December 30, 2005
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Plantation, Florida, USA:
I am school nurse for a seven year old first grade boy with type 1 diabetes, diagnosed last January. We do a carbohydrate count at lunch in school, reviewing foods sent by mother and father (divorced). Out of the recommended carbohydrates for each meal, how many sugar carbohydrates would be appropriate? The father sends Lunchables, that have 64 grams carbohydrates, but there are over 43 grams sugar in the 64. I don’t think this is appropriate, but mother cannot seem to get a response from the endocrinologist as to a rule of thumb of carbohydrates versus sugar.
Answer:
The total amount of carbohydrate on the nutrition facts label is the key thing to focus on when meal planning. That said, it is still advisable to strive for a lower sugar content from foods. For healthy nutrition, it is advisable to strive for a lower sugar content in foods, though not always practical. I would bet a majority of the sugar content in a Lunchable is coming from the juice box or candy. It’s healthier to make your own lunchables for school lunches.
JMS
