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Diet Management in Pediatric Diabetes

With the growing percentage of overweight and obese individuals throughout the world, obesity has become a childhood problem as well. Whereas Type II diabetes used to be known as adult-onset diabetes, that is no longer entirely the case, as overweight children are becoming increasingly likely to have this disease. Diabetes requires a specific nutritional approach, which revolves around the control of blood sugar levels through restrictions on carb intake.

  1. Pediatric Diabetes

    • Feed your diabetic child a generally wholesome diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein sources while restricting his access to sugars, sweets, processed foods, refined flour items and fried foods. While it can be difficult to convince children to make the switch from eating a "normal" diet to eating a healthy diabetic diet, resist the temptation to make dietary concessions that will only make the problem worse.

      Generally speaking, your child should eat low-glycemic index carbs at every meal, along with lean protein and healthy fat. The glycemic index is a scale which measures carbs according to their impact on blood sugar, with the best carbs coming from vegetables, then fruit, then grains---in that general order. So try to feed your child a different type of veggie with each meal, resorting to fruits and whole grains from time to time.

    Pediatric Diabetic Menu

    • Consider feeding your child two or three whole grain pancakes or waffles with fresh berries for breakfast (healthy carbs), served with a side of turkey bacon or sausage (protein source) and a large glass of low-fat milk (for additional protein). For lunch, make a sandwich on whole grain bread (healthy carbs) with lean roast beef (protein and a small portion of fat), lettuce, tomato, pickles, and a piece of fruit on the side (additional healthy carbs). For dinner, prepare chicken tacos using low-carb and whole grain tortillas (healthy carbs), lean grilled chicken (protein) , lettuce, tomato, salsa, and a small dollop of sour cream (some fat). Serve with their favorite vegetable to round out the meal.

    Alternative Menu

    • Give your child a bowl of hot cereal for breakfast (plain oatmeal, low-sugar instant oatmeal, or cream of wheat) served with a piece of fruit and a glass of milk. For lunch, make him a hot dog or hamburger (from a lean cut of beef), served on a whole grain bun with a small bowl of vegetables on the side and some sugar-free gelatin for dessert. For dinner: a bowl of whole wheat pasta with grilled chicken with mixed vegetables stirred in to increase the overall nutritional value of the meal. As a dessert, serve a sugar-free pudding.

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