If you are caring for the wellness a loved one with type 1 diabetes, you know that it means ensuring their wellbeing with a healthy diet and correct food preparation. Sue Tocher MS, RD, dietician and diabetes clinical program coordinator at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta says ‘You don’t need to buy special foods’ but instead ‘You should prepare the same healthy foods that would be recommended for someone without diabetes. That means plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and a low concentration of fats and sweets.’
When it comes to diabetes, moderate glucose levels are all-important, and need to be checked regularly as well as maintained through the proper intake of insulin and carbohydrates. Your loved one should keep regular hours of eating and snacking, as well as a similar daily intake of carbs, and avoid skipping meals. According to Tocher, ‘Carbohydrates are the most important food group for diabetics’ because these are the foods that ‘impact glucose levels’, and good source are bagels, crackers, dried beans and peas, fruit, and pasta and rice.
A good way to make food choices is by following the food pyramid. This has six colour-coded categories, each representing a different food group, and Tocher explains ‘The foods closest to the bottom are the foods that are closest to their natural state, such as whole grains, fresh vegetables, beans, and fresh fruit. You want to get your calories from the bottom up.’ Foods from the bottom also provide vitamins, minerals, and fibre, and the next level up represents milk products, meat, and meat substitutes like eggs, fish, and tofu. Fats and sweets reside at the top of the pyramid, so your patient needs the least of these.
Next, think about portion sizes. You should try to provide 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, as well as 4-11 servings of grains and starches such as whole-grain bread or pasta, brown rice, beans, corn, and potatoes. You should be giving your loved one low or non-fat dairy products 2-3 times a day, limit meat protein to 4-6 ounces a day and boost oily fish up to at least 2-3 times a week. A few final tips: use low fat oils, sauces and dressings and try lemon or lime juice instead of salt. Steam vegetables in water or low-fat broth and remember that steaming, roasting, grilling and boiling are better than frying. Finally, remove fat and skin from meat products and make sure that if you’re caring for a child with diabetes that he or she gets plenty of vitamin D.
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