Diabetic Meal Menus for Kids

Kids like to eat food that is pleasing to the eye irrespective of the fact that whether they are nutritious or not. What when kids suffer from diabetic problem? Diabetic kids need to restrict on some food even if they do not like it. Controlling the diet can be the solution that will help in reducing the threat of diabetes and symptoms if the kids are already attacked by it. Parents whose kids are diabetic need to show a greater amount of attention regarding the food habits of these kids and thus has to carefully plan diabetic meal menu for kids.

 

They have to be careful on the amount of carbohydrates they consume in order to keep a check on their blood sugar levels. There are two problems tied with diabetes which can be faced by kids which includes coronary disease and strokes but by sticking to diabetic diet plan kids can escape the threat of these problems. A healthy diabetic meal menu for kids is related with consuming a balanced diet of non-fat dairy foodstuffs, poultry, whole grains, lean meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables. There are many delicious recipes which are particularly approved for kids with diabetes helping parents to plan diabetic meal menu for kids with ease.

 

Diabetic meal menu for kids can include Breakfast on the Go, Club Wrap, Cranberry Spritzer, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vegetable Skillet Frittata, Strawberry Cheese Tart, Taco Popcorn, Tomato Basil Pizza Snack, and Zesty Turkey Tenderloin With Vegetables. If the kids are restricted to a low diabetic diet then they can eat carrots, avocados, kidney beans together with fish, cheese, domestic fowl, meat and eggs. Kids suffering from diabetes need not have to undergo a poor selection of diet particularly when diabetic recipe formulations are made with variety and health in mind.

 

At the end of this article, I'd like to share cool website with related articles on topics like simple diabetic menu and diabetic menu planner. Visit for more information.

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Cornell

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What Should I Eat?

Healthy eating is important for all kids, including kids with diabetes. Your body needs the right balance of healthy foods to grow and develop, and to help you look after your diabetes. Understanding all about the food you eat can help you to make healthy choices.

Healthy Eating is easy! 
Healthy eating is as easy as choosing foods from the “eat most” section of the healthy food pyramid everyday, with smaller amounts of “eat moderately” foods each day. The “eat only a little” foods should only be included in small amounts or enjoyed for treats.

 
To be healthy you need to eat a variety of food every day
This food pyramid is a good guide to making good choices

Kids with diabetes don’t need special foods, so your friends, brothers and sisters should all be eating the same healthy foods as you, everyday!

All About…Carbohydrates, Proteins & Fats 
Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are found in the food you eat. They give your body energy and help you to grow. Everyone needs the right amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and fats each day for good health.

Carbohydrates 
Carbohydrate foods give your body the energy to do all the things you like doing. When you eat carbohydrate foods, they break down into sugar or glucose in your body. With the help of insulin, your body uses this glucose for energy.

Carbohydrate foods are things like:
• Bread and bread rolls
• Breakfast cereals
• Dairy and soy milk, yoghurt, ice cream and custard 
• Fruit and fruit juice
• Starchy vegetables like potato, sweet potato and corn
• Rice, pasta and noodles
• Baked beans and lentils
• Snack foods like biscuits, chips, muesli bars
• Sugars and sugary foods 
• Takeaway foods like pizza, chips and burgers

• To look after blood glucose levels (BGLs) it’s important to eat carbohydrate foods at each meal and snack and try to balance these from day to day.
• Carbohydrate exchanges can help – exchanges (or serves) tell you how much carbohydrate is in different foods. Counting carbohydrate exchanges can help you balance the carbohydrate foods that you eat with your activity level and insulin dose. 
• The type of carbohydrate foods that you eat is also important. The best carbohydrates to choose every day are things like fruit, bread, cereals, low fat milk & yoghurt, starchy vegetables, rice and pasta. 
• Sugars and sugary foods are not the best carbohydrates to choose because they put a lot of glucose in to the blood stream and may cause high BGLs. 
• Some carbohydrate foods give you longer lasting energy. These foods are things like grainy breads, raisin bread, fruit, baked beans, pasta, noodles, yoghurt and milk. These carbohydrates are good when you need longer lasting energy, like before sport. They are also a great choice before bed.

