When your child is diagnosed with diabetes, especially type 1, many questions come into your head. Will life for my child be normal? What foods can my child eat? Indeed, having a diabetic child is overwhelming when first diagnosed. Diabetes affects not only your child, but also the entire family. But it is possible for you and your child to live a normal life and participate in normal activities with proper education and management.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes because it is usually diagnosed in children. It is a condition characterized by high blood sugar levels because the body cannot produce insulin, a hormone that converts sugar to energy. A daily insulin shot under the supervision of a physician is required to balance your child's blood sugar levels. Eating a healthy diet is also important in managing blood sugar. Your physician or dietitian will help create a plan that best meets your family's needs.
Meal Plans
Learning how to plan proper meals and snacks is crucial to managing your child's diabetes. Meal plans help you and your child eat balanced and healthy meals. Your health-care provider likely gave you a meal plan to follow. The plan may not tell you exactly what to prepare, but it should provide a group of foods you can choose from to individualize to your family's liking. KidsHealth.org and the American Diabetes Association have outlined some meal plans that will make your planning easier.
Carbohydrate Counting
The carbohydrate counting plan is where you count the amount of carbohydrates eaten daily to match the insulin doses being given. Carbohydrates are sugars and starches found in processed foods, fruits, grains and vegetables that raise blood sugar. You will need to learn how to read food labels and educate yourself and your child on what carbohydrates are highest in sugar and should be limited or avoided completely. Some high-sugar and starch examples to avoid include foods with high fructose corn syrup, potatoes, white breads and baked goods. Choose non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots and green beans. Incorporate lots of fruits and vegetables instead of processed foods for your carbohydrates.
Exchange Meal Plans
If counting carbohydrates seems too tedious, you may want to try the exchange meal plan. This plan looks at balancing carbohydrates with proper proteins and fats. There are six groups for exchange, which are starch, fruit, milk, fat, vegetable and meat. The number of calories and carbohydrates determines the serving sizes of the foods in each group so each serving is equal calories. This allows you to exchange foods within a group based on individual taste. Your physician or dietitian will determine the number of exchanges recommended from each group.
The Plate Method
The plate method is simple and interactive. It involves actually dividing your diabetic child's plate into three sections. This educates you and your child about portion control. It works by first dividing a plate into two sections, then dividing one of the halves into two sections, making three. The largest section is used to add non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, cucumbers, beets or leafy greens. One of the smaller sections is reserved for starchy foods such as rice, whole grain bread, cooked beans, pretzels or sweet potatoes. The remaining section is reserved for protein such as eggs, meat, fish, seafood, tofu, cheese or chicken. The plate method can be applied to breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Member Comments