One of several approaches for diabetes meal planning. Foods are catagorised into three groups based on their nutrition content. Lists provide the serving sizes for carbohydrates, meats and meat alternatives, and fats. These lists allow for substitution for different groups to keep the nutritional contect fixed.

A way of grouping foods together to help people on special diets stay on the diet. Each group lists food in a serving size. A person can exchange, trade or substitute a food serving in one group for another food serving in the same group. The lists put foods into six groups: starch/bread, meat, vegetables, fruit, milk and fats. Within a food group, one serving of each food item in that group has about the same amount of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and calories.

One way people with diabetes can plan their meals and diet. The exchange lists group foods into six categories: starch/bread, meat, vegetable, fruit, milk, and fat. Foods within any list can be substituted, or exchanged, with other foods on the same list without significantly altering the nutritional content of your diet.