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Snacking advice / ideas son my 10 yr old son for school

Babydee00001

Well-Known Member
Messages
62
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello all , we are newly diagnosed. I have been packing my son a assortment of berries , not strawberries but all other berry’s and veg cut into sticks etc for his snack . He’s not loving humous anymore unfortunately but loves all cheeses . I bought some rice cakes from Lidl and was thinking of maybe spreading one of his cheese triangles on one to add more bulk . I was wondering and may sound stupid lol but with the 10g or less snack idea does this mean the entire snack must only contain 10g or less in total with all the components? Even writing this it sounds like it does mean that only I haven’t been counting the carbs in the veggies etc being that they are so small amounts . The rice cakes are around 6g each so should I count only these or make sure once ones included all the rest only amounts to 10g ?! Sorry for waffling
Any advice would be wonderful , any little new ideas he’s could potentially like to change it up would be muchly appreciated too thanks in advance
 
Sorry to hear about your son's recent diagnosis. We would all rather not have diabetes but it is great to have some amazing role models with diabetes in politics (we may not agree with our prime minister politically but I still see here as a role model of what we can achieve), sport, film, music, ...
But I digress.

As I think you were starting to conclude, the advice about snacks under 10g is for the total per snack. The reason for this is that, generally, our background (basal) insulin can mop up most of this. If we go over 10g, we run the risk of going too high.
Have you looked at things like cold cocktail sausages or pepperoni sticks as an alternative to vegetables? Or cheese without the crackers?
Many packeted snacks are more than 10g, but there's nothing wrong with measuring out your own 10g carbs from a large packet of crisps (I think most packets have around 15g carbs) - there are some lower fat and lower salt options available now.
Or a few squares of chocolate?
I often buy large tubs of yoghurt and measure out my own portion - it works out a lot cheaper (and environmentally friendly) than buying the individual tubs and, if you get the plain greek yoghurt you can add your own flavours.

Others may better ideas as I have given in and just inject for everything I eat but this is easier for me than a 10 year old boy.

Sounds like you are thinking the right way - good luck with the journey.
 

Ahh what a nice reply thank u . Yeah it’s all been a whirlwind his diagnosis, I’ve finally gotten to grips with it and he’s soldiering on as normal now he’s back to school love him . Yes he loves pepperami and has one of them in with his snack too but good idea actually about them little cocktail sausages
Ok so 10g total snack I got it . Thank u for clearing that up . It does make sense but I just wanted to check . Good idea too to measure out things for snacks too ! Doh ! We been doing for lunch and dinner but yeah why not snack too !! Thanks again , have a lovely day
 
have you tried some chicken pieces little wings plain ones not breaded even barbecue or some ham rolled round some red liecester cheese as the cheese has no carbs in and the ham very little hope this helps a little bit as its hard enough for us to think of suitable snacks for ourselves never mind a 10 year old hope all goes well for you
 

Oh really bbq ones ?? I made him wings last night for dinner but I bought plain ones and just added powder spices on , he loves bbq wings , and he loves Red Leicester and ham , he has it in a wrap every day for his lunch
Good idea tho for his snack , I’m sure he wouldn’t mind eating it twice ! Thank u very much
 
I notice a lot of supermarkets do a selection of cheese miniatures so you could mix it up though I am not sure he would be able to open one without a sharp knife but you can do that in advance of packing. I dont know how many carbs are in those tiny red peppers stuffed with cheese on the deli counters. Also look at keto muffin recipes. I find they freeze brilliantly and can be defrosted overnight. Warning though they are based on ground almonds instead of flour and I know a lot of schools are nut free zones.
 

Thank u I’ll def look into the muffs !! And yeah I love those cheesy peppers I can’t remember if he does too !! Thank u
 
Aw, 10 years old! Does he like crackers of some kind, maybe with a cheese spread? (You can get some that are around 5 to 10 carbs), or a cold chicken leg, or ham slices? I expect he wants snacks in his lunchbox like any other 10 year old kid so it can be hard for him not to have sweets and stuff like that. I like the low carb brownie recipes, a little slice of heaven in his lunchbox! I know that he does NOT have to have low carb generally but I am thinking of carbs under 10 as mentioned. Nuts maybe (if not allergic!!). I'm also thinking of a small slice of bread (under 10 carbs a slice) which you can fold over salad/chicken/ham/beef or a low carb wrap.
 

U know what I hadn’t even thought of things like that , yeah I guess so long as around 5 ish as u say it would be fine ! And also I wondered about nuts as he loves them but when I was in Lidl looking at them all they all looked as tho had a fair amount of carbs in . So nuts will be ok as long as under 10carbs a serving , that’s good then . Breaks it up a bit doesn’t it then . And initially I kept thinking about calories rather than carbs as that’s all we ever think of as adults haha I was jumping for joy when I knew he can have cheeses ! Then I thinking of yeah it’s about carbs not cals lol
 
Just another thought babydee, is your lad quite active?, I can imagine that running around at school burns off quite a few carbs so he may get away with slightly more than 10 carbs a snack, it depends on his 'normal' readings of course.
 
