Is it all right to allow my child to eat sweets sometimes if it is within the carb count allowed for the meal? Can I sometimes give her extra insulin and let her eat a candy if she wants it very badly in addition to her meal?

You can certainly incorporate occasional sweets into your child’s meal plan as long as blood sugar control is not compromised. Meal planning for people with diabetes has gotten more liberalized without compromising blood sugar control. I often tell my patients to incorporate small amounts of sweets into a meal plan wisely. Moderation and portion control are two very important parts of meal planning, and occasional sweets can be worked into a meal plan.

Maintain communication with your physician and health care team regarding working in sweets, but it’s much healthier to be honest regarding sweets for children as opposed to trying to “sneak” foods just because of the notion that sweets are not allowed — which is not true.

JMS