
January 9, 2002
Meal Planning, Food and Diet, School and Daycare
Question from Kitts Hill, Ohio, USA:
My seven year old has diabetes, diagnosed at age five, and the school personnel say I’m medically neglecting my child because I fed her waffles for breakfast one morning. Can you please explain that this is not a problem when you are counting carbohydrates?
Answer:
With carbohydrate counting, it is the total amount of carbohydrate which needs to be monitored rather than the type of carbohydrate. With proper meal planning, no food should be forbidden, especially for children with diabetes who rely on the calories and nutrition for growth. As long as the waffle is worked into a meal plan, and your daughter is able to maintain good blood sugar control, there is no reason not to include it into breakfast. I would rather have her work this in than skip breakfast. I hope this reassurance helps things. Keep up the good work.
JMS