Proteins
Protein foods are important to help you grow and develop. Protein foods are things like:
• Meat
• Fish
• Chicken 
• Eggs
• Cheese

Kids need about 1-2 serves of protein foods each day for good health. One serve is how much fits into the palm of your hand. Most protein foods don’t breakdown into glucose in your body, so they don’t raise BGLs. Unlike carbohydrate foods, you don’t need to count protein foods or eat these at each meal and snack. The best protein foods to choose are the ones that are the lowest in fat – like fish, lean meat, chicken without skin, eggs and low fat cheese.

Fats
Fats are important for good health, but you only need a small amount everyday. Fats are found in lots of different foods, especially:
• Butter
• Margarine 
• Oil
• Cream

Some fats are better for you than others. The best types to choose are the vegetable fats like margarine and vegetable oils. Fats don’t raise BGLs, but too much fat can lead to health problems like being overweight or having high cholesterol (a type of fat in the blood). Remember that fat can also be added to foods, especially things like snack foods and takeaways. Try not to eat too much fat or foods high in fat.

Food & Diabetes 
It is important for everyone to make healthy food choices. When you have diabetes there are some extra things that you also need to think about to help look after diabetes and keep you healthy. It is important to:

Eat your meals and snacks at the right time 
Depending on the insulin you are on, you might need to eat every 3 hours or so. If you forget to eat, skip meals or leave it too long until you eat, you might have a hypo (low BGL).

Eat carbohydrate foods at each meal and snack
You need to make sure that you eat some carbohydrate foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner and at snacks like recess, afternoon tea and supper. If you have been told to follow carbohydrate exchanges, try and eat around the same number of exchanges at meals and snacks each day.

Choose foods low in fat
Too much fat can be bad for your health. Try to choose low fat milk, yoghurt, and cheese. Watch out for foods that are high in added fats, like snack foods - crisps, biscuits, chocolates, cakes, donuts, as well as takeaways, fatty meats and fried foods.

Watch out for foods that are high in sugar
Foods high in sugar like regular soft drinks, cordials and lollies can cause BGLs to go too high. Make sure that you use diet / low joule soft drinks and cordials and try to save lollies for special occasions. Foods high in sugar can be used to treat a hypo.

Always carry hypo foods
Sometimes BGLs can drop too low and you can have a hypo. To treat a hypo, you need to quickly eat or drink something sweet and then eat something else straight away to stop the hypo from coming back. Make sure that you always have hypo foods like juice or jellybeans with you, plus follow up carbohydrate foods like plain biscuits or a muesli bar to stop you from dropping low again.

Healthy Eating Day 2 Day
To be healthy, it’s important to make healthy food choices from day to day. This means having a healthy lunchbox, having healthy snacks and being a detective in the supermarket and looking for healthy food choices.

Food at School

A healthy lunchbox…
It is important that you eat the right amounts of food at recess and lunch to help keep your BGLs mostly within the normal range. If you are not sure, mum, dad or someone at home can help by writing you a list for your lunchbox and labelling what to eat when. Stickers are a fun way to label your food! It is important not to skip recess or lunch or you might have a hypo.

Try some of these healthy lunchbox ideas:
• Sandwiches 
– try different types of breads like rolls, grain bread, Turkish bread, bagels, lavash or pita bread
– fill with your fave fillings like salad, low fat cheese, vegemite, ham, chicken, tuna, salmon, egg, baked beans, spaghetti or banana
• Pasta, potato or rice salad
• Fresh pieces of fruit eg. apples, pears, mandarins, oranges
• Chopped fruit eg. rockmelon, pineapple
• Fruit in zip lock bags eg. grapes, cherries
• Fruit snack packs (plus a spoon)
• Crispbreads, rice cakes or corn thins
• Pikelets, scones or low fat muffins
• Low fat yoghurt or dairy desserts
• Dried fruit boxes eg. sultanas, apricots
• Small tins of baked beans or spaghetti
• Low fat milk tetra pack
• Rice crackers or rice crisps

To keep lunch cool, add a frozen water bottle to your lunchbox or use a cool pack!

Lunchbox swaps…
If you want to do a lunchbox swap, make sure you are swapping something the same, like a sandwich for a sandwich. Otherwise you might not get enough carbohydrate and might have a hypo later. Try not to swap your lunch too often.

At the canteen…
Canteen foods are OK, but not a good choice everyday – once a week is plenty. Talk to mum, dad or someone at home about the best types of foods to choose from the canteen.

