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Juvenile Diabetes Diet

Type 1 diabetes, more commonly known as juvenile-onset diabetes, is a condition in which an individual is dependent upon an external source of insulin to break down glucose in the blood. Left untreated the high level of blood sugar begins to wreak havoc on the individual's internal organs and causes many serious health complications. One important way of keeping juvenile diabetes under control is ensuring that the diet is not introducing too much sugar into a diabetic's bloodstream.

  1. Diabetes Basics

    • Diabetes comes in to basic forms. Type 1 diabetes is known as insulin-dependent diabetes because its sufferers are unable to produce an adequate amount of insulin to break down blood sugar. With type 2 diabetes individuals have the same basic issue as type 1 patients, but type 2 can be treated (and prevented) through a healthy diet and exercise. Type 1, on the other hand, is a life-long chronic condition that requires constant monitoring and treatment in order for individuals to lead a normal lifestyle.

      Both types of diabetes are exacerbated by an unhealthy lifestyle, and sedentary individuals with the condition put themselves at serious risk of developing complications. Juvenile diabetes sufferers must constantly monitor their blood sugar to ensure that it does not get too high or too low, both of which are serious concerns. These individuals must maintain a diet that does not introduce too much glucose into the blood, otherwise they risk swings between high and low blood sugar.

    Diabetic Diets

    • Fruits and vegetables should be a staple of the juvenile diabetic's diet, along with whole grains, cereals and other complex carbohydrates. Avoid animal protein which leaves residual chemicals in the blood that diabetics have trouble flushing from their bodies. Diabetes Life, a community dedicated to helping people control their juvenile diabetes, recommends maintaining "...a healthful, varied diet" in order to keep blood sugar as stable as possible.

      Test your blood sugar often, ideally both before and after every meal. Avoid snacking, unless it is a healthy food such as cereal or whole-grain wheat products. Salt should be heavily restricted in the diet because of its effects on the circulatory system; this may indirectly create an imbalance of blood sugar. Finally, carefully plan out meals each day to avoid large spikes or drops in blood sugar.

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