Diabetic Child

Hi D.,

My little girl cannot have gluten or dairy and I buy online from the allergygrocer.com and its a wonderful site. Lots of info on different subjects regarding children or adults with special dietary needs. It gets delivered right to my house and the products are wonderful. I am now able to make my daughter treats that she couldn't otherwise have. I've tried shopping at local specialty stores but the products never taste very good. These cakes etc. taste like the real deal.

L.(44 year old mom of 5 and 1 granddaughter...ages 21,17,15 year old twins, 8, and 4 months).

Hi

Good news! Here are the numbers...I noticed they may have the same team that helps the gestational diabetics mom. The phone number is the same and its at the Concord location.

I think this place is worth for you to check it out and try it with them if your child's doctor can refer to this place. They were awesome. They were great tweaking things to get the numbers down and great suggestions thru insulin and food. They are all a team.

Diabetes Care and Management
Education is provided to help those with diabetes better manage their disease. The programs at the John Muir Diabetes Center and the John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus Center for Diabetes help individuals with diabetes learn about diet, oral medication or insulin, glucose monitoring, and other management approaches.
Offered at the John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus Center for Diabetes and John Muir Diabetes Center.
Physician referral required.
Call for more information.
###-###-#### - John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus

Sweet Success - Diabetes and Pregnancy Program
The Center for Diabetes is a regional perinatal program of California. Sweet Success includes a multidisciplinary team composed of physicians, nurses, dietitians, and social workers who provide comprehensive education, nutrition, psychosocial, and medical services to the pre-pregnant and pregnant woman with diabetes.
Offered at John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus.
Physician referral required.
Call ###-###-#### for information.
[$Fee]

Good luck. If have any questions. Please email

Are you asking about a second opinion because you think something is missing/wrong with your current doctor? Are you seeing a 'diabetic specialist' or a pediatric endocrinologist? When our now 4 1/2 year old was diagnosed 2 years ago he was lucky to start with a great pediatric endo, with a great support team (Certified Diabetes Educator, office staff, etc.) whose goal was to teach the family how to manage the disease. And variations are a constant. I strongly agree with the suggestion of the insulin pump so that you can more easily provide insulin to match the carbs.

Hi D.,

A good website that I would recommend for recipes and other ideas is www.everydayeating.com. Also, you can search at your local bakeries or pie shops and ask if they can make sugar free desserts or pastries. I know that Marie Callendar's offers sugar free pies and so does Millie's. Also, to be sensitive to your 6 yr. old, talk to family and friends before the gatherings so that everyone will know ahead of time your concerns. Hope this helps!

Hi D.,

I have a three year old with Candida problems which means she can't tolerate sugar. The best substitute I have found (which is also safe for diabetics) is Xylitol, a natural sugar derived mostly from birch bark and corn cobs. It is not processed by insulin so your son can eat it. It is also antibacterial so it is actually healthy and helps prevent cavities (it is being used in gums like Trident). It looks and tastes much like sugar although it has a cool flavor and I use it in baking and anywhere I would use sugar. We've been using it for over three years and I am verry happy with it, although it is quite a bit more expensive than sugar.
I buy it at my local health food store but if you can't find it near you I'd suggest looking online. I remember seeing it for sale online once but decided it was still cheaper to buy it here.
The few times we've gone to school functions where I know there will be treats, I've made 'special' cookies with my daughter so she would have her own treats.
Good luck to you and Happy Holidays.

A.

you might want to try Diabetic-lifestyle.com that has a lot of information on there for everyone with diabetes, or for parents of kids with diabetes, and some really good recipes.

