eBusiness Weekly
You have heard of meal planning, and how much it can transform your family’s eating habits. Just knowing what you are making before 4pm can save you from many a cereal night. That is huge.
Meal prep is a little different, but it goes hand in hand with meal planning. Meal prep, simply, is cooking part or all of meal hours or days before you plan to eat it, and below corporate nutritionist at Tiger Brands and Eat Well Live Well ambassador Arthur Ramoroka discusses the key considerations that parents and guardians should bear in mind when meal prepping for children, and diabetic little ones.
Follow a tailored eating plan from a dietician
Diet is one of the most crucial elements of managing your child’s blood sugar levels and diabetes. A dietitian can create a diabetic-friendly meal plan that includes three balanced meals with evenly scheduled snacks, as well as some of your child’s favourite foods and snacks. Eating healthy as a whole family will prevent your diabetic child from experiencing FOMO (the fear of missing out), which may lead to them bingeing on unhealthy treats.
Educating your child about nutrition and basic nutritional information can also make a huge difference. They can be taught to ‘count carbs’, practise portion control, and read food labels. They can also explain how different foods and food groups may affect their blood sugar, and how to track their blood sugar levels based on what they eat.
Eat balanced meals regularly
Regular, balanced meals are essential to keeping your child’s blood sugar level on track. Skipping a meal may cause them to experience low blood sugar and tempt them to overindulge or overeat during their next meal, which may cause high blood sugar levels.
Plan their daily activities around regular meal times and ensure they eat at the same time each day, where possible. It’s important for your child to always have a ‘low box or hypo kit’ of food, snacks, and emergency insulin with them. It should contain glucose tablets, fast-acting carbohydrates as well as slow-acting carbohydrates (such as a high-fibre muesli bar or biscuits).
Take note of fat-free and sugar-free foods
Reading nutrition labels can help you and your child understand the ingredients found in processed foods. There’s a misconception that fat-free foods are healthier, when in reality they are often loaded with extra sugar to make up for the flavour that is lost through the extracted fat. Sugar-free foods often contain high amounts of carbohydrates, even if these are not sugars, which will impact blood sugar levels. Choose non-processed but equally delicious foods instead.
Replace simple carbohydrates with high-fibre alternatives
Choose high-fibre carbohydrates when cooking meals or as snacks, instead of simple carbs. Get creative in the kitchen and think of child-friendly ways to include high-fibre vegetables, whole-wheat pasta, bread, grains, legumes, and cereals into mealtimes.
Try to avoid carbohydrate-heavy meals that do not include other food groups, such as lean proteins and fats. Make food fun again — let your child snack on low-sugar fresh or frozen fruit and berries, nuts, a home-made snack trail mix, or high-fibre snacks.
Mindful, occasional treats
It’s okay for your child to have small, mindful treats once in a while, whether it’s some cake, ice cream, cookie, or a piece of chocolate. Help them understand the importance of monitoring this and making necessary adjustments during their next meal. Perhaps they may choose to replace the brown rice in their next meal with their favourite low-carb vegetable instead. At the end of the day, it’s all about helping them find a happy, comfortable balance, where they feel in control. — IOL.
