The food exchange lists were developed in the 1950s by the
American Dietetic Association, American Diabetes Association,
and the U.S. Public Health Service in attempt to simplify the
strict and complicated diabetic diet. The idea behind the
exchange lists was to provide an educational tool to diabetics
and to help provide structure in meal planning. The key to
controlling diabetes is to control your blood sugar/blood
glucose level. This system does a great job of outlining what
you can do to help yourself to control your blood sugar. A major
downfall to this system is cracking down the complexity in order
to implement it into your daily life. Therefore, it’s
recommended for individuals to meet with a Registered Dietitian
(a certified diabetes educator is ideal) in order to fully grasp
this diet and help individualize it to your life and needs. The
dietitian will recommend a certain number of daily exchanges
from each food group based on your individual needs. You and the
dietitian will work together to decide