November 7, 2006
Hypoglycemia, Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Owensboro, Kentucky, USA:
I’m a pediatric nurse in a health department setting and have some questions. Can you give me some examples of mid-morning and afternoon snacks for a diabetic? Should a snack be high or low protein or solely be based on a carbohydrate amount? If the carbohydrate amount is to be considered, what range is recommend?
Another of my patients used sweetened tea to bring up a low blood sugar and nothing else. I felt he should add a protein or something that would help level this off later. What would you recommend?
Answer:
You ask a good question about appropriate snacks for kids with diabetes. A good combination of carbohydrates and protein is usually favored for snacks. Examples include: low fat cheese and whole grain crackers; low fat, artificially sweetened yogurts; peanut butter and crackers; graham crackers with peanut butter; a small sandwich with lean meat and whole grain breads; an apple with a low fat string cheese stick. For treating low blood sugars, the sweet tea is okay, but should be followed up with a protein source in order to stabilize blood sugars.
JMS