Special events at school…
Parties, birthdays and special events at school can be lots of fun. You can join in the fun like all of your friends and enjoy some special treat foods. Remember to tell mum, dad or someone at home when there's a party at school, this can help them work out if they need to make any changes to your insulin. They can also help you decide how to swap some party foods for your usual recess or lunch.

Snack Attack 
Snacks like recess, afternoon tea and supper are important to help keep BGLs mostly in the normal range. Kids love snacks and there are heaps of healthy snacks that you can try, like:

• Piece of fresh fruit e.g. apple, pear, banana, orange
• Chopped fruit – rockmelon, pineapple, honeydew
• Fresh fruit salad
• Frozen pieces of fruit
• Grapes or cherries
• Canned fruit snack pack e.g. two fruits, peaches, pears, fruit salad
• Dried fruit boxes e.g. sultanas, fruit salad, sultanas and apricots
• Low fat yoghurt
• Low fat dairy desserts
• Low fat custard
• Corn cob
• Pikelets with fruit jam
• Fruit loaf or fruit bun 
• Plain or fruit scones
• Crispbread or rice cakes with low fat toppings e.g. tomato, low fat cheese
• Popcorn
• Crumpets or English muffins
• Rice crackers with low fat dip
• Rice crisps
• Low fat fruit bars

Being a Supermarket Detective
Looking at food labels when you are in the supermarket can help you find the best everyday food choices. To work out the best choices, look at the nutrition panel on the food label. This tells you things like how much carbohydrate and fat is in different products. A nutrition panel looks like this:

Servings per pack: 1 Serve Size 200 g
	Per 200g serve	Per 100g
Energy Protein Fat Saturated fat Carbohydrate -total -sugar Sodium	864kJ 8.2g 5.0g 2.0g 31.8g 27.8g 298mg	432kJ 4.1g 2.5g 1.0g 15.9g 13.9g 149mg
Ingredients: Full cream milk, concentrated skim milk, skim milk, sugar, thickener, vegetable gums, mineral salts, flavour

To make healthy food choices, compare different products and look for foods that are lowest in fat, especially saturated fat. To work out carbohydrate exchanges, look at how much total carbohydrate is in the food in the amount that you are going to eat.

One exchange is the amount of food that contains 15 grams of total carbohydrate. Look at the amount of total carbohydrate in the per serve column, then divide by 15. For example, the food shown above is equal to about two exchanges because it has around 30 grams of total carbohydrate divided by 15 = 2 exchanges.

You can also look at the ingredient list to work out whether or not the food is a healthy choice. If fat (e.g. butter, cream, oil) or sugar (e.g. sugar, sucrose, glucose) are listed first or second then the product may not be a good everyday choice.

It’s party time!
Everyone loves parties, and kids with diabetes can join in and have as much fun as everyone else and enjoy some special treat foods. Mum, dad or someone at home will help you work out how to balance your food, activity and insulin dose when you go to a party.

Kids with diabetes can enjoy party fun as much as everyone else, but don’t forget to:
• Eat regular carbohydrate foods while you’re at the party 
• Take some hypo foods with you and make sure that an adult at the party knows what to do if you have a hypo
• Take some diet soft drink with you or maybe everyone at the party can have diet soft drink?
• Have a good supper that night – you might need extra carbohydrates at supper, especially if you have been running around a lot
• Have fun!!

Try some of these tasty party treats:
• Mini pizzas – with chicken, ham or vegies on top
• Pikelets – plain, banana or sultana
• Chunky chips or potato wedges
• Crumbed chicken strips
• Fish fingers 
• Chicken skewers
• Muffins – try berry, banana or choc chip
• Frozen fruit blocks
• Yummy yoghurt cups
• Fruit kebabs
• Ice cream in a cone
• A Paddlepop or Billabong
• Popcorn 
• Party pretzels
• Crackers and dip
• Chocolate mousse cups 
• Diet jelly cups
• Sushi

Food 4 Sport
When you are active you need extra carbohydrate foods for energy and to stop your BGL from dropping too low. You might need extra carbohydrate foods before the activity, then every 30-40 minutes, especially if you are really active. Sometimes you might also need extra carbohydrates at dinner or before bed, to stop you from having a hypo later on.

