Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Good For You
LESS than 24 hours after the Halloween eve, most trick-or-treaters are still gleefully sorting, stacking and recounting their bounty of candy. At the same time, many a parent may be agonizing over all the sugar and empty calories represented in their children's stash. Diabetic kids can still
have holiday treatsDon't even try to sneak away some of the Halloween treats. Your kids will hold you accountable for every Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or Snickers bar that is missing.
For parents of children with diabetes, managing Halloween candy can be particularly tricky. Yet, children with diabetes can actively enjoy the goodies associated with Halloween or any other holiday. It just takes a little planning to fit treats into their diabetes management plans.
It is a common myth that people with diabetes should avoid all forms of sugar. In fact, most people with diabetes can eat foods containing sugar as long as the total amount of carbohydrate for that meal or snack is consistent with what their healthcare team recommends.
NUMEROUS studies have shown that simple sugars don't spike blood glucose any higher or faster than other carbohydrates. The current American Diabetes Association recommendations state, "scientific evidence has shown that the use of sucrose as part of the meal plan does not impair blood glucose control in individuals with insulin-dependent (type I) or noninsulin-dependent (type II) diabetes."
If a child's meal plan allows 60 grams of carbohydrate for dinner, a small piece of candy can be incorporated into that calculation on a given evening. Carbohydrate counting is one of several ways people with diabetes can manage food intake to keep their blood sugars as close to normal as possible.
"Another option is to have parents buy back some candy so that kids can get money to get a nonfood fun treat, such as a game of cards or a small toy," says Susan Spada, R.D., C.D.E. "We never want children to feel deprived or that they have to sneak candy."
Any parent concerned about the volume of Halloween candy their children have amassed may be able to work out a deal to trade some of the goodies for a special present such as hair bows or jewelry, action figures, matchbox cars and trucks, a trip to the movies, a video rental -- even money for a special purchase of their choice.
November is American Diabetes Month. The goal of the month-long event, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association, is to increase awareness about the disease. For more information about diabetes, call the American Diabetes Association Hawaii area office at 947-5979, or visit the ADA Web site, www.diabetes.org/adm/
On the Internet, you'll find a variety of recipes that meet the needs of people with diabetes and are delicious enough for the whole family to enjoy. The following recipe for Pumpkin Parfait is from The Webb Cooks, a Web site by Robin Webb, M.S., associate editor of Diabetes Forecast magazine, at http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition/
Pumpkin Parfait
From "The Webb Cooks"1 cup pumpkin puree
1 package (4-serving size) sugar-free, nonfat vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup skim milkMix all ingredients together. Place in parfait glasses and chill until set.
Makes 6 servings.
Approximate nutritional information per 1/2-cup serving: 80 calories, no fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 13 g total carbohydrate, 7 g sugars. Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1/2 skim milk*
Health Events
Barbara Burke is a Hawaii-Pacific University instructor
who has been teaching and writing about food
and nutrition since 1975.