I would like to know what children with diabetes, ages two to five, can eat. What do they need in their diet? What can they not have? I have to design a weekly menu for a child with diabetes in a nursery including snacks, breakfast, dinner, tea and drinks.

A child with diabetes can eat anything a child without diabetes eats, but I would recommend that they avoid some foods that are extremely high in carbohydrates and lack any nutritional content (a few examples would be regular sodas, regular jelly, syrup, etc). I would not recommend these foods to any child, but certainly not to a child with diabetes. Following the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations and mixing a moderate amount of carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthier fats while meeting a child’s caloric needs for growth is the best way to develop a meal plan. Portion sizes matter more nowadays than the source of the carbohydrate. Most parents of kids with diabetes have been instructed on carbohydrate counting and are familiar with the amount of carbohydrates they need for meals and snacks for optimal blood sugar control. If the parents cannot give you guidance with carbohydrate amounts (since each child has varying nutritional needs), ask that they set up an appointment to meet with a pediatric dietitian who specializes in diabetes meal planning to give you some assistance with meal planning.

JMS