Ask Our Team
Yes...We have been reading about Insulin and Diabetes, different web sites. The one thing that keeps coming up are the side affects of diabetes and the amount of insulin used. We were wondering, with protein, fruits, veggies, minimal fat, and LOW AMOUNT OF CARBS, (to cut down on the insulin given for the day) what is the recommended amounts of carbs for an adolescent to have during the day, the amount of insulin given for the day? Are we doing the right thing? Also, is there a list of free foods they can eat? If so, where can we find it? Looking for a support group here in Southern N.J. can't find one, where can we look?
Responses
Gary Scheiner says
For adolescents with type-1 diabetes, insulin needs can be quite high due to rapid growth and insulin resistance created by pubertal hormones. It is completely NATURAL for teens to need large amounts of insulin -- sometimes 60, 80, even 100 units or more per day. And if they did not have diabetes, their pancreas would be producing all that insulin for them.Unless you child is significantly overweight, there is not reason to be concerned about how much insulin they are using -- only that their insulin is properly matched to their needs.
Incidentally, my office has a list of "free foods" containing less than 5g carb per serving. It's not the most appetizing list you'll ever see, but if you're interested, call me at 877-735-3648. Being near Philadelphia, I might also have some insight for you regarding support groups.
