Development of a List of Food Exchange Including Confectioneries and Alcohol for Healthy People, and Its Validity

We developed a food exchange list, including confectioneries and alcohol, based on the food exchange list for diabetes, and designed an intake unit record sheet to simplify daily diet. Thirteen healthy women (age: 39.2±7.0 years) filled out a diet diary and intake unit record sheet for seven days. When energy and nutrient intake calculated by the intake unit record sheet were compared with those calculated by the diet diary, the ratios for energy and for macronutrient intake were 0.97-1.09, and correlations were 0.97-0.99. For dietary fiber and for micronutrients, the ratios were 0.79-1.09, and the correlations were 0.70-0.93. The intake unit record sheet was more accurate than the list of food exchange for diabetes for calculating intake of carbohydrate and fat in healthy people who ingested confectioneries and alcohol. Our food exchange list and intake unit record sheet remained accurate when the database was revised to the fifth revised edition of the standard table of food composition in Japan. The developed method is effective for determining the energy and nutrient intake of people in normal health.