Try these great carbohydrates before sport:
• A piece of fruit
• A small flavoured milk 
• A muesli bar
• A fruit snack pack
• A crumpet or slice of raisin toast
• A ‘fun size’ chocolate bar

To top up during sport, try:
• A 100% fruit juice popper 
• A cup of sports drink
• A piece of fruit eg. banana, orange

Don’t forget to pack a hypo kit with hypo foods for sport.

Takeaways
Lots of takeaway foods can be high in fat and sugar. To be healthy, it is a good idea not to eat takeaways any more than once a week. When you choose takeaways, it is important to try and make the healthiest choices, look for lower fat takeaways like:
• Lean meat or chicken salad roll / wrap
• Doner kebab with lots of salad
• Plain hamburger with lots of salad
• A grilled chicken burger with lots of salad
• Baked potato (skip the butter)
• Toasted sandwich
• Corn cob 
• Sushi roll
• Vegie pizza or gourmet pizza 
• Toasted sandwich or focaccia
• Small bowl of pasta with tomato based sauce 
• Stir fried vegetables & noodles or plain rice

Take care with choosing drinks - avoid regular soft drinks as these are very high in sugar, choose diet or low joule drinks instead. If you are having juice, look for 100% fruit juice and choose a popper or small bottle.

Lots of takeaways are also very high in carbohydrate (eg. pizza, fries, smoothies). If you can, check out to see if the takeaway outlet has any nutrition information available. Many of the popular fast food chains eg. McDonalds, Subway, Krispy Kreme have nutrition information brochures that tell you the amount of fat and carbohydrate in their different products. Look for foods that are lower in fat and have about the same amount of carbohydrate to what you would normally eat at your meals. If you and your family adjust your insulin depending on what you eat, use this information to make sure that you take the right amount of insulin when you eat takeaways.

Healthy eating on an Insulin Pump…
Insulin pumps can be a great way to help manage your diabetes. If you decide to start on a pump you might notice that a few things about food are a little bit different…like closer counting of your carbohydrate exchanges / amounts, and more flexible meal times and amounts of food.

Why do you need to count carbohydrates?
We know that carbohydrate foods put glucose (sugar) into your blood stream for energy. The insulin you inject needs to match your carbohydrate foods (and activity) to keep BGLs mostly in the normal range. This is important whether you are on a pump or not.

When you are on a pump you can match your food and insulin more closely because every time you eat, you program the pump to give you quick acting insulin. Your diabetes team will tell you how much insulin you need to give for every carbohydrate exchange you eat. Some pumps even let you program in how many grams of carbohydrate you have eaten and it then works out how much insulin to give.

How do you work out how much carbohydrate is in different foods?
Your dietitian can help you work out how much carbohydrate is in different foods. You might need to weigh or measure some foods to help you count carbohydrates. You and your parents also need to be able read food labels to work out how much carbohydrate is in different foods.

Do you need to follow set carbohydrate exchanges?
When you are on an insulin pump you don’t need to eat the same number of exchanges at your meals each day. If you are not very hungry you can eat less and if you are really hungry, you can eat more. You can then give your insulin depending on how much carbohydrate you have eaten.

Do you need to eat snacks between meals?
On an insulin pump you don’t need to have snacks if you don’t want to, but it is important to eat three main meals a day to be healthy. Some kids still might need to have snacks to get the energy they need for all fun things they like to do.

Does being on a pump mean you eat anything you want?
When you are on a pump, you still need to make healthy food choices. Lollies, soft drinks, crisps and chocolates are not an everyday food for anyone. On a pump, you should still use diet or low joule soft drinks and keep snack foods as special occasion treats.

What do you do at school when you are on a pump?
At school, you need to remember to give your insulin bolus when you eat. To do this, you need to know how much carbohydrate is in the foods that you have at recess and lunch – asking mum, dad or someone at home to label the food in your lunchbox can help. Knowing the amount of carbohydrate in different canteen choices is also important.

What about food for sport when you are on a pump?
When you are on an insulin pump you can still play sport. You might find that you still need some extra carbohydrate foods for energy. On a pump you can reduce your insulin before and after sport and you might not need to eat as much extra food to prevent hypos. When you start on a pump your Dietitian can give you some extra healthy eating info.

