Nutritional management

Nutritional management is one of the cornerstones of diabetes care and education

• Achieving a balance between food intake, insulin levels and energy expenditure is an essential prerequisite for achieving glycemic control. Methods for accomplishing this show wide variations and are often complex and controversial
• Nutritional advice must be adapted to cultural, ethnic and family traditions and to the individual requirements of the child
• The psychological significance of feeding patterns, appetite and tastes of the child must not be underestimated

It is recognized that different countries and regions have widely varying dietary habits. These consensus guidelines are based on a number of national and international position statements and on current available evidence. Further research is required in some areas Modern dietary recommendations for young people with diabetes are essentially healthy eating recommendations suitable for the general population and therefore should be applicable to the whole family Several of the recommendations are associated more with reducing cardiovascular risk than specifically helping to improve glycemic control