Type 1 diabetes food tips and recipes please!

[BitchyHen]

Hi all.
Dd who is 22 is newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She still lives at home and I do most of the cooking.
We have been advised to stick to the eatwell plate to form meals I.e. 1/4 carb, 1/4 protein and 1/2 veg.
Any meal suggestions or other tips gratefully received.

Is she carb counting yet? That’s going to be more the key rather than a specific diet. If not she should ask for a Dafne course or similar.

Not yet, its only been a week so she's still trying to get her head round everything. I think the diabetes nurse at the hospital mentioned a course. Something to ask about at the diabetes clinic.

My son was 21 when he was diagnosed 9 years ago. It hasn't turned out to be as restricting as I'd feared. He just eats the same as everybody else but adjusts his insulin accordingly.

I hope she gets on ok. It's just such a shock to be diagnosed.

We carb count, we were taught that from the beginning when DS was diagnosed. So he can eat anything as long as he has insulin prior.

That will be DAFNE unless they've rebranded it. Once she's done that she can eat pretty much wherever she wants, barring a few things that raise BG too quickly (Haribo-type sweets, sugary drinks).

I assume she's on a fixed dose of bolus for now. Did they indicate how many grams of carbs it should cover?

My son was diagnosed just over a year ago I know it seems daunting at first ,but it's not been that bad ,he just eats as normal and adjusts his insulin accordingly
Does she have Continuous glucose monitor ?
My son has a Dexcom so he knows if his blood sugar is too high/ low and to take insulin or have jelly babies
He,s adapted really Well.

She is taking a long action insulin once a day and 3x short acting with meals. No indication of how many grams of carbs she should have.
I'm assuming she will get more info at clinic. Sadly her appointment isn't until early July

She has a libre monitor.
The diabetes nurse has had a phone appointment with her yesterday and suggested upping her breakfast insulin dose as her sugars are higher in the morning so we will see if that helps.

Thanks everyone for your advice. It's been really helpful

Don't worry, it will take a good while to get her dosages sorted so waiting a few weeks is nothing. 😀

I wouldn't get too caught up in micromanaging meals until she's done the course. Rice, pasta, potatoes, bread and cereals are the biggies in terms of impairing her blood glucose, so try not to have huge portions of those. Also go heavier on the green veg and less on the root vegetables and sweetcorn.

The only thing I'd totally avoid is sweets and sugary drinks.

Yes it can be a bit trial and error at first ,it's only been a week so she's getting used to ,
My son has adapted really well and he knows when to adjust his insulin etc
I know it's a shock ,my Son was diagnosed in DKA ,but your daughter will get used to it .

My dh is T1 and he eats/drinks what he likes. Just adjusts his insulin.

However 2yrs ago he went into a bad dka due to not managing it well (posted on here at the time) however he's been a lot better since then apart from this week when he nearly went into dka again but that was due to a bug and not taking enough for the sick day rules.

Sorry to hear about your DD's diagnosis - my DS(27) was diagnosed age 6 and I know it can be quite overwhelming at first! I imagine the nurse was talking about the DAFNE course (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) but the clinic should also be giving her info about carb counting and adjusting her insulin accordingly - eg so many units of insulin to cover so many grams of carb. It's great that she has been given a libre - my poor DS had 16 years of finger pricking until he got one! He is currently in Australia and I can still keep an eye on things via the LibreLink app 😂

When DS was first diagnosed he was on set doses of insulin and set amount of carbs, which makes things easier at the start. Your DD could ask for some guidance on this - she shouldn't be worried about phoning the clinic, that is what they are there for!

JDRF, the type 1 diabetes charity, has lots of info for newly diagnosed people and they also run information events, which are really helpful. https://jdrf.org.uk/knowledge-support/guide-to-new-diagnosis/guide-for-newly-diagnosed-adults/

While it's best to avoid very sugary things, I hope the clinic told you/her to have a supply of sugary sweets, drinks etc in case her blood is low and she needs to raise it quickly!

While a diagnosis is quite a shock, your DD will be fine and will soon get the hang of it. There is some amazing technology available now which is so helpful in managing type 1. Take care x

We used the Carbs and Cals app which was handy until he got into the swing of things

Unfortunately it really is a case of trial and error and even then she could eat something one day that has a completely different effect on her the next. I'd get her to keep a diary. Once she is carb counting it's a good go to to remember how much carbs are in meals made from scratch.
Was she advised to have 15g carbs snacks for having after a hypo.
Also you'll soon realise what to use for hypos, my dd has 150mls of coke as that works where jelly babies do nothing to bring her up.
On a positive note the technology available now is amazing, my DD has a Dexcom and omnipod so no finger pricking or injections which has literally been life changing

Hi can I ask how your daughter got an omnipod?
I agree the technology is amazing these days my 17 year old actually has type 3c diabetes his pancreas was destroyed by necrotizing pancreititis just over a year ago but he's treated as type one he has a Dexcom and I have heard all type ones will be offered an" artificial pancreas " at some point which I assume is a CGM and pump ?

@x2boys my dd was offered her pump about 3 years ago when she was about 13. She got a choice of a few but chose the omnipod as it is tubeless.
She had it with the libre first off all then she got the Dexcom which works with the omnipod so if she is going high or low it adjusts her background insulin accordingly.
She changes her omnipod every 3 days and I can't stress how it has literally changed her life.
We're in Scotland and every child I know with type 1 has a pump or been offered one

That sounds amazing, ls it her age though,?
I have heard children 12and younger are offered a pump in England not sure how true this is ,
Please don't think I'm having a go at you im. Not I'm just wondering if it's is because my son was 16 when diagnosed

You are on a steep learning curve. I refuse to not eat what I want, but rice and pasta do give me massive spikes so I often low carb either cauliflower rice or pasta substitutes or courgetti.
Please don't be backward you need to be pushy and request things you want, eg pump and cgm when she's ready.

@x2boys I'm not sure what the criteria is for being offered a pump up here in Scotland. She was 13 when she got hers.
I would say the level of care she has received has been 2nd to none. When she was first diagnosed the ward sister told us that the paediatric diabetic consultants are all very forward thinking and i can only agree with this. She has had the same diabetic nurse and dietician since the day she was diagnosed but every new consultant she has had seen to be very up on all the new technology available and are keen for her to use the latest, ie moving from libre to Dexcom

That all sounds very positive hopefully everyone with type one one or treated as type one will be offered the same eventually fingers, crossed.

My 38 year old son was diagnosed with Type 1 last week. I think we are both just recovering from the shock.

I live in a different city from him and he lives alone so it's been worrying.

However we really can't fault the treatment he has had from the NHS.

This thread is very helpful.

One of the things he was really upset about initially is that running and badminton have been his 2 main hobbies long term.. He hopes once he gets to grips with managing his food and insulin he will be able to get back to them to a degree. He is adjusting his mind set to realise his diagnosis still allows him to have a life.

@Bloomingnoisyneighbours he will! My DS has swimming lessons, goes on residential with school, trampolining parties and lives a normal life. It just takes a while to get your head around it.

Don’t get me wrong it’s overwhelming and I have cried over it! Your son will find certain foods spike his levels regardless of carb counting correctly, diabetes doesn’t always follow the rules. But you just do your best.