Health Tips for May 31

Health Tip: Eating Out With a Diabetic Child

It's easy to monitor what your diabetic child eats at home when you're the one preparing the meals. But it gets trickier when the family eats at a restaurant.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions for dining out with a diabetic child:

• Ask questions about what's in a particular menu item, and how it's cooked.
• Ask for healthier substitutions. For example, swap out fries for a salad or vegetable.
• Look for dishes that are grilled, steamed, broiled or baked instead of fried.
• Skip high-fat salad dressings, sauces and gravies.
• Split a large dish with your child to limit portion size, or box up half and take it home.
• Teach your child how to make healthy decisions by involving the child in the ordering process.

Health Tip: Help Your Child Cope With Diabetes

Diabetes will change a child's life, and the lives of close family members.

The American Diabetes Association offers these suggestions to help your child cope with his or her condition:

• Learn as much as you can about diabetes -- together.
• Encourage your child to disclose the condition to family members and close friends, whenever the time feels right.
• Promote your child's participation in managing his or her own diabetes care.
• Have your child speak with other children who have diabetes.
• Talk together about what emotions your child is dealing with. Allow both positive and negative comments, but assure your child that everything will be OK.
• Don't let diabetes take over your child's life. Encourage participation in sports, hobbies and other activities.
• Acknowledge that habits and behaviors may change over the years to better manage diabetes.
• Help your child learn how to deal with stress.