Source: http://www.diabeteskidsandteens.com.au/foodnews.html

 

Information for parents of kids aged 8-12 years

A child aged 8-12 years with or without diabetes

• Leaves their magical thinking and vivid imagination behind
• Starts to separate from you, becomes more independent, and may have secrets from you
• Becomes more self-aware
• Becomes more social
• Usually prefers to have friends of the same sex
• Begins to understand their strong and weak points and those of others too!!
• Solves problems more easily
• Starts to express themselves more clearly
• Enjoys being creative
• Becomes more self-conscious
• May have school phobia and "pretend" illnesses
• May sometimes lie or steal to avoid confrontation
• Becomes more interested in the outside world
• May worry about family issues like arguments, illness or death
• May worry about disasters seen on television or in movies
• At age 11 or 12, relies more on the approval of friends and are interested in people beyond the family
• Becomes more sexually aware, although this can happen earlier
• Begins to want more control and may start questioning rules

When an 8-12 year old is diagnosed with diabetes

Your child may:

• Appear to accept having diabetes, yet can be sad, angry or worried for you and themselves. This could be the reason for unusual, unexplained behaviour from your child. Reassure your child that you will all get through this together and that life goes on.
• Feel that you have let them down because they are used to being protected by you and now you can't make their diabetes go away. You may need to explain to your child that sometimes things are just outside your power, that things happen out of the blue and unfortunately can't be changed. 
• Believe that diabetes has happened to them for a reason, perhaps because of something they have done wrong such as being nasty to their brother or sister. Frequent reassurance from you that diabetes happens to all different children, and is not a punishment, will help them. Meeting other children at camps especially for children with diabetes helps your child to feel less isolated.
• Wish their diabetes away and try and ignore it. Sometimes they may be tempted to miss tests and injections or make up blood glucose results. Extra supervision may be needed despite your child insisting they can manage by themselves.
• Feel "different" at a time when they are becoming more sociable. Their friends are becoming important to them and they want to be like them. Reassure your child that everyone has difficulties to overcome - diabetes needs a bit more thought but shouldn't stop them from doing everything that their friends do. 
• Begin to lose confidence because diabetes makes them different. This may lead to them turning down invitations, to sleep over, for example. Encourage your child's friends to come and sleep at your house which may help everyone to feel more comfortable - then gradually, as they become more confident suggest they go over to their friend's house. Talk to their friend's parent(s) so that they feel comfortable - sometimes a parent worries more than a child!! 
• Be curious about diabetes and related tasks - at first it's all new but then they realise that the diabetes won't go away which may make them angry. Your support and encouragement is important to their self esteem and self worth. 
• See diabetes as a barrier to joining in team sports that are of interest to them. Encourage them to join in and reassure them that they can try anything. 
• Begin to learn to take on more responsibilities ­drawing up insulin and giving their injection - they still require your supervision and support when it becomes too much. 
• Are capable of preparing simple foods so can start to recognise suitable foods and the need to eat regularly. Encourage your child to help at mealtimes and at least help to prepare food for school/sport ­better still do it themselves!! 
• Are better able to understand safety and danger, so become more aware of the importance of eating extra snacks, before exercise for example. Gentle reminders may be needed.

Living with diabetes

Your child's responsibility... how much is too much?
Helping children with diabetes is a challenge for most parents. You may feel guilty or angry (sometimes both) and you may become over protective or very critical. This may result in asking your child to take on too much responsibility before they are ready, or may squash their expression of interest in helping with diabetes related tasks.

Common questions asked are:
• When should my child take on more responsibility?
• Am I asking too much or too little? 

Some guidelines
• All children are different - what works for one child may not work for another.
• At this age your child will usually have the skills to physically do the task but not the maturity and knowledge to take on full responsibility. Taking on some of this responsibility requires that your child learns more about diabetes.
• Group sessions with children of a similar age may help. Check what is available through your diabetes team.
• There is no special age when your child should give their own injections. Health professionals agree that by age 11-13 years, most children can perform most diabetes related tasks but this varies from child to child. As a guide, a child of 10 may be giving the injection and at 11 they may be drawing up the insulin. If your child refuses to give their own insulin - reduce the steps to one at a time, encouraging your child to join in at each point, but allowing them to "opt out".

