The Six Exchange Groups & Basic Food List

Written by Yasar Shahzad Friday, 02 July 2010 20:12

The Six Exchange Groups & Basic Food List

You have learned the basic guidelines of foods choices. Now let’s go ahead and learn the six exchange groups and basic food list. These lists will help you later in creating your menus for building lean muscles and losing fats.

Most mainstream nutritionists still divide foods into the four basic categories; (1) breads and grains, (2) dairy, (3) meats and (4) fruits and vegetables. For our purposes of getting you so lean and completely free of body fat that you look like a walking anatomy chart and total strangers have the irresistible urge to feed you, it’s necessary to be much more precise with your food groups.

Because each type of carbohydrate can have vastly different properties and effects on body composition, it’s necessary to subdivide the carbohydrates into three separate groups; starchy, fibrous and simple. Proteins will be narrowed down into “lean proteins,” eliminating all the high fat proteins from the list, dairy products will be narrowed down to non fat or low fat dairy, eliminating all whole milk and 2% products, and good fats will have a category by themselves.

Group 1. Complex Carbohydrates: (Fibrous)

Asparagus     Broccoli     Okra
Cauliflower     Green Beans     Brussel Sprouts
Peas     Cucumber     Squash
Collard greens     Mushrooms     Zucchini
Lettuce     Salads     Pepper, green or red
Tomatoes, pasta sauce, salsa     Spinach     Kale

Group II: Natural Simple Carbohydrates (Fruit)

Apples     Unsweetened applesauce     Blueberries
Bananas     Oranges     Raspberries
Berries     Nectarines     Plums
Grapes     Peaches     Cantaloupe
Grapefruit     Pears     Jelly (all fruit)

Group III: Complex Carbohydrates (Starchy)

Oatmeal, Cream of Rice, Cream of Wheat, Cream of Rye, oat bran, barley, multi-grain Potatoes (white, red) Yams, sweet potatoes, carrots Beans, lentils, legumes Brown Rice 100% whole grain dry cereals 100% whole wheat or whole grain pasta 100% whole wheat bread & whole grain products

Group IV: Lean Proteins:

Chicken breast, Turkey breast
Fish (Flounder, Haddock, Salmon, Orange Roughy, Cod, Tuna etc.)
Shellfish (Lobster, shrimp, Clams, etc.)
Lean Red Meat (Flank Steak, Round Steak, extra lean sirloin)
Eggs/Egg whites (One yolk for every six whites)
Low or non fat dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.)