** Before using this or any diet plan, please check with your Doctor.

This is just what I

use and like. This is just a way of tracking carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Carbohydrate Choices
A carbohydrate choice is the amount of a food that has about 15 grams of carbohydrate
and varying amounts of protein and fat.
Grains/Beans/Starchy Serving Carb
vegetables Size Choices
Bagel, small 1 bagel (2 oz) 2
Baked beans ½ cup 1½
Beans (pinto, garbanzo, kidney), cooked or ½ cup 1
canned
Bread 1 slice (1 oz) 1
Cereal, cooked ½ cup 1
Cereal, unsweetened, ready-to-eat ¾ cup 1
Corn ½ cup 1
Dinner roll 1 roll (1 oz) 1
English muffin 1 muffin (2 oz) 2
Hamburger or hot dog bun 1 bun (2 oz) 2
Lima beans, cooked 2/3 cup 1
Pancakes, 4” across 2 pancakes 1
Pasta (macaroni, noodles, spaghetti), cooked ½ cup 1
Peas, green ½ cup 1
Potato, baked or boiled 1 small (3 oz) 1
Potato, mashed ½ cup 1
Rice, white or brown, cooked 1/3 cup 1
Squash, acorn or butternut, cooked 1 cup 1
Tortilla, 6” across 1 tortilla 1
Waffle, 4 ½” across 1 waffle 1

Fruits/Fruit juices Serving Carb

Size Choices
Apple or orange 1 small 1
Banana or pear 1 medium 2
Berries (blueberries, raspberries, 1 cup 1
strawberries)
Canned fruit in juice or water ½ cup 1
Cherries or grapes 12 - 15 1
Dried fruit ¼ cup 1
Fruit juice 1/3 -½ cup 1
Grapefruit ½ medium 1
Melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew) 1 cup cubes 1
Prunes 3 prunes 1
Raisins 2 Tbsp 1

Milk/Yogurt/Milk Serving Carb

Substitutes Size Choices
Milk, skim or low-fat (1%) 1 cup (8 oz) 1
Milk, reduced fat (2%) or whole 1 cup (8 oz) 1
Rice beverage ½ - ¾ cup (4-6 oz) 1
Soy milk, low-fat or nonfat 1 cup (8 oz) 1
Yogurt, low-fat, artificially sweetened or plain ¾ - 1 cup (6-8 oz) 1
Yogurt, low-fat, sweetened, with fruit ¾ - 1 cup (6-8 oz) 2-3

Combination foods Serving Carb

size choices
Asian entrée (no rice) 1 cup 1
Burrito, bean, flour tortilla, 7” long 1 burrito 3
Burrito, meat, flour tortilla, 7” long 1 burrito 2
Chili, casserole, or hot dish 1 cup 2
Frozen dinner 8 - 11 oz 1 dinner 2-3
Frozen dinner, reduced calorie, “healthy,” 8 - 1 dinner 2-3
11 oz
Hamburger with bun, regular size 1 burger 2
Lasagna, 3” x 4” piece 1 piece (1 cup) 2
Macaroni and cheese 1 cup 2
Pasta or potato salad ½ cup 1
 Pizza, thick-crust, medium 1 slice (1/8 pizza) 2
Pizza, thin-crust, medium 1 slice (1/8 pizza) 1
Soup (bean, noodle, or vegetable) 1 cup 1
Soup (cream) 1 cup 1
Spaghetti or pasta sauce, canned ½ cup 1
Sub sandwich, 6” long 1 sub 3
Taco 1 taco 1

Sweets/Snacks Serving Carb

size choices
Chips, potato or tortilla 10-15 chips (1 oz) 1
Cookie, 3” across 1 cookie 1
Crackers, snack 4-5 crackers 1
Frozen yogurt, nonfat or low-fat ½ cup 1½
Graham crackers 3 squares 1
Granola bar 1 bar (1 oz) 1
Ice cream or light ice cream ½ cup 1
Muffin, small 1 muffin (1 ½ oz) 1
Popcorn, popped, no fat added 3 cups 1
Popcorn, microwave light, popped ½ large bag 2
Pretzel twists, mini 15 pretzels (¾ oz) 1
Pudding, sugar-free ½ cup 1
Syrup, honey, or table sugar 1 Tbsp 1

