Meal plan – an important aspect of controlling diabetes in children

Diabetes is a serious disorder, but once prone to this disorder individual should take care of themselves rather than depend on others. Elder subjects can take care of themselves but not children. This is because children cannot understand all the aspects of the disorder, so parents/elders need to help them.

There are different ways of taking care. Among these, diet is a crucial aspect because children are very tentative and can eat anything, which might complicate the disorder. Hence it is important to learn about proper meal planning when your child has diabetes. The type and amount of food your child eats affects his/her blood sugar levels. If your child eats too much, his/her blood sugar may go up too high. Also, if your child skips meals, his/her blood sugar may go too low. Good blood sugar control requires a balance of food, exercise, and medication. Healthy meals include foods that contain carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

There are two major forms of diabetes, type 1 and type 2, they both share common element: elevated blood sugar levels due to insufficiencies of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin is one of the key regulators of the body's metabolism. After meals, food is digested in the stomach and intestines; carbohydrates are broken down into sugar molecules, of which glucose is one, and proteins are digested into their constituents, amino acids. Glucose and amino acids are absorbed directly into the bloodstream, and blood sugar levels rise. Normally, this signals the beta cells of the pancreas to secrete insulin, which pours into the bloodstream. Insulin, in turn, enables glucose and amino acids to enter cells -- importantly, muscle cells -- where, along with other hormones, it directs whether these nutrients will be burned for energy or stored for future use. As blood sugar falls to pre-meal levels, the pancreas reduces the production of insulin, and the body uses its stored energy until the next meal provides additional nutrients. People with both types of diabetes are at risk for a number of medical complications, including heart, eye, nerve and kidney disease.

Children with diabetes need to eat the same nutritious food that other family members should be eating. They won't be on a "diet", they can eat everything in moderation - including foods containing sugar and special diabetic and dietetic foods are not necessary.

However, people with diabetes need to watch what time they eat (meals and snacks should be about the same time every day), how much they eat (meals and snacks should be about the same size every day, provided there is no change in activity) and the balance of what they eat at each meal (not too much of one type of food).

Diabetics should plan their meals accordingly because each child's needs are different. In the beginning, you will probably work closely with a dietitian to plan meals and snacks. Many dietitians recommend a plan called "carbohydrate counting." This means keeping track of sugars and starchy foods, which have the most effect on blood sugar. You match up the amount of carbohydrate to the amount of insulin your child takes.

Regular practice will make it a habit for both parent and child to balance food intake with insulin levels, provide enough calories for normal growth. Parents should take care that they make meals satisfying so the child won't feel deprived.

Diabetics should follow a balance diet for meals and snacks, which will be based on the principles of the diabetes food pyramid. About 50% of calories should be from complex carbohydrates such as breads, pasta, and rice, and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas, and beans. The child should eat plenty of vegetables and fruit. Protein should come from lean meats, chicken, turkey, fish, beans, eggs, or low-fat cheese. Dairy foods should be either nonfat or low-fat. Added fats and sugars are acceptable but only in small amounts.

Until quite recently, people with diabetes were told to think of sugar almost as a poison. Now it is realized that it raises blood sugar no higher than the "complex carbohydrates," such as bread and potatoes, do. But it may raise blood sugar too high if children have sugary foods and drinks in addition to regular food. Hence sugar should be given as part of a meal (for example, in fruit pies, frozen yogurt, or pudding). Also avoid too much sugar between meals (for example, the child should drink diet soft drinks, not regular).

Although fats don't have much effect on blood sugar, and children need some fat there's another problem with fat. Heart disease can start in children who eat a lot of saturated fat, which is found in food such as meat and dairy products.

To overcome this problem it is advised to choose lean meats and take the skin off chicken. Instead of butter or hard margarine, give fats that aren't saturated, such as those in liquid oils, nuts, and margarine that lists a liquid oil as the first ingredient. Buy skim or low-fat milk, and nonfat or low-fat yogurt. Limit the amount of regular cheese: choose a low-fat type. Try to avoid fried foods and broil, boil, or bake instead.

And coming to salts, high blood pressure can be a serious problem in later life for people with diabetes. Help prevent it by keeping salt intake low.

One important point at the end, snacks can be essential in preventing blood sugar from dipping too low between meals. These should not be snack foods high in sugar and fat, like candy or chips, but substantial foods. These foods might be Peanut butter and crackers, Cheese and crackers, Low-fat sugar-free yogurt, Fresh fruit, Bran muffins, Graham crackers, Cereal and milk.

Children with diabetes should always carry a snack with them in case they can't get to a meal on time. (Snacks can also be part of the treatment of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia).

Finally one can only say “Eat Healthy Live Healthy”