Managing Type 1 Diabetes in Kids
Type 1 diabetes, historically called Juvenile Diabetes, is a condition of high blood sugar levels caused by a lack of insulin production in the body. About 5% of the population has Type 1 diabetes, and more than 18,000 children are diagnosed each year, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a friend, a relative, or a healthcare provider, you probably know of a child with Type 1 diabetes. This episode of The Nourished Child podcast will help you better understand what’s at stake when a child has Type 1 diabetes.
In this episode, I talk with Sylvia White, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator who lives in the Memphis TN area. She’s been a RD for over 25 years and specializes in diabetes. Her three children, two of which have type 1 diabetes, have inspired and informed her work.
What you will Learn in this Episode:
- The difference between Type 1 and 2 diabetes
- Why children mainly have type 1 diabetes
- The typical presentation of a new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes
- How diabetes is managed with food and insulin
- The signs and symptoms of high blood sugar and low blood sugar
- Why checking blood sugar is so important
- The different ways kids check their blood sugar each day
- The role of counting carbohydrates (aka carb counting)
- How to track eating
- Whether children with diabetes can have dessert or not
- How to cover food intake with insulin
- The emerging technologies for managing diabetes
What we cover in this episode:
- The “trauma” of learning your child has Type 1 diabetes
- Sylvia’s personal experience with Type 1 diabetes
- The growing incidence of Type 2 diabetes in children
- How to manage the extremes in blood sugar
- Whether sugar-free products are needed
- Insulin pumps, islet cells, artificial pumps, and other new technology
- Managing diabetes in school and daycare
- What kids with diabetes can grow up to be and what restrictions exist for them
Resources I Mentioned in the Show:
Sylvia’s free email course: 5 Tips for When a Child is Diagnosed with Diabetes
A Pre-View Chapter to Sylvia’s new book: Pumping Kids: A Step-by-Step Guide to Insulin Pumps
T1 Everyday Magic (Disney + Lilly collaboration):
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