Free Foods
Free foods have less than 5 grams of carbohydrate and less than 20 calories per serving.
Unlimited One Serving is Free
Diet soft drinks Condiments (catsup, taco sauce, mustard), 1 Tbsp
Mineral water, sugar-free Jams and jellies, low sugar or light, 1-2 tsp
Seasonings Salad dressings, fat-free, 1 Tbsp
Sugar substitutes Syrup, sugar-free, 2 Tbsp
Vegetables (Aim for three or more servings a day.)
Each serving has about 5 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of protein, and 25 calories.
One serving is ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw. Three servings at one meal or snack equal one
carbohydrate choice.
Asparagus Cauliflower Mushrooms Tomatoes
Beets Celery Onions Turnips
Broccoli Cucumbers Pea pods Zucchini
Cabbage Green beans Peppers
Carrots Greens, all varieties Radishes

Meat/Meat Substitutes
Each ounce has about 7 grams of protein, 3-8 grams of fat, very little or no
carbohydrate, and 50-100 calories. Bake, broil, roast or grill meats. An average serving
is 3 ounces - about the size of a deck of cards.
Beef, choice cuts, fat trimmed Hot dog, regular
Beef, prime cuts Lamb roast, chop or leg
Chicken or turkey, no skin Lunchmeat
Ground beef, lean or extra lean Lunchmeat, low-fat
Ground chicken or turkey Pork sausage or ribs
Ground turkey breast Pork roast or chop, fat trimmed
Ham Veal roast or chop, fat trimmed
Meat Substitute (serving size equal to 1 ounce meat)
Cheese, regular, 1 oz Peanut butter, 2 Tbsp
Cheese, part skim or reduced fat, 1 oz Salmon, canned in water, ¼ cup
Cottage cheese, ¼ cup Soy burger, 1 oz (may contain carbohydrate)
Egg, 1 medium Tofu, ½ cup
Egg substitute, ¼ cup

Fats
Each serving has about 5 grams of fat, little or no carbohydrate or protein, and 45
calories.
Unsaturated Fats (better choice) Saturated Fats (less healthy)
Margarine, soft, 1 tsp Bacon, 1 slice
Margarine, reduced fat, 1 Tbsp Butter, 1 tsp
Mayonnaise, 1 tsp Cream, table or light, 2 Tbsp
Mayonnaise, reduced fat, 1 Tbsp Cream cheese, light, 2 Tbsp
Nuts, 1 Tbsp Cream cheese, regular, 1 Tbsp
Oil, 1 tsp Gravy, 2 Tbsp
Peanut butter, 2 tsp Shortening, 1 tsp
Salad dressing, 1 Tbsp Sour cream, 2 Tbsp
Salad dressing, reduced fat, 2 Tbsp
Sunflower seeds, 1 Tbsp
Using Food Labels
Serving Size: All of the information on the label is based on this portion size. If you eat
double the serving size, the amount of nutrients you get will be doubled as well.
Total Carbohydrates: This shows the total grams of carbohydrate in one serving. Total
carbohydrate includes all starches, sugars, and dietary fiber.
• About 15 grams of carbohydrate is equal to one carbohydrate choice.
• You can ignore the total grams of sugar listed on the label.
• If a food has 5 or more grams of fiber, subtract the total grams of fiber from
the total carbohydrate before using the conversion guide. Foods with more than 3
grams of fiber per serving, along with water, can help relieve constipation.
Conversion Guide
Total Carbohydrate
Carbohydrate Choices
Grams (g)
0-5 0
6-10 ½
11-20 1
21-25 1½
26-35 2
26-40 2½
41-50 3
51-55 3½
56-65 4
66-70 4½
71-80 5
 My Food Plan
Breakfast
2-3 Carbohydrate Choices
0-1 oz Meat
1-2 Fat
Lunch
3 Carbohydrate Choices
Vegetable
3 oz Meat
2 Fat
Afternoon Snack
1 Carbohydrate Choice
0-1 oz Meat
0-1 Fat
Dinner
3 Carbohydrate Choices
Vegetable
3-4 oz Meat
2 Fat
Evening Snack
1 Carbohydrate Choice
0-1 oz Meat
0-1 Fat