What exactly are carbs?
There are a few different types:
- starchy: bread, potatoes, chapatti, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, cous cous, quinoa, yams, cassava, parsnips, pulse vegetables
- natural sugars: fruits and fruit juice (fructose), dairy products (lactose)
- added sugars: sweets, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, syrups.
We all need to try and reduce the added sugars; these foods have little nutrient value but taste nice. The foods containing natural sugars contain other useful nutrients so should not be reduced despite them containing natural sugar.
When should the different types be eaten?
Starchy carbohydrates should be part of regular meals taken with insulin to provide a constant supply of fuel to the body.Young children may need carbohydrate snacks to provide energy and to maintain blood glucose. It is difficult for young children to get all the nutrients and calories they need into only three meals as they have small stomachs, so snacks contribute to their daily intake. Depending on the insulin regime, older children may not need snacks to maintain blood glucose, and may choose not to eat between meals.
What are fast-acting and slow-acting carbs?
Carbohydrate foods release their sugar at different rates and can be described as either fast- or slow-acting. Fast-acting carbs raise blood glucose quickly, slow-acting ones raise it more gradually. This can also be known as glycaemic index or GI for short. Generally, low GI (slow-acting) carbs are better for people with diabetes as they do not cause sharp rises in blood glucose, but sometimes can be difficult to match with rapid-acting insulin given by injections. Insulin pumps can be programmed to deliver a dose of insulin over a longer period of time to match the release of glucose.
Which carbs are naturally low in GI?
Examples of naturally low GI carbs are: pasta, oats, pulse vegetables, some fruits, muesli, granary bread, and dairy products.Try to include some of the naturally low GI carbs regularly as part of meals. Some other mixed meals are low GI because they contain a lot of protein or fat, which delays the release of sugar, eg pizza, fish and chips, and chocolate.
Should my child avoid high GI foods?
Not all high GI foods are unhealthy or to be avoided – some are good foods, eg jacket potato, wholemeal bread, Bran Flakes and Weetabix. And some high GI foods are needed as hypo treatments, such as dextrose tablets or non-diet fizzy drinks. Overall, many meals end up being medium GI due to the balance of high and low GI foods. Children using insulin pumps should be encouraged to use extended wave bolus dosing for main meals containing a variety of different carbohydrates.