Does your child follow a strict meal regimen

[StillMamamia]

Hi,

Ever since my son was dx at 2 yrs old, we've been told by our endo to feed him like any other child, of course trying to stick to healthy foods. We try to do that, keeping no cakes or sweets at home (except the great-tasting glucose tabs :rolleyes:). If we're at a party, then we allow him to taste whatever he likes.

My question is how many of you do stick to a strict diet, like meal carb target? And if so, does it help with getting normal bgs? Do you also avoid anything?

The reason I'm asking is I'm more and more convinced that we should follow a more rigorous regimen...getting the carbs he needs, and all the other good stuff. Basically, my son eats what he wants and we bolus (we're on the pump) for that.

Thanks for your input,

StillMamamia

Proud Mom to a very brave 4 yr old, dx at 2, on the pump

[Amy C.]

I try to be sure my son gets nearly 400 carbs a day. When he eats less than that, he loses weight. At 6'2", he needs to weigh a bit more than his current 137 lbs.

Unfettered eating is not good for anyone. Philip generally eats the same amounts every day, this way we can balance the insulin, food and exercise to keep the sugars uncontrol.

We don't eat a lot of sweets in this house either -- otherwise the adults would become overweight.

Consistently eating healthy food is the best way to go.

[miss_behave]

A child with diabetes can eat whatever any other child can. The only difference is that they need insulin by injection to cover the carbs, whereas a non-diabetic's pancreas supplies it for them.
There is no such thing as a "diabetic diet" and there are no restrictions or carb limits.
On the pump your son should be able to eat whataver he wants, whenever he wants. A carb is a carb, whether it is in an apple or a chocolate bar, it just needs insulin to cover it.
You will find that parents on this board are dead set against strict meal plans that make their child feel different. There is no reason for it.

[wendyc]

We don't limit or strive for a set number of carbs. However, Abby is pretty set in her ways, so she eats pretty much the same types of food daily. I definitely can tell if she's had more or added something into the mix by her bg's.

We pretty much let her eat what she wants...within reason (like we should all be doing:eek:).

[Charmed7]

When I think about my son's diet, I've made adjustments to his needs. He was diagnosed at 4, and if my memory serves me correctly, he was eating 30 carbs for bf, 45 for lunch and 30 for dinner. Then as he has grown that has adjusted to now, he's 9 and he eats 60 carbs for bf, 75 for lunch and whatever we eat for dinner which ranges from 30-90 carbs.

About two years ago, I restricted milk from his diet. I limit it to one milk containing food a week. ie: Ice cream or pizza. But lately we haven't even been doing that. Since we've done that his asthma has gone away.

My husband and I have recently adopted better eating habits. And I can feel a difference in my energy levels and my attitude. I try to balance his diet to keep him healthy with the occasional treat. I buy him whole grain breads, lots of fruit, a protein and veggie for dinner. He's never been under weight, but he's pretty darn skinny. So I don't worry about the fatty foods too much like peanut butter.

I know there was another post about diet and better bg control. I'm sure who ever was advocating their diet decisions will be around soon.

Charmed.

[My_Dana]

Fortunately for us, Dana has a very wide pallet for food.
I suppose a blessing in disguise in all this is we all eat better.

One night we were out at Red Lobster for dinner. When the waitress got to Dana she ordered cajun tilapia and veggies. The waitress said, wow.
I expected chicken fingers and fries!

We more watch the balance of carbs and protein.
Be careful with the "carb is a carb" philosophy.
The other factors in food will speed up or slow down the conversion of carbs to sugar.
That's why eating fruit is better than drinking fruit jiuce. The fiber and other content in the fruit slow the sugar absorption.

[Kaylee's Mommy]

Kaylee eats what she wants, when she wants...this of course, is all within reason.. doesn't mean she can have cake and soda for breakfast.. she eats a normal diet, filled with fruits and vegatables and carbs.. we don't avoid any foods (except sweets all the time, but we did that before D dx anyway..) The ONLY thing that changed when she was dx was the fact that she doesn't drink juice unless its at a meal or for a low.. she use to have juice (1/2 water 1/2juice) all day long.. she drinks more fruit water/water and milk now.. which is better for her anyway..

she eats between 90/100 carbs a day.. no matter what I do she doesn't eat more than that..

[Nancy in VA]

Emma is only two so she eats a normal two year old diet - peanut butter and jelly for lunch every day!! She's actually not too picky but since my older two are, we don't venture into "experimental" dishes very much - pretty all american dishes for us.

The only "limiting" we've done is the juice. She used to have a cup a day with her constipation medication and obviously that's gone (but then again, so is her constipation). I usually have a pitcher of Crystal Light in the fridge if she wants "juice" (that's what we have for the other kids too - we never really drank fruit juice). She hadn't been introduced to too many cookies and sweets yet being diagnosed so young, so it wasn't hard to make sure we were smart with them (to be healthy - although Mama has her stash :) )

[carlysmom]

We are 7 months in since dx and when we first started, I followed the guidelines that were given as close as I could and worried about eveything she put in her mouth, but we are learning to relax a bit and tweak her diet here and there. Now I use the carb limits and calorie intake they gave us the way it is supposed to be used....as a guideline. We have of course made some healthier changes to her diet, and also had to change the juice drinking, but I find that the carb to protien ratio is what really helps Carly more than anything else. Slowly we are learning about the benefit of lower glycemic foods and when they are best, like bedtime snack, and how much fat really affects her BG. I allow Carly to have her ice cream (1/2 cup) and her unfrosted cupcakes (not at the same time) for dessert and the occasional splurge, but always with a meal so it can be covered. We also keep a few of the sweet 100 calorie packs of brownie bites or muffins around for those times when she just wants something like a treat, we just make sure that she also has a cheese stick with it.
I find the biggest challenge we have is getting the rest of the family on board with the healthier eating. I have three other kids ranging in age from 3 to 17 and this has been hard, but we are making changes slowly and I know we will all be better off for it.