In some supermarkets, you can buy bags of 'fun size' or 'snack size' apples, normally half the size of a standard piece of fruit. The mini baby bell cheeses tend to travel quite well, especially if they are in his school bag half the day! Another thing, if his school are lax on the healthy eating, is corn crisps. My 5 year old and grand kids love these, Quavers and Wotsits come in at just under 10g a standard packet, space raiders about 7g, and happy snax at 4g. I hand out happy snax for a treat now and then and they're always happily received. The OH eats Wotsits! Cherry tomatoes also travel pretty well, and make a good accompaniment to the pepperami or chicken wings.

He's going to have some of the most amazing pack ups by looking at the responses here, you're going to have to drill in the no swapping rule

Back in the 80's I had a type 1 friend who had a crisp sandwich for lunch. Every. Single. Day. I remember the big metal syringe she used to inject into her belly, and her mum carefully counting prawns for tea and checking pee sticks for glucose against a colour chart at the dining table. I was in senior school, and although I knew it was unusual, I never thought it weird or scary - you don't when it's your mate, because it's just your mate.

I'm sorry to hear about his diagnosis, what a minefield of information you're all having to get to grips with. Sending good vibes of calm and joy to you.
 
KK123 said:
Just another thought babydee, is your lad quite active?, I can imagine that running around at school burns off quite a few carbs so he may get away with slightly more than 10 carbs a snack, it depends on his 'normal' readings of course.
Click to expand...

He does play about at lunch time but he says at break he just sits down chatting . Good point though
it’s a shame the rice cakes 6 odd carbs a peace as they are quite yummy with cheese spread . If I can find some for 5 carbs a go they would be perfect
 

Haha love that story yes I was imagining something quite similar when they diagnosed my boy
I had visions of me as Daryl Hannah being the nurse in Kill Bill but then they bought out the insulin pens and I was so relieved !! I have been making him some wonderfully colourful snack boxes for School I even have the notion he’s actually quietly glad of the new menu haha
beats getting palmed off with a bag of miserable cheese puffs ( which I actually think are wonderful
) thank u very much for them crisp suggestions tho , I have been giving him normal ones as part of his lunch but yeah they would be great on the go snacks or for the afternoon at school should he fancy . When I was at junior school mannnny years ago there was a girl in another class with type 1 and she often ate Mars bars in assembly, we all used to wish we had it too for the privilege . Funny my middle boy said the other day ‘ I wish I had diabetes too’ Ahhh kids
️ ( he may as well have as he’s on the new menu too
)
 
i was 10 when I got diagnosed a long time ago and it was a very exciting time with my special snacks! I am sure my parents were terrified though...
BTW the carb in nuts is minimal because it is mainly in the fibre and I wouldn't bother counting carb in non starchy veg. Life's too short!
Come Summer there is sugar free jelly that you buy or make in sealed pots.
Crab sticks are cheap and yummy and the likes of M&S/Co-Op do useful i
f pricey snack pots of prawns/mayo.
My current favourite 'take aways' are coconut crisps and Pip 'n' Squeak sachets of almond butter...
Good luck to him and hope he appreciates his mum!
 

I like that almond butter we have some in cupboard!! Ahh was you 10 aswell , he’s been such a star , we was diagnosed around 3 weeks ago now and already he’s doing his own injections . So proud of him . I’m glad you say about the nuts as was still unsure . He loves nuts of all sorts . And yeah I’ve been making the sugar free jelly’s they’re great ! Also been making ice lolly’s in freezer with sugar free juice . It’s a lot better really than I first thought especially with carb counting for his meals , it’s a god send isn’t it . I hadn’t been counting any of the veggies ( apart from starchy as u say ) nor any cheeses really but if I do start giving him a low carb snack like the rice cakes or that I’ll count the other bits to be sure . It’s kind of like slimming world in the veggie and meat being free but the massive bonus is he can have plenty of cheese !!! We was really pleased to learn that !
 
A square of galaxy chocolate contains 2.7g carb, so maybe he could have a rice cake topped with cheese and a square of chocolate as one of his snacks, or three squares of chocolate for the snack as a treat once a day or every two days.
I’m sure he would enjoy that snack
 

Thank u ! He would enjoy that
 
Hello there, what I also do for snacks and is only about 11g of carbs is get some mixed nuts like walnuts, almonds, and cashews and mix it with small bite size pieces of dark chocolate 1/4 cup equals to 11g of carbs you get a little sweet and a little salty in the mixture. Would have to check with your sons school though about it because a lot of children have nut allergies and nuts as well as peanut butter is banned from schools. Dark chocolate is a nice sweet but also an antioxidant as the nuts are the energy boost. Myself and my fiance are both diabetic and have to watch our carbs. He is insulin dependant while I am on metformin. All the wonderful suggestions here are a great help to us as well since we have to watch our carbs. Good luck with you and your little one and hope all goes well.
 
Hello, sorry to hear about your son - we’re in the same boat our 10 yr old son was diagnosed 1 month ago yesterday... we do feel like we’re getting into a routine also, and he’s doing quite well. Re snacks, he’s very active so we’ve found that going closer to 12-15g of carbs has worked well for us, as odds are he’s going to burn it off during recess, lunch or during their physed class... Wishing him & your family all the best!!
 
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