Abby was diagnosed at the age of 18 months so she had very limited memory of her life before T1D and what she ate. Her diet was fairly simple and well balanced for a typical toddler and she didn’t had much chance to indulge in high-carb stuff or sweet foods anyway. Post-diagnosis, she was put on low to mid-carb diet and we stick closely to lower GI options such as lower GI rice brands (Basmati Rice/ Kangaroo Rice / Mix-Grain Rice) and for at least 1 year, she only had fruits after her main meals and we hardly allow any sweet foods or snacks. We contemplated keto diet but it was not suitable for her as she was very young and she needed a more balanced diet and she does need carbohydrates to grow.

Abby is on MDI so it’s very important that we do meal planning when we intend to go out and what time we should eat. We were very strict about carb-counting and we weigh almost any food that she consumes to ensure her insulin-carb ratio is as predictable as possible. We record diligently the amount of insulin against the amount of food she eats and we learn when to give what food types to match the insulin peaks. It was a very steep and tough journey but over time it got easier. It was only 3.5 years after her diagnosis that we start to eat out more and become more adventurous with different food types such as Sushi, Pizza, burgers, ice-cream, some junk food such as chips etc.

We continued to weigh everything (we carried a digital scale wherever we go) and we continue to record her food intake and insulin amounts into the CONTOUR APP so we can refer to past records for a more accurate estimate of how much insulin is required.

We will ask her beforehand if she would like to eat ice-cream / desserts so we can plan her insulin ahead. If she eats high-fat food such as cakes with cream, we will remind her that correction is required and if she would still like to eat the cake. She is fortunately a very compliant kid and she is very used to injections. She does not mind splitting her injections over her meals (when needed) and when corrections are necessary. This really helps us to be more relaxed and less stressful when she ask to try new foods.

I relied on our T1D WhatsApp chat group alot for collective wisdom and sharing on food and diet related topics. I bought a handful of books and resources such as :

1. Think like a pancreas (Gary Scheiner)
2. ⁠Dr Bernstein’s Diabetes Solutions (Richard Bernstein)
3. Sugar Surfing: How to Manage Type 1 Diabetes in a Modern World by Stephen W. Ponder
4. Parents with kids with T1D (Best and most reliable resources)
5. https://beyondtype1.org/diabetes-podcasts
6. Google for fruits’ carb count