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Grandchild diagnosed w/ type 1.
- Thread starter PPROWT
- Start Date
Hi @PPROWT , welcome to the forum.
That must be quite a shock for you and the rest of the family.
I think your grandchild is very lucky to have a grandparent springing into action like you are, and joining a forum right away to find out how to support, that's just brilliant, thank you!
The thing with T1 is that we don't necessarily follow a particular diet.
Having T1 means we don't produce insulin ourselves, so we have to inject what our bodies don't make, it's a very different condition from type 2.
The tricky part is working out how much to inject.
To do this, in time, we learn how much insulin we need for how many carbs. This isn't learnt overnight, it's a long process of trial and error, and the amount we need isn't the same every day either.
Your grandchild was only diagnosed today, so at the moment they have no idea how much insulin they need. But this will change when they start to get the hang of dealing with diabetes, and your grandchild and their diabetes nurse and endo start to work out their insulin needs.
They're likely advised to keep eating as normal but skip the sweet beverages and sweets, so you can just keep cooking as normal!
What will be very helpful in time is if you learn to count the carbs in your meals. And this is something you can start practising right now!
Turn over the food you have in your home and check the amount of carbs on the back of the packages per 100 grams, use Google or a book or app to find out the carbs for unpackaged stuff.
You're not in a hurry, your grandchild needs time to learn as well.
Should they decide they want to follow some diet in the future, that will be early enough to adjust your cooking. Some T1's do very well eating exactly what they did before diagnosis, others find they prefer adjusting some things. It's up to your grandchild to find their own preferred way in this.
I think you'll like to have a read of this thread, and please ask any question you have!
5 things any newly diagnosed type 1 should know
Written by Stephen Ponder and from the sugarsurfing.com website, this extract is what all newly diagnosed type 1’s should be told, please share: Type 1 diabetes often arrives totally unexpected. Shock, denial, fear, and sadness are usual first reactions. For most, the maelstrom of negative...
www.diabetes.co.uk
D
Deleted member 527103
Guest
Hi @PPROWT sorry to read about the diagnosis of your grandchild.
It is difficult to hear that our loved ones are unwell and it is great that you want to find out what is best for them.
The first thing to understand is that there are different types of diabetes. 90% of people with diabetes have type 2. Therefore, 90% of what we read and hear about “diabetes’ is for type 2 and, mostly, irrelevant for people with Type 1. Type 1 is a completely different condition treated with insulin because our body no longer produces any.
Whilst insulin dosing can be challenging at times, it means there is no such thing as a diet for Type 1. Many of us chose to eat the same as we did before diagnosis. A few (especially those on this forum which is hosted by a company that promotes low carb diet), chose to Minuit their carbs.
Before investigating recipes for Type 1 (which do not exist), I think it is better to talk to their parents and understand the approach chosen for your grandchild.
If you want to learn more about diabetes and, especially, Type 1, I recommend checking out the Learning Zone on the charity Diabetes UK (not this site).
It is difficult to hear that our loved ones are unwell and it is great that you want to find out what is best for them.
The first thing to understand is that there are different types of diabetes. 90% of people with diabetes have type 2. Therefore, 90% of what we read and hear about “diabetes’ is for type 2 and, mostly, irrelevant for people with Type 1. Type 1 is a completely different condition treated with insulin because our body no longer produces any.
Whilst insulin dosing can be challenging at times, it means there is no such thing as a diet for Type 1. Many of us chose to eat the same as we did before diagnosis. A few (especially those on this forum which is hosted by a company that promotes low carb diet), chose to Minuit their carbs.
Before investigating recipes for Type 1 (which do not exist), I think it is better to talk to their parents and understand the approach chosen for your grandchild.
If you want to learn more about diabetes and, especially, Type 1, I recommend checking out the Learning Zone on the charity Diabetes UK (not this site).
