Diabetes Diet for Kids

All kids benefit from a healthy diet, but when a child has diabetes, meal planning is an important part of maintenance. A good meal plan can help parents determine which foods to select from each food group, and help them estimate what and how much of certain ingredients can affect blood sugar levels. In addition to a well-planned diet for your diabetic child, exercise and medication can improve control of his blood sugar.

Meal Planning Priorities

It is important for kids of all ages to stick with healthy eating habits, but kids with diabetes must plan meals that carefully balance carbohydrates against their insulin and activity levels in order to keep blood sugar levels in check. According to the website Kids Health, making meal-planning a priority helps prevent many of the long-term health problems associated with diabetes.

The Role of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates serve as a source of energy, and have the greatest impact on blood sugar levels. Too many carbs can cause blood sugar spikes, while not enough can cause blood sugar to plummet. According to Boston Children's Hospital, carbohydrates should comprise 50 percent of a child's diabetic meal plan.
Not all carbohydrates are alike, however, and parents of diabetics should look to fruits, vegetables and whole grains as their primary source of carbohydrates because these also provide vital nutrients and minerals. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends looking for labels that feature the word "whole" on the label for whole wheat, whole oats or whole grain. They also suggest avoiding potato products while increasing bean intake.

Nutritional Labeling

Nutritional labeling information is an important tool when calculating how many carbohydrates are included in a meal for a diabetic child, particularly where sugars are concerned. The MayoClinic.com recommends looking at the total carbohydrate listing rather than just the grams of sugar. Focusing on just the sugar might mean a kid misses out on fruits and milk that are healthy and naturally high in sugar but lower in carbohydrates.
It is also important to keep in mind that sugar-free does always translate to mean carbohydrate-free. Parents can avoid this trap by comparing labels side by side for carbohydrate counts. Remember that some sugar substitutes like xylitol, sorbitol and mannitol contain sugar alcohols that are not necessarily low in carbohydrates. Parents can calculate a child's carbohydrate intake by taking note of the serving sizes along with the amount of carbs per serving.

Meal Plans

Parents can choose between three types of diabetic diets for kids. The carbohydrate counting meal plan allows parents to count carbohydrates to match their kid's insulin doses accordingly. This requires parents to count the number of carbohydrate grams in each food.
The constant carbohydrate meal plan allows a child to eat a certain amount of carbs in each meal and snack, and to take insulin at the same time and in similar doses each day. Others prefer the exchange meal plan to allow for focus on proteins and fats in addition to carbohydrates. With this plan, parents must divide and track food in six distinct groups based on serving size and calorie count.

Eating Out

Parents and children can follow diabetic meal plans both at home and when dining out at restaurants. Many national chains offer nutritional labeling and portion control information, and restaurants with a wide variety of foods tend to offer diabetic-friendly fare like salads and vegetarian options. Kids Health advises parents to look for menu options that are nutritious and reasonably portioned, and notes that portion size is more difficult to monitor at buffet-style restaurants.