)
Fats
One portion of each food in this list contains about 5 g fat and 45 calories. Choose unsaturated fats
instead
of saturated fats as often as possible.
Monounsaturated Fats
- Almonds, dry roasted 6
- whole Avocado (medium) 1 oz.
- Margarine, diet 1 tbsp.
- Oil (olive, peanut, canola) 1 tsp.
- Pecans or walnuts 2 whole
Polyunsaturated Fats
- Margarine, diet 1 tbsp.
- Mayonnaise (regular) 2 tsp.
- Mayonnaise (reduced fat/diet)1 tbsp.
- Oil (corn, cottonseed, soybean, safflower, sunflower) 1 tsp.
- Salad dressing, mayonnaise-type (reduced fat) 2 tbsp.
- Salad dressing, other varieties 1 tbsp.
- Sunflower seeds 1 tbsp.
Saturated Fats
- Bacon 1 slice
- Butter 1 tsp.
- Coconut, shredded 2 tbsp.
- Coffee creamer, liquid 2 tbsp.
- Coffee creamer, powdered 4 tsp.
- Cream, half and half 2 tbsp.
- Cream (heavy, whipping) 3/4 tbsp.
- Cream cheese 1 tbsp.
Milk & Milk Products
Skim and Very Low Fat Milk
- Skim, 1/2% or 1% milk 1 cup
- Buttermilk, low fat 1 cup
- Evaporated skim milk 4 fl. oz.
- Nonfat dry milk1/3 cup dry
- Nonfat yogurt, plain 6 oz.
Low Fat Milk
Count as 1 milk exchange and 1 fat exchange
- 2% milk 1 cup
- Low-fat yogurt, plain (with added nonfat milk solids) 6oz.
Whole Milk
Count as 1 milk exchange and 2 fat exchanges
- Whole milk cup
- Evaporated whole milk 1/2 cup
- Whole yogurt, plain 8 oz.
Fruits
One portion of each fruit in this list contains about 15 g carbohydrate and 60 calories. To choose a
similar
portion of a fruit not listed, follow these general rules:
- Fresh, canned, or frozen fruit, no sugar added 1/2 cup
- Dried fruit 1/4 cup
Dried Fruits
- Apple, 4 oz. 1 small
- Apricot 3
- Date (medium) 2
- Fig (small) 2
- Prune (medium) 3
- Raisins 2 tbsp.
Fruit Juices
- Apple juice or cider 1/2 cup
- Cranberry juice cocktail 1/3 cup
- Grape juice 1/3 cup
- Prune juice 1/3 cup
- Other, such as orange, pineapple, etc 1/2 cup
Fruit
- Apple, fresh (2" across), 4 oz. 1
- Applesauce, no sugar added 1/2 cup
- Apricot, fresh (medium) 4
- Banana (9" long) 1/2
- Blackberries or blueberries, raw 3/4 cup
- Cantaloupe or honeydew melon 1 cup
- Cherries fresh, 3 oz. 12
- Fig fresh (2" across) 2
- Fruit cocktail, canned 1/2 cup
- Grapefruit (medium) 1/2
- Grapefruit segments 3/4 cup
- Grapes (small) 15
- Kiwi (large) 1
- Mandarin orange 3/4 cup
- Nectarine (2 1/2" across) 1
- Orange (2 1/2" across) 1
- Papaya (1/2” across) 1 cup, cubed
- Peach (medium), 4 oz. 1 whole (3/4 cup)
- Pear 1/2 large/1 small
- Persimmon (native, medium) 2
- Pineapple, fresh 3/4 cup
- Pineapple, canned 1/2 cup
- Plum, fresh (2" across) 2
- Raspberries, fresh 1 cup
- Strawberries, fresh (whole) 1 1/4 cups
- Tangerine (2 1/2" across) 2
- Watermelon 1 1/4 cups
Free Foods
Each free food or drink in this list contains fewer than 20 calories per serving. You may eat as much as
you
want of free foods that have no portion size given; you may eat two or three servings per day of free
foods
that have portions listed. Be sure to spread your servings throughout the day.
Drinks
- Bouillon or broth, no fat, low sodium
- Cocoa powder, unsweetened baking type (1 tbsp.)
- Coffee or tea
- Soft drinks, calorie-free, including carbonated drinks
Condiments
- Coffee whitener, liquid (1 tbsp.)
- Coffee whitener, powdered (2 tsp.)
- Dill pickles, unsweetened
- Horseradish
- Hot sauce
- Ketchup (1 tbsp.)
- Mustard
- Salad dressing, low-calorie, including mayonnaise-type (1 tbsp.)
- Salsa (1/4 cup)
- Taco sauce (1 tbsp.)
- Vinegar
Sweet Substitutes
- Gelatin, sugar-free
- Jam or jelly, sugar-free (2 tsp.)
- Whipped topping (2 tbsp.)
Seasonings
Can be used as desired. If you are following a low sodium diet,
be sure to read the labels and choose
seasonings that do not contain sodium or salt.
- Flavoring extracts (vanilla, almond, butter, etc.)
- Garlic or garlic powder
- Herbs, fresh or dried
- Lemon or lemon juice spices
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Pepper
- Pimento
- Soy sauce
- Spices
- Worcestershire sauce
Fruit
- Cranberries or rhubarb, no sugar (1/2 cup)
Vegetables (raw, not to exceed 1 cup)
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Green onion
- Hot peppers
- Mushrooms
- Radishes
- Salad greens (as desired)
- Lettuce
- Romaine
- Spinach (raw)
- Zucchini