The steps could be:
1. Check the dosage
2. Draw up the insulin
3. Select the injection site 
4. Inject the insulin

• These steps may need to be introduced a few days apart and should be done when you have time to spare and you're not too rushed - at weekends for example.
• Sharing tasks between both parents and the child is useful - for example Mum a.m., Dad p.m., child at weekends. Often children will be keen to help.
• Concentrate on your child learning one task at a time, otherwise demands are too great and your child will be confused and unwilling to stick at it.
• Your child's skills may not be as good as your own, so patience is needed to increase their confidence. This is another reason for choosing a less rushed time of the day.
• Encourage involvement when your child shows an interest in learning new tasks.
• It’s still important to observe your child's ability and technique to avoid possible mistakes and short cuts. Try to be positive and focus on the things they do well.
• Make it clear to your child that you will slowly introduce responsibility, and that you realise they may sometimes need a break. Let them know that you will help them with diabetes tasks for short periods of time.
• It’s very easy for you as a parent to carry on doing everything for your child whether they have diabetes or not, but it is vital for your child's self esteem and confidence, and your sanity (!), that you encourage the beginnings of self-care.
• You can never be sure that your child knows their hypo symptoms. It is a good idea to draw attention to symptoms straight after a hypo occurs so that your child can talk them over with you. This will help them to remember how they feel and the warning signs of a hypo.
• Your child will need the help of their peers and may need a guiding hand to deal with classmates and friends. Some children do not want anyone outside the family to know that they have diabetes. It may be helpful for your child to tell their best friend what to do if a hypo occurs.
• Your child might do a school project on diabetes to tell their classmates how it is to have diabetes - for example, they could show how they use their meter. This may increase confidence through teaching their friends.
• School events may motivate your child to help in self care - for example, learning to correctly treat hypos so that they may attend sports events or school excursions.
• Your child may be keen to sleep-over at a friend or relative's house which may provide a gentle push to take on responsibility for diabetes related tasks - seize every opportunity you can.

Coping from day to day 
• Gradually increase responsibility
• Break tasks into small steps
• Add one task at a time
• Watch for things which encourage your child; 
• at home
• at school
• with friends
• Help, support, supervise your child
• Choose a quiet time of the day to start a new task
• Remind your child that diabetes is not their fault
• Too much responsibility too soon can lead to burnout

Siblings
• Brothers and sisters may not like the sudden focus on the child with diabetes - Why all the fuss? Why do we have to rush home for injections? Why do we have to worry about food all the time? Your child with diabetes may well take advantage of this.
• Brothers and sisters who previously had no axe to grind may suddenly find one. If they thought their brother or sister were the favourite prior to having diabetes, this may add to the problem. 
• Brothers and sisters may fear that they will be loved less and pushed to one side in favour of the child with diabetes.
• Brothers and sisters may worry that they might get diabetes.

Ideas for coping:
• Try to keep things as normal as you can (not always easy) and play down the diabetes as much as is possible. Try and spend some special time alone with your child without diabetes, doing something fun and that they really enjoy.
• Be consistent in the way you discipline all your children. 
• Some children worry that diabetes is catching or that their brother or sister with diabetes might die. They may think that something they have done has given their brother or sister diabetes - such as breaking a toy or not sharing. They may have nightmares, suddenly start wetting the bed or cling to you (remember that there are health professionals to help you and your family). Your child's brothers and sisters need to know what is happening and to feel involved.
• Families often find that they have become closer because of diabetes, so problems can be sorted out with patience and understanding.
• Involving siblings in the initial diabetes education may help.

