I need to know how to plan meals for my six-year-old daughter. She doesn’t have much of an appetite and it seems that six meals a day is too much for her. She is taking only five units of Insulatard per day.

I would speak with your health care provider and tell them your concerns about your daughter’s lack of appetite. I suspect they are promoting six meals a day (three meals and three snacks) to make sure she has adequate carbohydrate intake to balance out any possible peaks the Insulatard may have during the day. The best meal plans for kids with diabetes tend to be ones that work appetite and normal eating patterns around a compatible insulin regimen. Since six meals a day seems to be too much, you might want to speak with your provider about coming up with an alternative insulin regimen that may allow for more flexibility with meal planning.

JMS