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Nutrition requirements for diabetic/non-diabetic children
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Go for Color!
Busy families have a hard enough time having meals together, much less stopping to think about nutrition requirements and if their kids are meeting those. So are they?
Diabetic kids especially need more calcium, because calcium can be lost when blood sugars are elevated. Teens have increased calcium needs, because the majority of bone mass is built during those years. Fewer than 10% of girls and 25% of boys ages 9 to 13 have adequate calcium intake.
Per the American Dietetic Association, kids 9 - 18 yrs. need 1,300 mg/day. A cup of skim milk has 300 mg, and a cup of yogurt has 283 mg. Other sources of calcium are cheese, ice cream, broccoli and calcium fortified juices.
Iron is also an important nutrient that kids do not generally get enough of. Females aged 11 - 18 need 15 mg and males need 12 mg. Iron carries oxygen and protects from infections. Only 28% of girls ages 12-19 get enough.However, 83% of boys the same age have adequate intake. Those with Celiac disease, (often associated with Type 1 diabetes), are at risk of iron deficiency.
In the news lately is Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. There is a lack of vitamin D during Minnesota winters due to lack of sun. Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, helps makes bones stronger, and may offer protection against cancer, heart disease and autoimmune diseases. We need 400 IU/day of vitamin D. One cup of milk provides 100 IU. Other sources are small amounts of cheese, eggs, some fish (sardines, salmon), and fortified breakfast cereal.
Go for color! Families should be eating five or more servings/day of colorful fruits and vegetables!
The prevalence of obesity among U.S. children and teens is on the rise. Type 2 diabetes can be associated with weight gain, but Type 1 is not. You can only add fat cells to your body as an infant or adolescent. After that, it is a matter of filling or depleting them. Screen time is associated with weight gain, so parents should limit that, as well as juice intake to 4 oz. per day.
Pump some iron! Teens need 40-60 grams of protein per day for growth, healthy skin, building muscle and tissue.
Fats are important for a healthy heart, but elevated blood cholesterol/LDL as a teen can lead to heart disease as an adult. Children with diabetes should have a cholesterol screening every 5 years.
Lipid goals for children/adolescents with diabetes are <170 mg/dl for cholesterol. Ideally the LDL (lousy cholesterol) is <100 mg/dl and the HDL (good cholesterol) is >40 mg/dl. Triglycerides should be <150 mg/dl.
Limit saturated (high fat dairy products/meat fats) and trans fats (fried food/stick margarine/partially hydrogenated), and eat polyunsaturated (corn/safflower oil/nuts/tub margarine) and monounsaturated fats (canola/olive oil/fish/nuts/avocados) in moderation.
Carbohydrates have a direct on blood glucose effect. It takes 15 grams of carb to raise blood sugar 60 mg/dl. Type 1 diabetics count carbohydrate grams and match insulin to control blood sugar. Kids need carbohydrates for energy, and kids 5 -12 years old should have 45 - 60 g per meal, and teenage girls 45 - 75g. Teenage boys can have 60 - 75 plus depending on activity levels.
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