Note
Much of the information contained in this chapter relating to exchange values of foods is adapted and derived from: The Textbook ofNatural Medicine by Joseph Pizzorno ND and Michael Murray ND (Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, 1986), The Bioplan by Naola Van Orden Ph.D. and S. Paul Steed Ph.D. (Die I Press, New York 1983), and food-exchange lists devised by the American Diabetes Association in conjunction with the American Dietetic Association. My thanks are due to these sources, although none has been quoted directly.
Exchange Units
Exchange diets such as the ones which are described below give you the chance to select foods according to your personal tastes and preferences while staying inside a framework which guarantees balance and optimal availability of essential nutrients.
Protein and calorie content of EUs in different categories of foods
| Category | Protein
grams | Calories |
| Each Dairy exchange unit* | 8 | 80 |
| Each Fat exchange unit | none | 45 |
| Each Fruit exchange unit | none | 40 |
| Each Grain/Starch exchange unit | 2 | 70 |
| Each High Protein exchange unit** | 7 | 55 |
| Each Vegetable exchange unit | 2 | 25 |
Fat content of exchange units in different categories of foods
| Category | Fat
grams |
| Each Dairy exchange unit* | 0 to 15 |
| Each Fat exchange unit | 5 |
Fruit contains minimal fat
(except for nuts and avocado) | |
| Grain/Starch and Vegetables | no fat |
| High Protein exchange units | 3 to 7 |
* Dairy exchange units always contain protein and usually contain fat. The fat content will vary with the type of dairy product chosen and dear indications of these variations will be given in the exchange lists later in this chapter. For example: 8 oz of full fat milk carries 1 Dairy EU and 1 Eat EU, while 8 oz of skim milk carries 1 Dairy EU and no Eat EU.
**High Protein EUs are the only exchange category which contain both Fat and Protein (and in the case of pulses they contain Protein, Grain/Starch and sometimes Fat EUs).
The fat content will vary with the type of protein chosen and clear indications of both protein and fat content (in grams and EUs) will be given in the exchange lists later in this chapter. For example: loz of veal chop contains 7 grams of protein (1 Protein EU) and 3 grams of fat (around half of a Fat EU). loz of loin steak contains 7 grams of protein (1 Protein EU) and 6 grams of fat (1 Fat EU). Half a cup of lentils contains 1 High Protein EU and 1 Grain/Starch EU.
You should use these lists to calculate your daily protein and fat intakes, in terms of grams per kilo of your present body weight (these have to match the needs dictated by your present body weight - see the previous chapter for the method of calculating these important needs).
Flexibility
If you calculated from your body weight that you require between 48 and 60 grams of protein daily (this would be the right range for someone weighing 60 kilos/1321b/9.5 stone) then stay within that range of 48 to 60 grams of protein daily, if at all possible, not having less than 48 grams or more than 60 grams in any given day. This 'range' is an important feature since it allows you to be quite flexible in your choices, and avoids the need to have a slide rule and calculator handy each time you are making up the day's dietary content. The flexibility of having a range into which to fit both fat and protein intake allows you a wide choice of foods.