
February 19, 2003
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Greer, South Carolina, USA:
There are two children in my son’s third grade who have some form of diabetes and cannot have sweets when we have parties. What alternatives can we offer them instead of the sweets that the rest of the class gets?
Answer:
You ask a very good question and I applaud your sensitivity with regards to the nutritional requirements of these two children. However, diabetes meal planning nowadays allows for small amounts of sweets as long as they are substituted (through proper carb counting skills) in a child’s meal plan. I would suggest you offer them the same sweet as the other kids but maybe substitute a beverage that is low carb or no carb (e.g, sugar free Kool-Aid, Crystal Lite, etc.) to help keep the carb load at a minimal level.
JMS