Carbohydrate exchangers: the table will help you organize your diet

• Digestible carbohydrates - what are they?
• Carbohydrates and a diabetic diet
• Carbohydrate exchangers - how to calculate them?
• Carbohydrate exchangers - helpful table

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The carbohydrate exchanger (WW) is a nutritional standard developed especially for people with diabetes. The carbohydrate exchanger allows you to determine how much digestible carbohydrates are in a given meal, and then adjust the insulin doses to them. We present the table of carbohydrate exchangers, thanks to which it will be much easier to create a diet for a diabetic.

1 carbohydrate exchanger (WW)is the amount of product expressed in grams that contains 10 grams of the so-called digestible carbohydrates. In the past, the name of the carbohydrate exchanger was: a bread unit. The name comes from flour, which is the main ingredient of bread and one of the sources of carbohydrates at the same time.

Carbohydrate exchangersis a measure useful primarily for people suffering from type 1 diabetes, the so-called insulin-dependent diabetes and type 2 diabetes, if insulin is required for its treatment. During insulin therapy, it is necessary to balance the amount of consumed carbohydrates with insulin doses. Properly selected carbohydrate exchangers:

• allow you to control carbohydrate intake in a diabetic's diet,
• prevent blood glucose fluctuations - minimize the risk of hypoglycaemia (hyperglycaemia) and hypoglycaemia,
• allow you to predict blood sugar levels,
• make it easier to diversify the menu,
• help to maintain a he althy body weight (prevent overweight and obesity).

Digestible carbohydrates - what are they?

Carbohydrates(they are also called sugars) are, next to proteins and fats, the most important group of nutrients. They are found in products of plant origin (vegetables, fruits, groats, flour), as well as in milk and its products, e.g. cottage cheese, kefir, yoghurt (except butter).

Despite scientific disputes about the correct model of human nutrition, we need carbohydrates. First of all, the glucose produced from them is the only source of energy for the brain (fat cannot perform this function), it is an important building block of tissues and nerve cells, and determines the organism's distinctiveness, e.g. blood group. Secondly, carbohydrate products also contain other substances necessary for life, such as a we alth of vitamins that cannot be found in meat. Third, it belongs to the group of carbohydratesAlso fiber, which is devoid of nutrients, but helps to remove toxins and supports the proper functioning of the intestines.

Digestible carbohydratesis the amount of carbohydrates in a given product, minus dietary fiber, which is not digested and absorbed by the body, and therefore does not provide energy. The definition of digestible carbohydrates is illustrated by a simple equation:

total carbohydrates - dietary fiber=digestible carbohydrates

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Find out moreWorth knowing

WHO (World He alth Organization) recommends that carbohydrates cover at least 55 percent. the daily energy requirement. A middle-aged woman with a moderately active lifestyle needs about 2,000 kcal a day, so carbohydrates should provide her with about 1,100 kcal. The source of these carbohydrates should be primarily vegetables (including legumes) and wholemeal grain products, i.e. with fiber, vitamins and minerals stored just under the peel and in the germ of the grain.

Carbohydrates and a diabetic diet

The body converts some carbohydrates into glucose very quickly. If for some reason such a large dose of glucose is not used as an energy source, it remains in the blood and damages internal organs. This is exactly what happens with people with diabetes. It is also dangerous that after eating fast-absorbing carbohydrates, blood sugar rises sharply and drops quite quickly. These fluctuations in people with diabetes risk fainting and even coma. Therefore, it does not matter what carbohydrates the patient consumes. When he eats a slice of bread smeared with honey, his body gets 40 g of quickly absorbed carbohydrates, which is equivalent to 40 g of pure sugar. The same would give him a dinner of turkey breast fillet, 2 medium potatoes and 20 grams of green beans.

Carbohydrate exchangers - how to calculate them?

Nutritional education of diabetics who have recently been diagnosed with diabetes requiring insulin treatment begins with the definition of a carbohydrate exchanger and learning the correct conversion of food products to WW. This skill allows patients to accurately select insulin doses to meals.

To estimate the value of carbohydrate exchangers in 1 portion of a givenof the product, you need to know its weight and know how much carbohydrates are contained in 100 g of this product. You can check the first value on the scale, and the second one on the packaging of the finished product or in special information tables. We present an example calculation of the carbohydrate exchanger.

The content of carbohydrate exchangers in the product can be checked on special scales. You put the product on the scale and enter its code or name, and the device automatically calculates the WW value.

1 slice of rye bread weighing 31 g100 g of bread has 58 g of carbohydrate, so 31 g of bread contains 18 g of carbohydrate 18 g is 1.8 WW (divide by 10 )

Important

The number of carbohydrate exchangers in the diet is determined by a dietitian individually for each patient , after analyzing such parameters as: gender, age, physical activity, blood glucose level and energy demand. Only after determining the number of exchangers, you can divide them into individual meals consumed during the day.

