Setting up the meal plan
Your child’s meal plan provides the basis for healthy eating and safe blood sugar control. Regular mealtimes and snack times and consistent amounts of food are key parts of the plan. Almost all children with diabetes need 3 regular meals and a bedtime snack every day, to avoid low blood sugar emergencies. For most children the meal plan also includes a mid-afternoon snack. Some children, especially younger ones, have a regular mid-morning snack as well.
Flexibility with the amounts of food and number of snacks in a day can be incorporated, dependant on your child's insulin therapy. Remember, healthy balanced eating forms the basis of your child's meal plan.
How is the meal plan developed? How do you know the timing of meals and snacks, and how much food should you provide? These are important questions.
A registered dietitian (RD) will help create a meal plan to meet the needs of your child and family. The dietitian is experienced in nutrition planning for children and adolescents. She is a key member of your diabetes team. The meal plan is based on what and how much food is normally eaten. Food intake records are important in helping the dietitian figure out how much food your child needs at first, as well as changes down the line.
Your family will record the amount and types of food eaten at each meal and snack over a period of about 3 days. The dietitian reviews these records and calculates the average amount of carbohydrate, protein, and fat eaten at each meal and snack. This forms the basis of the meal plan. The timing of meals and snacks depends on the family’s routines. As the child grows and daily routines change, the meal plan must be changed to reflect these changes.
An alternative to this plan is to focus only on the carbohydrate content of each meal. This “carbohydrate counting” is a more flexible approach to meal planning. It may be most appropriate for older children and teens who can apply the ideas they have learned.
For each of these meal planning strategies, you need to pay careful attention to the amount of carbohydrate eaten at each meal and snack.
For more information, please read the section on Meal Planning.