Despite medical advancement and years of research by healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies, there has been no breakthrough in finding a cure for Diabetes. Thankfully, with knowledge about the disease increasing, better forms of treatment and hopefully a cure are on their way.
Parents are often at their wits’ end while trying to meet the nutritional needs of their diabetic child- the childs diet needs a little more care and planning. The adjustment can be difficult for the child and for the rest of the family, whose unconditional love and support are crucial at all times.
A little extra effort will go a long way in helping a diabetic child live a normal life. Here is how :-
- Sit with the childs diabetologist and understand how many calories are being prescribed.
- Get help from a nutritionist to convert the prescribed number of calories into a daily meal plan.
- Draw up a shopping list of a wide variety of foods from the different food groups.
- Encourage the child to make healthy food choices.
- Always keep plenty of healthy snack options readily available.
- Wholesome meals should be cooked for, and eaten by, all members of the family to encourage the diabetic child in his/her blood glucose battle.
- Choose grilled, low-fat options when eating out
- Encourage the child to increase his duration of exercise the day he wants to indulge in a small portion of dessert.
- When the child is invited to a birthday party, call the parent hosting the party to find out the menu and also to let her/him know that your child is diabetic and should not be forced to overeat.
- Pack a healthy snack- the host will not mind.
- Teach your child to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia as well as hyperglycemia.
- An ID card that reads DIABETIC on one side and lists what to do in an emergency ( like contact numbers, what to give the child etc) on the other side, should be with the child at all times.
For all those lil JD angels I met this week…this post is for you 🙂
Stay blessed with good health .…always !!!
Warm regards,
Charmaine D’Souza
