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Exchange list: Meat and meat substitutes
By Mayo Clinic staffMost meats and meat substitutes are good sources of protein. One serving (exchange) of meat or meat substitute contains about 7 grams of protein. Check the product label to see how much fat and how many calories each product contains.
- Lean meat. One serving contains 0 to 3 grams of fat and 100 calories.
- Medium-fat meat. One serving contains 4 to 7 grams of fat and 130 calories.
- High-fat meat. One serving contains 8 or more grams of fat and 150 calories.
Meats and meat substitutes in the amounts listed below equal one meat exchange.
| Type | Food | Serving size |
|---|---|---|
| Lean meat and meat substitutes | ||
| Beef, select or choice, trimmed of fat: ground round, roast, round, sirloin, tenderloin | 1 ounce | |
| Beef jerky | 1/2 ounce | |
| Cheese, 3 grams or less of fat per ounce | 1 ounce | |
| Cottage cheese, fat-free, low-fat or regular | 1/4 cup | |
| Egg substitutes, plain | 1/4 cup | |
| Egg whites | 2 | |
| Fish, fresh or frozen: catfish, cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, orange roughy, salmon, tilapia, trout, tuna | 1 ounce | |
| Herring, smoked | 1 ounce | |
| Hot dog, 3 grams or less of fat per ounce (Note: May also contain carbohydrate) | 1 | |
| Lamb: roast, chop, leg | 1 ounce | |
| Luncheon meat, 3 grams or less of fat per ounce: chipped beef, deli thin-sliced meats, turkey ham, turkey kielbasa, turkey pastrami | 1 ounce | |
| Oysters, medium, fresh or frozen | 6 | |
| Pork, lean: Canadian bacon, chop, ham, tenderloin | 1 ounce | |
| Poultry without skin: chicken, Cornish hen, duck, goose, turkey | 1 ounce | |
| Sardines, canned | 2 medium | |
| Shellfish: clams, crab, imitation shellfish, lobster, scallops, shrimp | 1 ounce | |
| Tuna, canned in water or oil, drained | 1 ounce | |
| Veal: loin chop, roast | 1 ounce | |
| Wild game: buffalo, ostrich, rabbit, venison | 1 ounce | |
| Medium-fat meat and meat substitutes | ||
| Beef: corned beef, ground beef, meatloaf, prime rib, short ribs, tongue | 1 ounce | |
| Cheese, 4 to 7 grams of fat per ounce: feta, mozzarella, pasteurized processed cheese spread, reduced-fat cheeses, string | 1 ounce | |
| Eggs (limit to 3 a week) | 1 | |
| Fish, fried | 1 ounce | |
| Lamb: ground, rib roast | 1 ounce | |
| Pork: cutlet, shoulder roast | 1 ounce | |
| Poultry: chicken with skin, dove, fried chicken, ground turkey, pheasant, wild duck or goose | 1 ounce | |
| Ricotta cheese | 1/4 cup (2 ounces) | |
| Sausage, 4 to 7 grams of fat per ounce | 1 ounce | |
| Veal, cutlet, no breading | 1 ounce | |
| High-fat meats and meat substitutes | ||
| Bacon, pork | 2 slices (1 ounce each before cooking) | |
| Bacon, turkey | 3 slices (1/2 ounce each before cooking) | |
| Cheese, regular: American, bleu, Brie, cheddar, hard goat, Monterey Jack, queso, Swiss | 1 ounce | |
| Hot dog, regular: beef, chicken, pork, turkey or combination | 1 (Note: Count as 1 fat and 1 meat exchange.) | |
| Luncheon meat, 8 or more grams of fat per ounce: bologna, pastrami, hard salami | 1 ounce | |
| Pork: ground, sausage, spareribs | 1 ounce | |
| Sausage, 8 or more grams of fat per ounce: bratwurst, chorizo, Italian, knockwurst, Polish, smoked, summer | 1 ounce |
Modified with permission from "Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetes." American Diabetes Association and American Dietetic Association; 2008. 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.
Remember these guidelines for including meat and meat substitutes in your diet:
- Choose lean meat when you can. It's lower in saturated fat, cholesterol and calories.
- Weigh the meat after cooking and after removing bone, skin and excess fat. A 3-ounce portion of cooked meat is equal to about 4 ounces of raw meat. A 3-ounce portion of cooked meat is about the size of a deck of cards.
- Roast, broil or grill meat on a rack that allows fat to drain off the meat. If you must fry foods, use a nonstick frying pan and nonstick vegetable spray.
- If you use fats in cooking, count them as part of your daily fat allowance.
- If you use flour, batter, crackers, bread crumbs or cereal to prepare meat dishes, count them as part of your daily carbohydrate allowance. Three tablespoons of one of these starches contain about 15 grams of carbohydrate and are considered one carbohydrate exchange.
Many plant-based proteins also serve as meat substitutes, although they may count as both meat and carbohydrate exchanges. Check the food label for details.
| Food | Serving size | Exchange value |
|---|---|---|
| Baked beans | 1/3 cup | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 lean meat |
| Beans, cooked: black, garbanzo, kidney, lima, navy, pinto, white | 1/2 cup | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 lean meat |
| Edamame | 1/2 cup | 1/2 carbohydrate plus 1 lean meat |
| Hummus | 1/3 cup | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 high-fat meat |
| Lentils, cooked: brown, green, yellow | 1/2 cup | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 lean meat |
| Peanut butter | 1 tablespoon | 1 high-fat meat |
| Peas, cooked: black-eyed, split, green | 1/2 cup | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 lean meat |
| Refried beans, canned | 1/2 cup | 1 carbohydrate plus 1 lean meat |
| Soy-based "chicken" nuggets | 2 (1 1/2 ounces) | 1/2 carbohydrate plus 1 medium-fat meat |
| Soy-based hot dog | 1 (1 1/2 ounces) | 1/2 carbohydrate plus 1 lean meat |
| Soy-based "sausage" patties | 1 (1 1/2 ounces) | 1 medium-fat meat |
| Soy burger | 1 (3 ounces) | 1/2 carbohydrate plus 2 lean meats |
| Soy nuts, unsalted | 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) | 1/2 carbohydrate plus 1 medium-fat meat |
| Tempeh | 3/4 cup | 1 medium-fat meat |
| Tofu, light | 1/2 cup (4 ounces) | 1 lean meat |
| Tofu, regular | 1/2 cup (4 ounces) | 1 medium-fat meat |
Modified with permission from "Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetes." American Diabetes Association and American Dietetic Association; 2008. 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.
- Daly A, et al. Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetes. Alexandria, Va.: American Diabetes Association and American Dietetic Association; 2008.
- Weigel SE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 10, 2012.
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