meal plan based on food exchanges

I was wondering if anyone could provide me with an example of a meal plan which uses food exchanges - with a list of what is one serving of each exchange.. if that makes sense. Around 1,500 calories would be ideal.

It would also help me if I could see an example of how this translates into actual meals. So if anyone could post like, their exchanges and then what foods they would eat to make up that meal?

I looked on google but everything I found was for diabetics so I didn't know if it would be different, and also I found the lists of foods confusing and there wasn't much on there that I would actually eat. 

Sorry this isn't very clearly worded but I hope it makes a little sense.

Huh?  Do you mean a list of breakfasts/lunches/dinners/snacks that you choose 1 from each category per day? 

I had to go by the exchange system when I was put into an ED clinic. It's the only way they would do our diets. Then when I left I had to keep up with the system. It's been about 3.5 years now though. So I can't really remember each exchange exactly. I still have books on it, but they are back at my parent's home. Crap. :(

Let's see if I can remember.

Starch (or bread) is equal to 80 cals

Milk is equal to 90 cals

Fats is equal to 45 cals

Vegetable is equal to 25 cals

Fruit is equal to 60 cals

Protein is equal to 70 cals

Free food is like 10-20 cals

So let's see if I can conjure something up here....

Breakfast-

2 Starches, 1 milk, 1 fruit, 1 fat, 1 protein = 425 cals

Snack 1

1 fruit, 1 protein, 1 fat = 175 cals

Lunch

2 Starch, 1 milk, 3 vegetable, 1 protein = 395

Snack 2

1 protein, 1 fruit = 130

Dinner

3 vegetable, 1 fat, 2 protein, 1 starch = 360

Total: 1485 (leaving room for a few free foods.)

You can totally change this. But, it's an example. And yes the diabetic thing on the net is the same system. (You don't have to be diabetic to follow it though. :P) Sadly, there isn't much on the net about it though. Hope this helps. :(

okeee, i've been doing this for a while. example:

breakfast:

1 grain, 1 fruit, 1 dairy, 1 protein, 1 milk, 1 fat= yogurt, corn flakes, craisins, 1 tbsp PB in a bowl mixed together. 1 ounce of deli turkey.

snack:

1 fruit & 1 grain= nutrigrain bar

lunch:

2 grains, 1 fruit, 1 veg, 1 dairy, 3 protein, 1 fat= big salad with veggies, 3 oz. tuna, garbanzo beans (grain), and cheese/dressing (fat). chocolate milk. sun chips (2nd grain)

dinner:

SAME but without fruit. so something like stirfry with chicken and then a glass of milk.

snack:

fat free ice cream bar and an apple (fruit and grain) 

hi, sorry if this has been posted elsewhere, but i don't understand what exchanges are... i always see them on nutrition lables but i don't understand. can you give me a quick explaination or a link to a site that has one?

thanks!

silentdeadlyrose's list of exchanges looks like what I started with, too.

But I found them too tedious and complicated to use.  The calories per exchange vary a lot from food group to food group, and the whole method ends up making a simple plan to count calories into very complicated dietary calculus.  I just wasn't all that interested in spending my day deconstructing the nutritive components of a half cup of homemade potato salad or pasta ingredient by ingredient.

What I have done for the last 2-1/2 years is to count based on a universal exchange of 70 calories, regardless of the food type.  I log my calories (both food and exercise) in units of 70.  I strive to keep a balance of food types throughout the day, but since I'm only interested in the calories I don't log meals.   As a result I couldn't tell you accurately how much protein or sodium I've eaten in a day. 

This method worked well enough for me to lose 50 lbs and maintain.

I have an example of a 2000 calorie meal plan from a nutritionist:

Breakfast:  2 meat, 3 bread, 2 fruit, 2 fat, 2% milk

Lunch:  3 meat, 1 vegetable, 2 bread, 2 fruit, 2 fat, 2% milk

Dinner:  3 meat, 1 vegetable, 2 bread, 2 fruit, 2 fats

Here's an example with the food:

Breakfast:  2 hard boiled eggs, 1 english muffin, 1 serving non-sugar cereal, 1 banana, 4 oz juice, 2 tsp butter, 2% milk

Lunch:  Turkey sandwich (2 slices bread, 3 oz turkey), salad with 2 TB dressing, apple, 4 oz juice, 8 oz 2% milk

Dinner:  3 oz grilled chicken, 1/2 cup pasta with tomato sauce (counts as veg) and slice of bread with 2 tsp butter, fruit, 4 oz juice

Personally, I didn't like this meal plan because the meals are so huge, but I guess you can spread out the exchanges to your liking.