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Exchange list: Sweets, desserts and other carbohydrates
By Mayo Clinic staffYour diabetes diet can include sweets and desserts. Just remember the ground rules:
- Eat sweets and desserts as part of your meal. Your body can't tell the difference between sugars and starches when you eat them as part of a mixed meal with protein, fats and other nutrients. When you eat sweets and desserts as part of your meal, your blood sugar won't rise as rapidly.
- Don't overdo it. Sweets and desserts often lack the vitamins and minerals found in fruits, milk products and other carbohydrates.
- Eat sugar-free or low-carb candy with caution. The sweetening agents in sugar-free or low-carb candy still contain calories and must be counted in your daily totals. These foods may be high in fat, too.
Here's a guide to common sweets, desserts and other carbohydrates. Remember to count the exchanges in these products as part of your daily allowance. It's also a good idea to talk to your dietitian about how to fit these foods into your meal plan.
| Type | Food | Serving size | Count as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beverages | |||
| Energy drink | 1 can (8.3 fluid ounces) | 2 carbohydrates | |
| Hot chocolate, regular | 1 envelope added to 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) water | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 fat | |
| Hot chocolate, sugar-free or light | 1 envelope added to 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) water | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Lemonade | 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) | 2 carbohydrates | |
| Soda, regular | 1 can (12 fluid ounces) | 2 1/2 carbohydrates | |
| Sports drink | 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Brownies, cake and cookies | |||
| Angel food cake, unfrosted | 1/12 of cake (2 ounces) | 2 carbohydrates | |
| Brownie, small, unfrosted | 1 1/4-inch square, 7/8-inch thick (1 ounce) | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 fat | |
| Cake, frosted | 2-inch square (2 ounces) | 2 carbohydrates plus 1 fat | |
| Cake, unfrosted | 2-inch square (1 ounce) | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 fat | |
| Chocolate chip cookies | 2 (2 1/4 inches across) | 1 carbohydrate plus 2 fats | |
| Cupcake, small, frosted | 1 (1 3/4 ounces) | 2 carbohydrates plus 1 to 1 1/2 fats | |
| Gingersnap cookies | 3 | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Vanilla wafers | 5 | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 fat | |
| Pie and pudding | |||
| Fruit pie, commercially prepared, two crusts | 1/6 of 8-inch pie | 3 carbohydrates plus 2 fats | |
| Pudding, regular, made with reduced-fat milk | 1/2 cup (4 ounces) | 2 carbohydrates | |
| Pudding, sugar-free or sugar- and fat-free, made with fat-free milk | 1/2 cup (4 ounces) | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Pumpkin pie | 1/8 of 8-inch pie | 1 1/2 carbohydrates plus 1 1/2 fat | |
| Doughnuts, muffins and sweet breads | |||
| Banana nut bread | 1-inch slice (1 ounce) | 2 carbohydrates plus 1 fat | |
| Cake doughnut, medium, plain | 1 (1 1/2 ounces) | 1 1/2 carbohydrates plus 2 fats | |
| Doughnut, glazed | 1 (2 ounces) | 2 carbohydrates plus 2 fats | |
| Muffin, large | 1/4 (1 ounce) | 1 carbohydrate plus 1/2 fat | |
| Sweet roll | 1 (2 1/2 ounces) | 2 1/2 carbohydrates plus 2 fats | |
| Ice cream and other frozen desserts | |||
| Frozen pops | 1 | 1/2 carbohydrate | |
| Frozen yogurt, fat-free | 1/3 cup | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Frozen yogurt, regular | 1/2 cup | 1 carbohydrate plus 0-1 fat | |
| Fruit juice bar, 100 percent juice | 1 (3 ounces) | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Ice cream, fat-free | 1/2 cup | 1 1/2 carbohydrates | |
| Ice cream, light or no sugar added | 1/2 cup | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 fat | |
| Ice cream, regular | 1/2 cup | 1 carbohydrate plus 2 fats | |
| Sherbet, sorbet | 1/2 cup | 2 carbohydrates | |
| Candy | |||
| Candy bar, chocolate and peanut | 2 "fun-size" bars (1 ounce) | 1 1/2 carbohydrates plus 1 1/2 fats | |
| Chocolate "kisses" | 5 pieces | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 fat | |
| Hard candy | 3 pieces | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Spreads and syrups | |||
| Chocolate syrup | 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) | 2 carbohydrates | |
| Fruit spreads, 100 percent fruit | 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Honey | 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Jam or jelly, regular | 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Pancake syrup, light | 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) | 1 carbohydrate | |
| Pancake syrup, regular | 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) | 1 carbohydrate | |
Modified with permission from "Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetes," which is the basis of a meal planning system. © 2008 American Diabetes Association and American Dietetic Association. While designed primarily for people who have diabetes and others who must follow special diets, the exchange lists are based on principles of good nutrition that apply to everyone.
