You hear a lot about carbohydrates when it comes to weight loss, but carb counting isn't a method meant for children to lose excess pounds. It's actually a technique to help manage type 1 diabetes. The reason for this is that carbohydrates have the greatest impact on blood glucose levels. By counting this nutrient, you're better able to plan meals to match insulin dosages, which can keep blood-sugar levels within a healthy range.
Carbohydrates
Though there are three types of carbs, but only two increase blood glucose levels: starch and sugar. Fiber, the third carbohydrate, passes through the body undigested, so it doesn't affect blood sugar in the same way. According to the American Diabetes Association, it's essential to include all three in meal planning for children with diabetes. Each food item contains a certain amount of carbohydrates based on its portion size. Some are filled with carbs, while others contain none. Check any food label and you'll find a total carbohydrate value for that item.
Fiber
For some parents, questions still remain involving fiber. The Joslin Diabetes Center states that fiber in food can be subtracted from the total grams of carbohydrate in a meal. Take a small apple, which contains a total carbohydrate value of 21 g. If 4 g come from dietary fiber, the carb count is roughly 17 g.
Recommendation
Your doctor can help you determine a carb target for your child based on health goals, food preferences and lifestyle, but the American Diabetes Association estimates 45 to 60 g carbohydrate at each meal is common. If snacks are included in your child's diet, these foods often contain between 15 and 30 g carbohydrate, explains the National Federation of the Blind.
Effects
Once a carb target is established, you need to stay within 5 g of this amount. If your child's target is 45 g carbohydrate at a meal, he should eat between 40 and 50 g to ensure his blood sugar remains in a healthy range. Not eating enough can lead to hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, while eating to much can lead to hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar.
Complications
Uncontrolled blood sugar can lead to a number of serious health complications, warns the Mayo Clinic. If blood sugar is left unchecked, your child's feet, eyes, kidneys and nerves can all suffer irreversible damage and result in diabetic retinopathy, blindness, kidney disease, kidney failure and neuropathy. Uncontrolled blood sugar also increases the risk of coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke later in life.
Sources
Carbohydrates are found in the majority of food in most children's diets. Fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and sweets can all contain sugar, starch or fiber that affects blood-sugar levels.
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