School
• You will probably be very reluctant to let your child out of your sight to go to school. For you and your child's sake it is a good time to encourage independence and adjustment to diabetes.
• To take this step you must feel comfortable that your child will be safe as well as happy.
• You can ask your diabetes educator to visit the school to talk to the staff so that they in turn feel comfortable with the situation. The teachers are usually helpful and only too pleased to assist. Alternatively, discuss with your diabetes educator ways to approach the staff. 
• It is helpful to the staff if you provide one or two hypo kits for them to store in a prominent place. Remember to restock hypo kits regularly.
• A photograph of your child placed in the staff room with details of hypo symptoms is also helpful. An emergency action poster next to the photo, as a reminder, is a good idea.
• Your child should wear some type of diabetes identification chain or bracelet - this habit is a good one to foster at a young age - it may encourage maintaining the habit as they get older.
• At this age your child may be embarrassed if you go to school to check their blood glucose level (BGL). Your child could take the meter to school and check their own BGL, however, testing at school may not always be necessary.
• Camps are good to help you and your child to feel less alone. In some states there are parent/child weekend camps for children up to the age of nine. Your child may then go on to other camps through their childhood right up to teenage. Camps run by the school will help your child and friends to adapt. Again, your educator may speak to staff going to the camp so that everyone feels happier. Contact Diabetes Australia in your state or territory for information about camps.
• Your child may be eligible for special provision for exams (e.g. Basic Skills Test in NSW for children in year 3). This may allow your child extra time and toilet or rest breaks. Discuss with your child’s school.

For more information about managing diabetes at school click here.

To care for your child you must care for yourself
Diabetes takes a lot of time and energy so it's normal to feel frustrated and tired from the constant daily demands of management. Your emotions may change and recur (perhaps frequently) - guilt, frustration, helplessness, sadness, anger... and happiness when all goes according to plan!!
• Talk to someone who may understand.
• Encourage relatives or friends to attend education sessions and/or support groups to learn more about diabetes, so that they may in turn give you support.
• Find some time for yourself, it's worthwhile for the daily demands of parenting.
• Share your feelings with your partner, a friend or relative, support groups, your doctor, other health professionals eg. social worker, psychologist.
• Share diabetes tasks with your partner.
• Keep in touch with your educator as ongoing education can help you and your child at different stages.
• Don't be afraid to ask your health professional team for support and guidance.

 

What does any child do with food at this age?

Experience a change in eating habits
• An older child takes more responsibility for their food choices. They may also receive more pocket money, so their buying power increases. Food is an important part of socialising and money is often spent on food.
• Pressure from friends and a growing sense of self awareness become an important influence in their food choices.
• As a child progresses to adolescence, changes in eating habits may be a way in which they express their new found identity. Fast foods and takeaways are popular, as is snacking, and skipping meals sometimes becomes a habit.
• Snacking is part of a child's eating patterns and significant amounts of nutrients are obtained from snacks - often up to a quarter of their daily energy needs and one third of other nutrients eg iron and calcium. Ensuring a supply of healthy snacks is very important.

Healthy snack Ideas:
• Fresh fruit
• Dried fruit eg. sultanas, apple
• Low fat flavoured milk 
• Low fat yoghurt or dairy desserts
• Pikelets
• Scones
• Crumpets or English muffins
• Fruit snack packs
• Fruit loaf/toast
• Bagels
• Pretzels or rice crackers
• Crackers and reduced fat cheese 
• Muesli bars / Breakfast bars 
• Milk shakes / Fruit smoothies
• Fruit filled biscuits
• Popcorn
• Breakfast cereal
• Toasted sandwich / jaffle
...It's a good idea to have chilled water in the fridge.

Heavily advertised foods - potato crisps, corn chips, chocolate, lollies and soft drinks are favourite choices. There is no reason why these snack foods cannot be enjoyed occasionally. Banning these types of snack foods may result in your child only wanting them more, and eating them when they think no parents are around. It’s important that the whole family enjoys everyday healthy foods.

Enjoys food in an expanding social scene
When a child starts school they may begin to separate from their parents, and rely more on approval from friends. This is a time of growing independence and socialising - sleep overs, camps, parties - fun! Staying over with their friends at night and sharing meals with their friends' families becomes important in their social development.

Riding the food merry-go-round... of diabetes

Coping with growth spurts
At this age children are likely to experience the beginning of a growth spurt. You may notice that your child is more hungry and needs to eat extra food. Talking with a dietitian about how much and when to increase the amount of food for your child can certainly be of help.
A suggestion for parents to cope with their child's increasing appetite and still achieve good blood glucose control, is to offer extra healthy food choices (eg. fruit, vegetables, dairy foods) if hungry after a meal. It may be necessary to seek advice on how to increase insulin dosage to cope with extra food. Talk to your child's doctor or educator.

Learning to make food choices away from home
Teachers, other parents and carers need to be informed that your child has diabetes - so they can be prepared. However, making a fuss about your child's food choices may cause them to feel different and singled out. This is certainly the case if one child is seen to get more attention than other children. So providing a few simple guidelines for people is best.

