Q: My daughter has juvenile diabetes type-1 from 18 months. She is 3.5 years old and depends on insulin. Her weight is 16 kg. Please give me suggestion for diet for my daughter?

A:Correct diet is one of the most important aspects of management of Juvenile diabetes. Broadly, what is important is regularity of meal timings with a similar amount of carbohydrate intake at each meal. There is no restriction to total amount of food that a child should take, but irregular meals and indiscriminate snacking is to be avoided if we want to achieve a good sugar control. Direct sugars are to be avoided, and this include sugar in any form: with milk, in cereals jam, mithais etc. There is no restriction on vegetables, fruits & cereals, milk etc. It is preferable to take a good fiber diet for eg. whole grain pulses instead of pulses that have their coat removed with meals as this would ensure slower absorption of sugar from meals. Encourage good physical exercise in any form that your child enjoys. Cut down on fats and oils.That should ensure not only a good diabetic control but also protect against development of obesity, which is best avoided in any child specially in diabetics. Lastly, make sure that your child is under the care of a pediatric endocrinologist who would look after all the aspects of diabetes including diet.