Children with diabetes need specially organized nutrition. In the article, we have collected material on the rules of nutrition and the peculiarities of compiling menus for diabetic children of different ages, as well as step-by-step recipes for dishes.

Nutrition for children with diabetes: basic rules

The main goals of diet therapy for diabetic children are:

• bring blood sugar levels as close as possible to those of a healthy person;
• prevent a sharp rise or fall in blood sugar;
• provide the child with the necessary, useful and necessary substances, vitamins and minerals for the normal functioning of the body;
• turn diabetes from a disease into a lifestyle.

Rules for the nutrition of a child with diabetes :

• fragmentation (eating up to six times a day);
• eating strictly by the clock to regulate the dose of insulin and sugar;
• exclusion of foods that increase blood sugar;
• an introduction to the menu of high-fiber dishes.

Features of compiling a menu for a child with diabetes: taking into account the glycemic index and the number of bread units in products

When eating carbohydrate-containing foods, blood sugar levels rise, so when compiling a menu for diabetics, it is important to take into account the amount of carbohydrates in foods, measured in bread units (XE). One XE is equal to 12 g of carbohydrates or 25 g of bread. There are special tables that help calculate the XE content in various products.

Only the attending physician can determine the rate of XE consumption for a child with diabetes, depending on age and degree of development. The table below shows the approximate consumption of XE for children of different ages.

In a healthy person, when carbohydrate-containing foods are consumed, insulin begins to be produced in order to convert the resulting sugar into energy. . The rate at which a food increases blood sugar levels is called glycemic index (GI).

Foods with a low glycemic index are a good way to control blood sugar levels. Below you can download a table that provides a large list of foods with a high, medium and low glycemic index.

The glycemic index is a variable value. Factors affecting the change in the glycemic index of foods :

• Method of food preparation. The glycemic index of all foods invariably increases during frying. The same product, steamed, baked in the oven or slow cooker, has a lower glycemic index than fried in a pan.
• Mechanical peeling. For example, polished rice has a higher glycemic index than brown rice.
• Pure glucose increases the glycemic index of foods.
• Protein Ingredients help to reduce the glycemic index of the dish.

Features of nutrition in children with diabetes up to a year

A child suffering from diabetes at an early age needs to be on as long as possible. But a mother who is breastfeeding a baby with diabetes needs to follow a special diet. The most popular and recommended diet in this case is diet number 9, based on limiting the intake of easily digestible carbohydrates and animal fats. At the same time, the use of proteins in this case must comply with the norm, otherwise their deficiency can lead to poor health.

The following foods can be included in the menu of a nursing mother of a child with diabetes:

• dietary meat;
• healthy cereals (barley, oatmeal and buckwheat);
• vegetable soups;
• lean fish soups;
• dairy products with low fat content;
• bread: bran, rye or second grade flour;
• seafood;
• lean fish, steamed, in a slow cooker and baked in the oven;
• fresh or boiled vegetables and herbs (potato consumption should be limited);
• fruits (except those on the list of prohibited foods);
• egg whites.

List of prohibited foods for a nursing mother of a diabetic baby:

• alcohol;
• sugar;
• white bread, rich buns, pies, cookies, various sweets;
• fried foods;
• pasta;
• fatty meat and lard;
• sausage, sausages, smoked meats, various semi-finished products, chips, fast foods;
• canned food and marinades;
• jam, sweets, some fruits (figs, bananas, dates and grapes).

Features p breastfeeding a diabetic child

If it is not possible to continue breastfeeding, then for the child you need to choose special baby formula with reduced sugar content. It is important to feed the baby at well-defined hours and observe time intervals. The most optimal is the five-time feeding of the child on the IV.

Features of the introduction of complementary foods for babies with diabetes

A diabetic child must be introduced in accordance with the nutritional norms of a healthy baby. However, you need to start complementary foods with vegetable purees, and only lastly offer your baby dairy-free cereals. In addition, it is worth delaying the introduction of egg yolk into the diet of a baby with diabetes.

Nutrition for diabetes in children 1-3 years old and over 3 years old: allowed and prohibited foods, cooking methods

Parents of a child with diabetes should keep a food diary in which they will record the calorie content of food, as well as list the foods that the child has consumed during the day. This is necessary to control the XE (bread units), calorie content and usefulness of food.

The daily diet of a child with diabetes should consist of 50% carbohydrates, 30% fat and 20% protein.

Table. Allowed and prohibited foods for a diabetic child

Recipes for diabetic children

Pink salmon for a couple

Ingredients:

• pink salmon - 1 pc.;
• salt, seasonings, spices.

Cooking:

1. Wash salmon and cut into pieces.
2. Salt to taste.
3. Season with herb spices
4. Put the fish in a steaming container and put it on a multicooker bowl filled with water (250 ml).
5. Close everything with a lid, set the desired mode and time - 30 minutes. Five to ten minutes the water will boil, and after that the fish will be steamed for 15 minutes.
6. Ready-made fish is perfectly complemented by boiled potatoes seasoned with olive oil, garnished with greens, vegetables

Zucchini in the oven

Baked zucchini is a simple and tasty dish that does not require the cost of preparation for cooking and the preparation itself. You can bake them both in the oven and in the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized zucchini;
• 2 tbsp. l. low-fat sour cream;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• greenery;
• 2 tomatoes.

Cooking:

1. My zucchini, if they are already quite mature, then remove the skin, otherwise it will be very hard. Leave the skin on young zucchini.
2. Cut the zucchini into slices. They should not be very thin or thick. Optimal - 1.5 cm.
3. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
4. We cover the baking sheet with paper or foil, put the zucchini on it and put in the oven for fifteen minutes.
5. While the zucchini is in the oven, prepare the sour cream sauce from low-fat sour cream. To do this, mix two tablespoons of sour cream, one clove of garlic, grated (can be chopped in a blender) and chopped greens.
6. We take out the zucchini, let them cool, spread the sour cream-garlic sauce on the zucchini, decorate with tomatoes.

Apple Charlotte

Ingredients:

• 3 large apples;
• 4 eggs;
• 1/2 cup xylitol;
• 2 cups of flour.

Cooking:

1. Beat eggs with xylitol until foamy. Add flour and mix thoroughly with a blender.
2. We heat the oven to 200 degrees. We cover the baking sheet with parchment or foil, grease with a small amount of vegetable oil.
3. Cut the apples and fill them with dough.
4. We put the form with the dough in the oven.
5. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Carefully remove the cake, freeing it from the foil.

Cottage cheese casserole

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg low-fat cottage cheese;
• half a glass of semolina;
• 2 tbsp. l sour cream;
• half a glass of milk;
• 2 eggs;
• half a cup of xylitol

Cooking:

1. Pour semolina with milk and leave to swell.
2. Mix all other ingredients: cottage cheese, eggs, sour cream and xylitol.
3. As soon as the milk completely disappears and the semolina swells, add this mixture to the rest of the ingredients. We mix everything.
4. Lubricate the multicooker bowl with sunflower oil and transfer the prepared mixture into it.
5. We put the bowl in the multicooker, turn on the “Baking” mode and the time is 65 minutes.

Veal baked in foil

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg of veal;
• green onions;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• salt, seasonings to taste;
• sunflower oil.

Cooking:

1. The meat must be marinated overnight to keep it soft. To do this, the meat must be washed, put in a bowl, add ground garlic cloves and finely chopped onions, salt and pepper exactly as much as recommended by the doctor. Add vegetable oil and put under oppression until morning.