Dear D. K,
My husband was diagnosed at 13 and my daughter was 2 1/2. They are now 41 and 8 yrs. We tell people sugar free candy canes and candy they have a little less sugar and carb ratio. It's ok to let your child have a few treats for Christmas. Birthdays you can get angel food cakes. with lite whip cream as birthday cakes. It's hard sometimes to know what to do for holidays, but it's great you are asking. Just figure out the carbs to know what insulin your child should have. With my daughter she only gets the sweet stuff when she is low, or border line low. Or if it's a special occasion like Christmas, birthday, halloween. Best of luck, M. P

Hi, When I was pregnant with my last child I got the gestational diabetes and am now borderline diabetic. I found a grat cookbook called "The I Can't Believe This Has No Sugar Cookbook". It has fabulous recipes for traditional type treats without all the sugar. It has been great for me and my children (16yr, 11yr, 4yr) who love treats, but I watch their sweet intake because Diabetes is in my family. My doctor also told me to make sure that if there will be a little more sugar in my diet to make sure and up the proteins. So far for me this has worked, but you should ask your pediatrician for a referral to a nutritionalist. Most are very helpful in developing food alternatives. My children also, now get fruits and nuts in their stockings (the reindeer are sharing their treats) with only a tiny bit of candy. They love it. This has worked for me, I hope it helps you.

Happy holidays

I'm a first grade teacher and have had two diabetic students in the past few years. I am very strict about sugary snacks or desserts coming to the classroom, especially for all those birthdays. I do, however, have cookie decorating on holiday parties and both parents of the diabetic students offered to bring a small tray of sugar-free cookies for their children. We always have fresh veggies and a healthy cracker snacks, too.

Both students were very responsible about taking the precautions they needed to for their own health. I was particularly grateful for this, since it is already stressful enough to care for 20 plus students in a day.

I hope this helps and the holiday season comes to you with joy.

Hi! My daughter was diagnosed 2 months ago, so I am kind of in the same boat. She is almost 6 years old. As far as baking, have you looked into Splenda brown sugar? Also, Jessica Seinfeld has come out with a great cookbook called Deceptively Delicious and she has alot of clever tricks up her sleeve. I use her recipes and substitute or change the sugar amounts. We live in San Mateo Park. Are you close by?

I have a 3 year old daughter that is diabetic as well - this will be our 2nd Christmas since her diagnosis. We have adopted the special occasion rule and with the explanation that if she has X (whether a cookie, sliver of pie, piece of candy, etc) she will require more insulin. Sometimes she opts not to have the treat as she doesn't want another shot. One of the challenges that we've faced is that people love to feed children....candy at the bank, etc. and the sharing with siblings, cousins and friends can be difficult to monitor. We have a rule when she's with her cousins that there is no helping yourself to food for any of them - this has meant that we have much better control over what she eats and it makes her cousins eat more at the regular meals because they're not snacking all day. If I can help you, please let me know - this can be a difficult time of year for all of you.Best of luck and Happy Holidays!
A.

I am a 43 year old diabetic, who was diagnosed 7 years ago with Type 1 (not always just for juveniles :-) diabetes. After three months of he** on multiple shots per day and wildly swinging blood sugars, I made the best decision of my life and got an insulin pump. I can now eat pretty much anything I want, including all kinds of things I shouldn't be eating regardless of whether or not I am diabetic. Basically, anything that you know the carbohydrate count for and how your body will absorb it (which is usually impacted by fat and fiber) you can match the insulin too almost seamlessly. Pizza, Coca-cola, sushi, cookies -- really doesn't matter.

Insulin pumps work even better for children than adults, because you can manage the fast acting insulin in .05 (5 one hundredths) of a unit. Since 1 unit of insulin for me is 21 grams of carbs, or 112 BG points, the micro management is important (kids are the same). Every pump set is good for the equivalent of about 24 shots. No more eating on a schedule, having to wake up at the same time, or worrying about what happens when I get sick and can't eat.

Sugar free is not the best solution -- some of the substitutes cause the runs, and you still have lots of high glycemic index carbs in white flour.

I'm happy to report 7 years out I have zero complications, and my labs look so good that my endocrinologist says you can't even tell from the tests that I'm diabetic.

So maybe not quite the answer you were looking for, but one that you might be interested in looking into none the less. The site insulin-pumpers.org has a section especially for children and about 5000 people willing to provide advice.