Juvenile Diabetes

Diabetes is really one of those problems that is a lot worse than what most people think. They see people pricking their fingers to get some blood and they assume that’s as bad as it gets. This is a problem where your body has problem producing insulin or properly responding to insulin as a stimulus.

Juvenile diabetes is a chronic disorder caused by the body’s inability to manage sugar or glucose and store it properly to be used as fuel. When the body can’t efficiently break down glucose to be absorbed by the cells, it stays in the blood and causes health problems.

Juvenile diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, is a disorder of the body’s immune system. Juvenile diabetes is diagnosed in children, teenagers and young adults. Type 1 diabetes and juvenile diabetes are the same. The term juvenile refers to the onset of the disorder which begins in childhood. Children who are diagnosed to have juvenile diabetes depend on insulin to equip their body with the necessary insulin levels to convert food into energy.

Around 10 to 15 % of children in America today are diabetic. This is not a death sentence and therefore parents need not panic. However, there is a need for more awareness, more concern and more caution to master the art of management of diabetes and prevent the complications from the same. Diabetes is primarily on account of glucose not being utilized by insulin.

The nutritional recommendations for juveniles with diabetes are much the same as the general population in this country. Children with diabetes need to eat a well balanced and healthy diet in order to keep their blood sugar levels in the normal range.

The common belief is that juvenile diabetes is caused due to an insult to the immune system. This can be either infectious or toxic, which in turn causes the autoimmune response to alter pancreatic protein, resulting in inadequate insulin production. Children diagnosed with diabetes will require insulin injections for survival.

The use of an insulin pump to control juvenile diabetes, may be a more convenient way of administering insulin providing more freedom throughout the day.

It is possible, to stay on top of juvenile diabetes and still do most things a typical teenager does. Having juvenile diabetes makes you part of a team. Your doctor, dietitian, and family are all part of this team. As with any team the decisions you make affect all members of the team.

A healthy and well-planned diet for those with juvenile diabetes is very important to properly manage the disorder.

Finding out that their child has diabetes can be quite shocking for many parents. One of the most challenging parts of any diabetics lifestyle change is learning how to prepare meals and snacks. This can be doubly hard for the parents of a diabetic child because following the dietary advice of the doctor and dietician can affect the entire household.

The best place to start is the American Diabetes Association where they will find the Diabetes Food Pyramid. This pyramid is much like the USDA food pyramid that everyone is familiar with with one difference. The USDA pyramid classifies food by the group they are in whereas the diabetic food pyramid groups foods based on their carbohydrate, protein, and fat content and breaks them down into the amount of servings for each. There are six groups that make up the diabetic pyramid and they include starches, proteins, fats, meats, fruits and vegetables.

The American Diabetes Association is a good place to start when it comes to learning about feeding a juvenile with diabetes. They have everything needed for healthy meal planning, exchange lists, weight control and recommended exercise programs.

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