Carbohydrate Exchanges
Understanding carbohydrate exchanges gives you more flexibility in your meal choices whilst maintaining good blood sugar control.
One carbohydrate exchange contains 15g of carbohydrate.
The following are some examples of what one carbohydrate exchange (15g carbohydrate) looks like:
Rice & alternatives
Rice - 2 heaped tablespoons or 1/4 rice bowl
Noodles/pasta - 1/3 rice bowl
Bread - 1 slice
Plain crackers - 3 pieces
Oatmeal/rolled oats - 2 tablespoons
Cornflakes - 1/2 cup
Chapati - 1/2 piece
Iddly/plain thosai - 1 piece
Naan - 1/3 piece
Pau/bun - 1/2 whole
Starchy Vegetables
Potato/sweet potato/yam - 1/2 medium
Corn cob - 1 small
Beans/peas/lentils - 1/2 cup
Fruit
Whole fruits (e.g. apple, orange, pear, banana) - 1 small
Cut fruits (e.g. watermelon, honeydew, papaya) - 1 wedge
Small fruits (e.g. grapes, rambutan, berries) - About 6-8 or 1 fistful
Unsweetened fruit juice - 1/2 cup
Dairy
1 cup of milk/unsweetened soy milk
1 small tub (180g) plain unsweetened yoghurt
Food Label Reading
If you eat packaged foods, you can figure out how much carbohydrate is in your food from the “Nutrition Facts” label. The label is found on the outside of the container.
Understanding carbohydrate exchanges allows you to customize your meals according to your liking.
For example, if you’re allowed 3 carbohydrate exchanges for breakfast, you can choose to have 6 tablespoons of oats or 2 slices of bread with 1 piece of fruit. Both options would give you the same amount of carbohydrate.
Your health coach can advice you on the number of carbohydrate exchanges you need at each meal.