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October 22, 2005

Meal Planning, Food and Diet

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Question from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA:

Our daughter used to be in better control of her blood sugars when she was on a more controlled diet plan where she had a total carbohydrate count goal for each meal and snack. I have records for when she was 11. Now, she is 16. Is there a suggested formula for figuring this out? She is on Lantus and NovoLog. She is 5 feet, 9 inches and weighs 148 pounds.

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

If your daughter had better control when she was 11, that was around the time she was diagnosed, so, she was probably in her honeymoon.

That said, I tell children and parents that our “flexible” program isn’t a program where anything goes. Huge meals/snacks containing lots of simple carbohydrates cannot just be covered with insulin. Many times you will go high, then crash if you have merely given insulin to take care of it all. Even the most creative use of the bolus features on the newest pumps can’t do this.

So, moderation is the key, but isn’t that the key for every one. Also, flexible does not imply all the protein and fat you want…calories count. You can go see a good nutritionist and get a “plan” for age, weight and activity. It is a “plan,” not a mandate, an idea, not a punitive program. That said, life offers times and places where you want to be more “flexible”. That makes living with diabetes easier and better.

LD