
March 8, 2002
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Houston, Texas, USA:
My co-worker has an eight year old daughter who has type 1 diabetes, and she is having a hard time finding a diet for her because the diabetic management team has given her a list of “fast foods” and other not so healthy foods as choices. Where can she find information about a healthy sensible diet for her daughter which will keep her daughter’s cholesterol level low?
Answer:
I would suggest that your coworker schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian who specializes in diabetes meal planning. Nowadays, diabetes meal plans are more individualized towards the person’s food preferences and/or meal times. A healthy diet for a child with diabetes is based on the Food Guide Pyramid.”Fast foods” can be included but should be avoided in large amounts. The amount of carbohydrate is stressed more than the type of carbohydrate with meal planning.
JMS