November 13, 2000
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Tampa, Florida, USA:
My daughter is seven years old and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was four. Her pediatric endocrinologist feels that it is fine to have sugar. He feels that even though it may raise the blood sugar faster and come down faster, that it is still okay. He said all we should be concerned with is counting the carbs. I have just heard of so many children with diabetes that are not allowed to have much sugar. What is your opinion on this matter? Her A1c usually runs between 7.9-8.2%. If I reduced the sugar intake, do you feel that her A1c would improve also?
Answer:
It is important to remember that we all live in a real world, and children are children in that they like what any other child likes to eat: sweets and chocolates, etc. I personally feel it is unrealistic to expect any child to eat no sweets whatsoever, but to have them in moderation and also at the right times. I think if you were to exclude sweets and chocolates altogether, your child may resent that and begin to find ways of getting sweets that you are not aware of. So small amounts occasionally is okay. The hemoglobin A1c is quite good for your child. Keep up the good work.
JS
