January 21, 2003
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Dallas, Texas, USA:
In the past, our family ate a variety of dry beans as our main course (e.g., red beans and cornbread) for a meal, but now that my spouse is sticking so closely to his diet, we miss this meal. He is currently on an 1800 calorie diet with 180 grams of carb per day. Currently he can only have 1/2 c as a starch serving, and only two starches per meal. I know that there must be vegetarians who also have diabetes. How do the beans translate as a protein substitute? Are the measurements different if he uses them to replace meat in a meal?
Answer:
One 1/2 cup portion of red beans is considered one starch serving and one protein serving. Although you may be substituting the beans for other protein sources, you would still count it as one serving of starch and one serving of protein.
JMS
