Sorry I am type 2 on diet and exercise so am ignorant about type 1 but I have a question. I heard recently of a family where the 9 year old daughter has type 1 diabetes and was diagnosed a few years ago. She is allowed to eat whatever she wants including sweets, crisps etc, some of them in moderation, but thinks that that is fine and she, ie mother can control it by adjusting the injected insulin. I gather the daughter now has a pump fitted. That can't be right can it?
EAt what you want and correct levels with insulin
- Thread starter broads
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well my son is type 1 and on a pump he has a healthy diet everything in moderation including crisp and once a week some sweets and yes we do correct with insulin, other people may do things differently but i find if i restrict him from foods he sneaks them we had an incident a few years ago where he put some chewing gum in his pocket in a shop cos i had said no, needless to say i marched him back with it to the security staff but what im getting at is hes 8 and we try and make his life as normal as possible.
everyone is different but this is what we do
anna marie
everyone is different but this is what we do
anna marie
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not really, i guess it depends on the quantities
if excessive would guess there is a big risk of weight gain
high colestrol and blood pressure, leading to increased risk of heart liver and kidney problems
high blood gluscose levels are not the only risk
if its a generally healthy diet with a few treats then it shouldnt be too much of a problem, we are all allowed the odd treat
if excessive would guess there is a big risk of weight gain
high colestrol and blood pressure, leading to increased risk of heart liver and kidney problems
high blood gluscose levels are not the only risk
if its a generally healthy diet with a few treats then it shouldnt be too much of a problem, we are all allowed the odd treat
Hi,
That sounds about right for a 9yr old. Type-1s can take insulin to cover carbohydrate, and although sweets are not great for anyone, there are times when us type-1s actually need sweet stuff due to hypos;low blood-sugar.
On insulin hypos are a part of life, people treat them in different ways. As sweets are the norm with most 9 yr olds, it seems reasonable that treating a hypo that way could make the child feel less deprived/different from other non-diabetic kids. I wasn't diagnosed till the age of 19, but can understand how hard it must be for a parent to motivate their child to stick to a strict regime without the child feeling hard done by and rebelling. Children are active and there will be time when having a sweet will do no harm.
I have a non-diabetic 9yr old, and it's hard enough getting him to eat healthy, and he loves his dairy milk, so it must be a real struggle with type-1 kids. We just do our best, and I'm sure the mum of the 9yr old you speak of is doing just that.
When I was diagnosed, I hadn't a clue about diabetes apart from hearing my mum talk about my older sister's friend saying she was always eating ice-lollies and sweets, and presuming this was not a good thing.
I've often been asked "you're diabetic, does that mean you can't have sugar?" The reality is that being on insulin, you are always at risk of hypos, and sugar can save our lives.
Hope that helps
Jus
That sounds about right for a 9yr old. Type-1s can take insulin to cover carbohydrate, and although sweets are not great for anyone, there are times when us type-1s actually need sweet stuff due to hypos;low blood-sugar.
On insulin hypos are a part of life, people treat them in different ways. As sweets are the norm with most 9 yr olds, it seems reasonable that treating a hypo that way could make the child feel less deprived/different from other non-diabetic kids. I wasn't diagnosed till the age of 19, but can understand how hard it must be for a parent to motivate their child to stick to a strict regime without the child feeling hard done by and rebelling. Children are active and there will be time when having a sweet will do no harm.
I have a non-diabetic 9yr old, and it's hard enough getting him to eat healthy, and he loves his dairy milk, so it must be a real struggle with type-1 kids. We just do our best, and I'm sure the mum of the 9yr old you speak of is doing just that.
When I was diagnosed, I hadn't a clue about diabetes apart from hearing my mum talk about my older sister's friend saying she was always eating ice-lollies and sweets, and presuming this was not a good thing.
I've often been asked "you're diabetic, does that mean you can't have sugar?" The reality is that being on insulin, you are always at risk of hypos, and sugar can save our lives.
Hope that helps
Jus
All children should follow a healthy balanced diet keeping high sugar and high fat foods in moderation. A type 1 child can eat sweets, crisps, chocolate etc but like all other children should not eat them in excess. It's better for the child to keep the high sugar treats to be eaten as a pudding after a main meal to avoid spikes in blood glucose. Insulin can be delivered to cover the carbs being eaten. The only thing we do avoid is high sugar soft drinks but she does drink the occasional fruit juices or smoothies, these are usually reserved as part of a meal and then no sugar drinks, water or milk are what she drinks between meals. So yes, my daughter who is T1 eats sweets and crips but we are sensible about how much and how often she eats these types of food just like any other parent should be.
You'd rather severely restrict her diet.... for what benefit?
I do that, my last Hba1c was 6.2, which i am more than happy with. As long as her hba1c is good, her weight and health are good, and she's happy, what more could you want?
I do that, my last Hba1c was 6.2, which i am more than happy with. As long as her hba1c is good, her weight and health are good, and she's happy, what more could you want?
phoenix
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Why not, as long as the child eats a generally healthy diet and has good glucose levels? A poor diet may have it's consequences whether the child is diabetic or not.
Much worse in my opinion is perceived deprivation. This can be a factor leading in adolescence to denial and insulin ommision (as many as 1 in 3 teenage girls do this).
Much worse in my opinion is perceived deprivation. This can be a factor leading in adolescence to denial and insulin ommision (as many as 1 in 3 teenage girls do this).
All things in moderation is my attitude. A balenced diet does include a little bit of what you fancy.
As a child my diet was very strict. As soon as I was able to sneak off and eat that forbidden fruit I did and went ott. Both of my siblings were the same- all three of us have terrible relationships with food now.
As a child my diet was very strict. As soon as I was able to sneak off and eat that forbidden fruit I did and went ott. Both of my siblings were the same- all three of us have terrible relationships with food now.
Taking insulin to cover carbs is just the same as a non-diabetic eating whatever they want, as their body produces more insulin to cover it whereas us type 1s inject more to cover it. Everyone is 'advised' to follow a healthy lifestyle for obvious reasons. Everything in moderation I say. :wink:
I would never deny my daughter sweets,crisps etc. Having said that, she doesn't gorge herself on them and eats a sensible diet. She already feels different enough without making her feel even worse. She is 8 years old and weighs 25kg so she is certainly not fat, (BMI 16.8) in fact we sometimes struggle to find somewherefor her cannula to go.
A pump is not a last resort either, it gives better control of BG levels. She also is a normal active kid.
I would never sit in judgement of the way other parents treat there childs diabetes. We do our best for them and hope that along the way they pick up on good habits, education and moderation.
Harry
A pump is not a last resort either, it gives better control of BG levels. She also is a normal active kid.
I would never sit in judgement of the way other parents treat there childs diabetes. We do our best for them and hope that along the way they pick up on good habits, education and moderation.
Harry