[Ginger9909]

We DO NOT restrict anything. A carb is a carb whether its sweets in the form of oranges, apples, milk, lollipops or cookies, etc.. you just have to give insulin for it. We dont restrict goodies and pretty much want our daughter to be as normal as possible, plus having a sister close to age who doesnt have diabetes, its not right to do that to the other. You have to let your child live as normal a life as possible. Im not saying that we give our child tons of candy a day but it is in moderation and maybe in between the high carb stuff, I will give protein. Also dairy is something we give before bedtime with her cookies which seems to keep her BS good during the night. I dont believe in cutting out dairy, that cant be very healthy for a growing child.

[momtojess]

Jessi eats the same as any of us, and we eat them same as we did before her diagnosis 5 yrs ago. during the school year, my kids get to pick their evening snack.. They can choose from fruit, veggies and dip, ice cream, chips, etc. Most of the time they pick the healthy stuff, sometimes they dont, but we have never restricted the sweets.

During the summer, they each have a basket on the counter, and they get to choose 3 snacks for it each day. They can eat the snacks all by 10am if they so choos but they wont get any other snack that day, or they can spread them out throughout the day.

We have always given them choices and not restrictied anything and this has worked well for us.

[jdr]

My son eats anything he wants,whenever he wants.Of course it is a lot easier to do on the pump. We do only buy diet sodas,but that was not a big change for us.We were only buying diet sodas long before he was dxd anyway.

[sammysmom]

Well, I will go out on limb here and say that we kind of do follow a meal plan. It really helps put my family on a schedule. We generally eat at the same time each day and he generally has a carb amount at each meal. We did not plan it this way, it just kind of happened and it works for us.

We do not deny our son food like at parties and such but I just do buy into the whole "they can eat what they want when they want, just bolus for it" I know that with my son he can not eat constantly all day long because even on the pump, he can only take about two boluses close together or he will crash. We do have to space out his meals and snacks. I also do not let my children just "snack when they want" I make sure that they are really hungry and not eating out of nothing better to do.

There is NOTHING WRONG with a meal plan and carb limits if it works for your family. I found that it actually kept things on a more even keel when we did this. Does it work for every situation, well of course not and we have to learn to be flexable but that does not mean that a meal plan is wrong. If it works and you are getting good results than keep doing it.

shannon

[MamaChrissa]

Like most folks have said, J eats whatever/whenever we do. I have scheduled snacks, but I always have. He eats whatever he wants. I have just switched to diet (or "mama"s") soda/iced tea/lemonade, mostly because he likes to sip stuff and Id rather not bug him to finish up to "zap" him for it. :)

[jdr]

Well,we do on most days eat about the same time,but that is just the way it works out,but if Jesse gets hungry he eats no matter what time of the day it is. We try to encourage him to eat more healthy,but he has to have his MCDonald's once or twice a week. His last A1C was 6.8. I don't think I know of anyone who eats constantly all day long:confused:

[thebestnest5]

We eat the same as we did before dx.

[twodoor2]

Hi,

Ever since my son was dx at 2 yrs old, we've been told by our endo to feed him like any other child, of course trying to stick to healthy foods. We try to do that, keeping no cakes or sweets at home (except the great-tasting glucose tabs :rolleyes:). If we're at a party, then we allow him to taste whatever he likes.

My question is how many of you do stick to a strict diet, like meal carb target? And if so, does it help with getting normal bgs? Do you also avoid anything?

The reason I'm asking is I'm more and more convinced that we should follow a more rigorous regimen...getting the carbs he needs, and all the other good stuff. Basically, my son eats what he wants and we bolus (we're on the pump) for that.

Thanks for your input,

StillMamamia

Proud Mom to a very brave 4 yr old, dx at 2, on the pump

I'm very much like you. I try to give her a healthy diet and save sweets and other goodies for special occassions. I also try to keep the fat content to a minimum because it does cause spikes after the insulin has worn off due to carb absorption delay caused by fat. There are other things people may suggest, low glycemic index foods, no fat, no sugar, but you can go nuts trying to be super strict. I think what you're doing is good.

[rachel's mom]

I also was told to let her eat whatever she wants and I found myself allowing her to eat things that I would not have let her eat before dx at unusual times just because we were giving an injection at that time. I have since changed. She is allowed to eat what she wants all in moderation, but that said, I am trying very hard to teach her very good eating habits, whole grains, fruit, veggies, fish, lean meats, etc. Our children could be faced with many challenges down the road, so I just feel that if we can teach them good eating habits then there just may be less challenges that so many face due to unhealthy eating.