I dont have my daughter on that tight of a meal plan, her Endo and Nutritionists have said to me " if she wants it give it to her" Grant it she can no longer grab a bag of chips or banana or whatever whenever she wants it all has to be acconted for, but for lunch today for example she had: turkey and cheese sandwich on whole grain white bread, a gogurt, and 13grams of sunchips, it was a total of 64 carbs, when she was first Dx she was on a 60 or less carbs per meal... but if she wants 80 i give it to her... and her #s are still good and bad... but her A1C is 6.7.. its been as low as 6.3.... am I making mistakes?
I was 16 when I was dx'ed however I'm sort of too old to remember that long ago. I had a "if I want it, eat it" sort of motivation for a long time and did ok however my weight gradually increased over time. I was dx'ed at 16 (1984) at about 120 lbs (down from 150 due to loss of weight) and hit 275 by 2006ish? Some of that was sort of "overshooting" insulin to "cover" whatever I wanted to eat. Your duaghter is clearly too young to consider that type of long term thing but, at the same time, it's not a bad idea to watch out for stuff like that? These days I'm 275 and don't eat all that much and do ok and am pretty active. Some of that is perhaps motivated by trying "lower carb" diets but there's a lot of people who do ok on more carbs. I've observed that some people are doing ok w/o going really low carb and there's not a definitive answer that I've seen as to "how many carbs 'count' to get the benefits of less carbs?"
Yogurt, chips and a sandwich was *exactly* what I ate for years as I got bigger and bigger? It's pretty carb heavy. If you are "controlling" this, it's a pretty high insulin to nutrition ratio. My daughter is very much oriented along that "food axis" but I've sort of stopped buying chips because when I do, I eat them myself. I've also noticed through running pretty regularly as part of my post-275 lb maneuvering that eating more vegetables seems to make me feel better, despite having had diabetes for 27 years and working out hard to get in shape? Maybe it's psychosomatic but I perceived a difference last summer and feel like I'm moving in the right direction. Last week, my daughter said "your muscles are getting bigger" and my boss asked me if I was working out?
A lot of this applies to "straight" people who don't have diabetes too but I think that looking at diversifying her diet might lead to less up and down, if she's seeing that?
I was diagnosed at 57 and don't have children so I'm probably the worst person to make a suggestion - but that never stopped me before. An A1c of 6.7 is certainly good for a child and the difference between 6.7 and 6.3 isn't that great. My A1c bounces +/- .4 all the time.
I don't think the food thing has to be a binary choice between eating anything she wants and maintaining a very rigid diet. You might want to encourage her to think about what she eats and make choices without telling her no all the time. She had a fair number of carbs for lunch but it was a reasonably healthy meal. The last thing either of you need is for her to rebel against her diabetes and start acting out.
Maurie
thanks for the input, as she gets older and maybe her metabolism slows We will for sure be cutting back carbs. Right now she has alot energy. But I definetly need to start making better choices when i shop.... its really hard when she is 9 and her brother and cousins are eating what kids eat... or when theres a Bday party in her class and the parents bring cupcakes for all the kids in class.... its frustrating because their are 35 kids in her class, so you its a bday at least once or twice a month..... Now as a parent of a Diabetic I am so agaisnt school parties and bday celebration with junk food!!!! kinda of not fair either way you look at it!!!!!RRRGGGG Thanks for your input again!!
Thank you, I try to let her feel as normal as possible but food is a sore subject for us now....and it shouldnt be but it is.... maybe in a another yr we might be at a better place with it,.... thanks for ur input
A1C's are different for young children, they are in growth spurts and in hormone overload. I believe most pediatric endos suggest a broader higher range for children! That A1C is great, you're doing a good job!
And I would NOT recommend LOW carbing for a growing child..they need carbs and need to be eating, milk, protein, fruits, grains, veggies and yes...that snack too.
When she was hospitalized they had her on a 60 carb or less meal plan, And she ate hotdogs, pizza, mac and cheese, basically whatever, as long as it was 60 or under.... its kinda hard when from the get go u are taught its ok for this or that....and i thought A1C is good under 7 ? for diabetic...? its been about a year and a half.... so its a long learning process....I think ill try to start lowering the carb amount per meal.... thanks for the input...also my son is 18 and has always been a very picky eater... always and one day I hope that changes but it hasnt yet.... so its very very very hard grocery shop.... hes so picky he wont eat anything new..... so its hard to tell him to bad we cant have this food in the house anymore..... I almost need a cabinet for him and fridge with a lock...... RRGGGG..... frustrating...
