June 7, 2008
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Chennai, Tamilnadu, India:
Can a child have mango or other fruit included in her diet?
Answer:
Fruit can certainly be worked into a meal plan for a person with diabetes. The important thing to remember is that small amounts should be worked in because fruit is 100% carbohydrate, so, if eaten in larger amounts, it will certainly raise blood sugars. I would check with your health care team or registered dietitian to find out specifically how much your relative can eat. Just to give you an idea, 1/2 cup of cut up mango or 1/2 of a small mango consists of 15 grams of carbohydrate. For a child between the ages of two and five, total carbohydrates at a meal should be around 45 grams of carbohydrate per meal. Your relative’s amount of carbohydrates may vary. Check with your health care team to make sure.
JMS
