Our daughter was diagnosed on 1/26 so this is all very new to us. I’ve been reading info on food - trying to figure out what snacks under 5grams that she can have without a shot. So, any ideas that people can share would be great! Also, should we try to cut back on her carb intake (cereal/bread/etc) if that will help her numbers balance out? The docs tell us she can eat whatever she wants as long as she’s covered it by insulin but I’m also seeing where some people are finding more success through vegan diets, HFLC, etc. Curious what everyone else is doing and working for them. Thank you in advance!
Hello @cdflaim. My name is Makenzie, I am 21 years old and have been a type 1 since I was 7!
Food and Type 1 go hand in hand. Your food choices truly can effect blood sugars and how quickly your blood sugar spikes!
I would encourage you to look into Glycemic level for carb sources. Bananas and White potatoes are not the best choice for example, due to they have a high glycemic level, meaning they will spike blood sugar very quickly! Whereas broccoli or peaches is a bit lower and wouldnt cause a quick spike.
Protein is always a great choice as is foods with more of a fat base to them! Hope this helps!!
Thank you so much Makenzie! Very interesting info since I went back and looked at what she’s been eating and her breakfast has been very high glycemic numbers. This gives us some options to change and hopefully that’ll help her numbers!! You’re the best:)
Yay! Glad I could help 
I would recommend playing around with it and see what her body reacts well and not well too. Everyone is different, but this will give you options for sure!!
Hi @CDFlaim,
What @Makenzie.borchardt suggests is right on. As you are learning, food, activity and insulin need to be coordinated and a balance found - not always easy. Certainly by now you are reading food labels and trying to help your daughter construct a suitable diet - my advice, and what I’ve done for years, is to primarily use common sense and generally eat a healthy diet with plenty of nutrition for a growing young lady - you don’t mention her age but I assume she is young. Portion size sufficient for her body size, nutrition and activity level is important - begin with a Registered Dietitian / Pediatric Nutritionist.
“Way back when” I was diagnosed, decades before the invention of glucose meters, I ate the same meals as the 8 other family meals with the only differenced being the amount of food was monitored; since then with the really great new insulins and tools I enjoy going out to eat, visiting for meals and not needing to ask a host to provide me with a “special” meal. Common sense should be your guide. You, and your daughter, will learn to adjust insulin to activity and food - don’t hesitate to ask her doctor’s advice and to share your concerns and questions here.
Hi, trying to find snacks under 5 carbs is certainly a challenge, but they are out there! Cheese, jerky, peanuts, and roasted edamame are a few that worked for our family. Before my son started on the insulin pump our goal was 6 or less carbs for his morning snack at school because he did not want to take an injection. His favorite was 3 crackers (many are 2 carbs each) with cheese.
Hi! I’m Alexandra & my 10 year old daughter was diagnosed back in October. It is tough finding snacks under 5g. Like Makenzie, I would suggest protein. I found hot dogs that have 3G of carbs. They are the Oscar Mayer Select Turkey. I like these hot dogs because they don’t have the nitrates in them & my daughter loves them.
Good Morning: I’m Cris and my 10yo son was diagnosed over the Holidays, so we started the New Year with a whole new normal. I too searched for snacks under 10g. Let me tell you, since diagnosis, his scales have changed several times. Have they discussed Honeymoon phase with you? My son now doesn’t need insulin until 25g carbs. I guess what I want to tell you is try to think of this as healthy eating all around with giving insulin as something else you do. My son enjoys little smookies, cheese, bacon, etc. Since these are low carb, but high fat (too much saturated fat) I’ve gone and found turkey substitutes as well as nitrate free at stores like Trader Joes, Giant has a section as does Aldi. However, I wouldn’t avoid giving foods your daughter needs insulin for. Do you have access to a nutritionist as well as the endocrinologist? You will find there is a formula of carbs/protein/fats. For my son, he needs 30% or 40-60g carbs per meal. This is based on height/weight and will change. He is 78lbs now (lost over 8pounds while being diagnosed, and has gained pretty much all of it back:). He is also 62" so he’s tall and skinny. You can also adjust Goldfish snacks 55pieces are 27g carbs I believe, so you could reduce down. I also give cheese its as well as peanut butter crackers. There are cool little ziplock baggies with lines on them for ounces (or you could count the number of pieces). There is an excellent food scale sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond that can weigh and make calculating carbs more exact. Just a few suggestions we have incorporated over the last 2 months. And again, take it one day at a time with prayer/meditation. The physical health of our children is important in that we calculate carbs and give insulin, but the mental/emotional health is just as important - stress can disrupt blood glucose numbers as well. I keep saying diabetes is something we do, but it isn’t all he is… Just like he does soccer and swims… he also has diabetes but it won’t stop him from doing/being whatever he desires. Blessings to you and your daughter.
Hello, the advice here is good. Lean protein is the way to go. I am 54 now and was diagnosed with T1D when I was 3, very healthy still. I’m sure it’s frustrating, but long healthy lives can be achieved especially now with the great technology we have. If your child does not have a continuous blood glucose monitor (“CGM”), I highly recommend it. We are all different and you will know how different foods impact blood sugar levels and know how long they last, and more importantly will have lots of advance warning for lows and highs. My breakfast recommendation is Greek yogurt with some berries and/or nuts (but make sure you read label on yogurt, some have more sugar than frosted flakes!). There are also some great recipes for cottage cheese pancakes (I know it may not sound that good, but put a little honey and sour cream and they are great, and don’t spike blood sugar. I can post my mother’s recipe if you like. She made them for me as a child and my non diabetic sisters love them too! I still love them.
Hi I’m newly diagnosed and I love to snack so the first thing I need to tell you about is Popsicle’s. You can go sugar free and for a treat I eat fudgsicles which are only 2.5grams of sugar, and Chocolate lol. But mostly I eat fruit, no pineapple or mango and nothing canned, also we can only eat half a banana a day which is awkward… But I’d cut up a different fruit everyday and toss in some blueberries they taste great and are a super food :). Mostly it’s just never eating anything canned and only eating the recommended serving size. Maybe im doing it wrong but I don’t count carbs because I don’t eat anything made with white flour, white flour is the worst. I count sugar and calories. It’s great to eat healthy carbs imo