Diabetic Meal Plans

If you suffer from problems with blood sugar, it is vital to stick to diabetic meal plans upon which you and your healthcare professional decide. Proper diets can help to control not only your blood sugar levels but also your weight. A meal plan takes into consideration the type of diabetes you have, your nutritional needs, and medications or supplements that you are taking on a regular basis.

Picky Eaters

Children are often the pickiest of eaters and prefer fried and processed foods instead of grilled items or fresh produce. Foods such as macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs are among the most popular kid’s choices, including those with diabetes. By following diabetic meal plans, you can incorporate these items into your child’s diet, as long as you make a few adjustments.

Snacks

Kids love to eat snacks during lunch, at home, or after dinner and those with diabetes are no exception. Fruit and vegetables, while healthy, get boring and no child wants to eat them all the time so incorporating some fun but healthy snacks into the diabetic meal plans is a good idea. Some low carbohydrate and low fat items to incorporate into your child’s diet might include:

• Graham Crackers 
• Rice Cakes 
• Pretzels 
• Trail Mix 
• Vanilla Wafers 
• Air-Popped Popcorn 
• Trail Mix 

If your child prefers dairy products to carbohydrates, you could try

• fruit smoothies
• low-fat yogurt 
• low-fat cheeses
• low fat, no sugar, frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Meals

Traditionally, macaroni and cheese is full of fat and carbohydrates, both of which are bad for a child with diabetes to consume. However, if you use fat free milk and cheese, you can create a healthier version of macaroni and cheese. You may also choose to sprinkle on some breadcrumbs and bake it in the oven for flavor. Try this homemade baked macaroni and cheese recipe.

To make healthy chicken nuggets that don’t stray from the diabetic meal plans, use boneless and skinless cuts of chicken breasts since they have the least amount of fat. Substituting Shake ‘N Bake for the eggs and breadcrumbs adds flavor, reduces calories, and lowers your carbohydrate intake. Finally, baking your chicken cutlets instead of frying them significantly increases the health benefits of the meal.

Other substitutions you might consider adding to your child’s menu are turkey, chicken or vegetable burgers and hot dogs as they are healthier than processed beef and pork products.

Beverages

What you drink is just as important as what you eat since many beverages are loaded with sugar. Water is of course the best choice but it can get boring to a child, especially when all of their friends are drinking juice and soda. Some healthy beverages that a child with diabetes can enjoy include Honest Ade Lemonade, which has no carbohydrates, Dr. Zevia’s Natural Diet Soda, and Cool Fuel, a nutritional supplement.

Labels and Counting

If you are a child with diabetes, before you eat or drink anything, it is important to learn how to read nutritional labels. If an item has too many carbohydrates or is high in salt, you have to choose between not eating it and sacrificing another food item so that you can balance your meal.

At each meal, it is imperative that you keep track of what you eat, the size of the portion, and its nutritional value, along with your blood sugar readings. This is inconvenient but important in staying on track and in helping to avoid unnecessary health problems.

As a kid with diabetes, you need to develop good habits early on and stick with the diabetic meal plans as they can help you to maintain a healthy lifestyle, as you get older.

Do you have a diabetic meal idea or recipe?

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