Carbohydrate exchangers - helpful table

Skillful use of carbohydrate exchangers is cumbersome. Especially in the first stages of introducing a new diet. Therefore, tables of carbohydrate exchangers for basic food products are widely available for patients, e.g. in diabetes clinics. These tables are very detailed. They contain products divided into food groups. This is because products can be exchanged only in the area of ​​the same group, e.g. fruit for fruit, or bread for bread etc.

To facilitate the creation of a new diet adapted to the current blood glucose level, we present a table with example exchangers.

This will be useful to you

PRODUCT	QUANTITY	CALORIES	WW
FRUIT
Watermelon	100 g	19	0.4
Banana (1 pc.)	180 g	108	2,7
Blackcurrant (glass)	112 g	52	1,6
Grapefruit (1/2 pcs.)	150 g	35	1
Pear (1 pc)	150 g	62	1,6
Apple (1 pc.)	150 g	51	1,3
Dried apricots (3 pcs)	24 g	68	1,8
Oranges (1 pc.)	200 g	64	1,6
Dried raisins (1/4 cup)	75 g	208	5,3
Dried plums (6 pcs)	30 g	68	1,8
Strawberries (10 pcs.)	140 g	38	1
Mandarins (2 pcs.)	100 g	32	0.8
Kiwi (1 pc.)	88 g	42	1
Raspberries	100 g	29	1,2
Grapes	100 g	68	1,7

PRODUCT	QUANTITY	CALORIES	WW
VEGETABLES
Broccoli	100 g	16	0,3
Brussels sprouts	100 g	28	0,7
Burak	100 g	28	0,7
Onion	100 g	27	0.6
White beans (dry grains)	50 g	144	3,1
Green beans	100 g	24	0,7
Green peas	50 g	32	0.8
Cauliflower	100 g	14	0,3
White cabbage	100 g	24	0.6
Sauerkraut	100 g	11	0,3
Cooked corn (cob)	250 g	145	3,1
Canned corn	100 g	23	0,2
Carrot	100 g	20	0.6
Canned peppers	100 g	30	0.5
Tomato	100 g	15	0.4
Asparagus (6 pcs.)	100 g	59	1,2
Spinach	100 g	13	0,2
Leek (1 pc.)	124 g	17	0.4
Lettuce (medium head)	200 g	20	0.4
Green cucumber	100 g	10	0,2
Potato	100 g	60	1,4

PRODUCT	QUANTITY	CALORIES	WW
SWEETS AND SNACKS
Baton Snickers (1 pc)	60 g	298	3,2
Chips (10 pcs)	45 g	242	2,4
High-sugar jam	20 g	50	1,3
Low-sugar jam	20 g	31	0.8
Fruit jelly (1/2 cup)	100 g	70	1,5
Biscuits (1 pc.)	10 g	44	0.8
Caramels (5 pcs.)	20 g	80	2
Natural honey	20 g	65	1,6
Donut (1 pc.)	50 g	189	2,6
Chocolate gingerbread (3 pcs)	50 g	189	3,5
Hazelnuts	100 g	646	1,5
Walnuts	100 g	651	1,8

PRODUCT	QUANTITY	CALORIES	WW
SOUPS
Grochowa	250 g	188	2,2
Kapuśniak	250 g	58	0.4
Krupnik	250 g	110	1,9
cucumber	250 g	108	1,2
Tomato soup with noodles	250 g	90	0.8
Chicken broth	250 g	72	1,5
Sour rye soup with potatoes	250 g	320	5,6

PRODUCT	QUANTITY	CALORIES	WW
DRINKS
Cola, orangeade	250 ml	105	2,6
Cocoa on milk	250 ml	163	2,1
Apple juice	120 ml	50	1,2
Tomato juice	120 ml	16	0,3

PRODUCT	QUANTITY	CALORIES	WW
WHITE
Natural yoghurt 2 percent fat	250 ml	150	1,6
Yogurt with fruit	250 ml	150	2,1
Sour milk 2% fat	250 ml	128	1,2
Processed cheese	100 g	299	0,1
Cheesecottage cheese	100 g	99	0.4
Cheese (slice)	20 g	58	0
Sour cream 12 percent fat	100 g	133	0.4

PRODUCT	QUANTITY	CALORIES	WW
CEREALS
Wheat bread (slice)	40 g	100	2,2
Rye bread (slice)	40 g	96	2,3
Barley groats	22 g	28	0.5
Pancakes	100 g	239	4,1
2-egg pasta	50 g	53	1
Wheat flour	30 g	103	2,3
Wheat bran	30 g	56	1,9
Cornflakes	20 g	73	1,7
Oatmeal	26 g	95	1,8
Pumpernickel (slice)	50 g	126	2,9
S alty sticks	100 g	385	7,5
Crispy bread (slice)	8 g	28	0.6
Rice	20 g	27	0.6

PRODUCTS	QUANTITY	CALORIES	WW
ALCOHOL
Liqueur	25 g	66	0.8
Light beer	0.5 l	245	1,9
Dry wine	100 g	65	0
Pure vodka	40 g	88	0

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