I have diabetes and eat carbs all the time. I think Dr Bernstein is too radical for a kid used to what Nattysmom described. I don’t think you have to be radical but sandwich, sunchips and gogurt = 3 kinds of carbs? One kind is probably enough for anybody, whether they have diabetes or not? It’s hard to deal w/ kids as junior is very carb oriented and makes me cringe sometimes. Still, she adds vegetables in too and that calms me. Sometimes. I’m in a really good spot fitness/ dietwise but I’m not sure she pays attention. She did take some of my worst “fat” pics and I think she’s pretty cognizant of how much work it’s taken to get it off. I think son needs to pay attention too. He’s @ risk…
Thank you!! it can so overwhelming... im really glad I joined this website!!!
Watch out. There are a lot of really smart low carb advocates here that tend to overwhelm a lot of food threads. I don’t totally disagree with the approach, particularly for benchmarking but I’ve had ok results without “extreming”.
you're welcome. Yes, it is overwhelming. I'm sorry your daughter (and you) had to join this Type 1 club, cuz..is ain't no fun. How old is she and when was she Dx? That A1C is awesome for a child!
true....they're adults and manage on very low carbs. it's different for a growing child.
With Diabetes, less is best, less carbs, less insulin equals better control and less roller coasters.
many people eat carbs (and not less carbs) and take insulin. that's best for you, not for everyone else and certainly not for a growing, young child.
Right on! There is a reason that there are pediatric endocrinologists. Kids have different needs than adults and trying to treat a young child just like an adult is just wrong headed.
Maurie
I almost always have at least 3 kinds of carbs when I eat. I think of it as a form of diversification. The cracker up front might hit pretty quickly but the apple comes 30 minutes later and hits pretty slowly (for me at least) so that everything tends to balance out.
Maurie
My DD is 8 yrs old. She was dxd 6 months ago with an A1c of 15. In January that was down to a 6.8…her drs were pleased…and so was I. Did she have lows and highs, yes, but they were not wild swings. We have not had any restrictions on her carb count. It is my personal belief that kids need more carbs. I do find if she eats say 80+ carbs at a meal…her bg is high 2 hrs + meal. Your daughter’s A1c sounds good to me. Here are some links that might help: http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/d_0n_040.htm or http://www.ehow.com/facts_5564909_normal-ac-levels-children.html
It's the same numbers of parties in my son's kindergarten class, thank goodness it's my other son that was dx'd at 14, and he doesn't have to be bombarded by that. It's enough that High School kids all around him are stuffing their face with pizza. He usually does have a treat after lunch, snack and dinner but most the time it's no more than 15 carbs. We haven't said too many things are hands off, things that you might use for a low are strictly for that; reg. soda, juice, reg. syrup etc. I make his lunch daily, and come up with around the same carb count as you. You might consider losing the gogurt, for something less refined like an oatmeal or peanut butter cookie. We also opt for a whole grain bread, one that take some chewing. :) They get used to it. I make pizza at home, use whole wheat dough and roll it super thin, a reasonable amount of cheese and good toppings and it becomes a total different meal to cover than trying to cover the pizza joints abominations! My point is, I rather not deny my son growing son the food all kids like so I incorporate it smaller amounts or give healthier versions. He rather not be above his range either and if that means eating a quarter of the carbs his friends do that's OK to him. Your new "normal" will feel easier when you can find a balance between letting her not feel deprived and getting reasonably good control. Pump and Cgm are super tools in that regard.
Tip: Throw up a list of carbless and <5grams snack on the frig. for her to go to. I also weighed (with a gram scale) nearly everything for about a year, still do for somethings and remember she can had a portion of a serving, and be happy you don't have a teenage boy, who is a vacuum at the table! That's why AcidRocks comment hit home with me! Ha Ha.
Nattysmom, you sound like a terrific mother!
If I were you, I'd keep on doing what you're doing for your daughter. That 6.7 A1c is great for a child. I wouldn't take anything the ADA has to say as gospel. They are more interested in furthering the interests of their funding sources (food and drug companies) than in what's actually the best thing for adult diabetics.
I would look into finding a pediatric endocrinologist, if there's one available anywhere near you. I'm a strong advocate of a very low-carb diet for adult diabetics, but children are a whole other story. The nutritional needs of a growing child are bound to be very different from those of an adult! I do know that there are a number of terrific blogs written by the parents of T1 children. You might find it helpful to read them and get in touch with other parents who are dealing with similar situations.