Parties
Rule no. 1 is - have fun! Your child should be allowed to enjoy the foods offered at the party, including snack foods and birthday cake like other children. It's helpful if teachers can inform parents in advance of special parties so they are aware of the cause of a possible rise in their child's BGLs.

If your child needs to take a plate for a party at school, here's some great party food ideas which can be enjoyed by everyone:
• Fairy bread
• Mini pizzas
• Potato wedges
• Pretzels
• Low joule jelly cups 
• Mini muffins
• Dips and crackers
• Popcorn
• Ribbon sandwiches
• Diet soft drink
• Pikelets
• Fruit kebabs

At some time, either during a school outing or after school, your child will be exposed to fast foods! Takeaway outlets offer a variety of foods that are fast, fun and definitely appealing to children. Many of these foods are high in fat and salt and lack fibre, however they can be enjoyed from time to time. The type and amount of carbohydrate and fat are important considerations. Better choices are:

• BBQ chicken roll (skip the skin) 
• Regular burger with salad 
• Doner kebab and salad 
• Toasted sandwiches or focaccia 
• Grilled fish and chips
• Asian stir-fry or noodle dishes
• Burritos
• Vegetable based pizzas

Counting carbohydrates 
• You may be concerned when your child is away from home - will they eat enough carbohydrate so they don't have a hypo?
• Teaching your child about carbohydrate foods and quantities they need to eat is important. Extra fats or sugars occasionally are not going to be harmful in the long term.
• Encouraging them to make their own decisions about how much they need to eat at meals at home is a good place to start. With this confidence they may deal with other situations more easily.
• Making carbohydrate choices at meal times should not be difficult - offer selections from potato, corn, sweet potato, rice, pasta or bread. Desserts can also be nutritious and offer another carbohydrate alternative -try fruit or dairy based desserts such as fruit salad, yoghurt, banana split, custard or canned fruit. 
• Allowing your child to join in outings, sleep-overs and camps helps them to learn to share responsibility for their diabetes. Older school-age children are often ready to do more of their diabetes care, such as making their own food choices, assisting with cooking meals and even reading food labels.

Planning a 'day out' 
• It may be useful to work out a checklist with your child as a reminder of what to take with them when they go out to a school outing or stay over at a friend's home. A checklist stuck to the fridge or a cork board is helpful.

The checklist should include the following:
• Hypo food - quickly absorbed carbohydrates - eg juice, jelly beans, sugar sachets and follow up carbohydrates - eg crackers, biscuits, dried fruit
• Extra carbohydrate snacks 
• Insulin
• Syringe or pen
• Blood glucose meter and test strips 
• Tissues
• Small sharps container / needle clipper

Planning for sport & exercise
• If extra activity is planned it is important that your child eats additional carbohydrate food prior to the exercise.
• Exercise increases the body's sensitivity to insulin (increasing the risk of hypos) and this effect may continue for up to 12 - 16 hours following the activity. There is a lot of variation between individuals regarding these effects, so it is important to monitor your child's BGLs closely before, during and after exercise.
• If regular exercise is expected, such as sports day at school or swimming on the weekend, you may wish to discuss with your child's doctor the need to reduce the insulin dosage on these days.
• Suggestions for adjusting carbohydrate intake, if insulin dosage remains the same: For every half hour of sport your child does, they should eat one extra carbohydrate exchange / serve.

Carbohydrate foods for sport
• Low fat yoghurt
• Pack of sultanas 
• Sandwich 
• Low fat flavoured milk
• Dried apricots 
• Fresh fruit
• If your child is involved in an endurance/long sport event, they may need extra carbohydrate during and after the event to prevent a low BGL. A carbohydrate containing drink such as fruit juice, regular cordial or even a sports drink is handy, providing both fluid for hydration and carbohydrate for energy.
• A hypo kit containing a quickly absorbed carbohydrate and a slow acting carbohydrate food will keep your child going until their next meal (eg. juice plus crackers or jellybeans plus plain biscuits). 
• Remind your child to check their BGL before and after sport to find out how it is affected by activity. This helps for sport next time as you'll have a better idea of what insulin dosage and which foods work best.

Source: http://www.diabeteskidsandteens.com.au/parents_and_carers_4.html