Dining with a diabetic child

[DizneyDoug]

My DD6 was diagnosed with diabetes a month ago and we now have to watch her diet extremely close. Mainly counting carbs and trying to have structured times for meals. We are scheduled to visit WDW in July 08 and I was wondering if anyone has experience in planning dining with this problem. We arer planning to use the dining plan and I would like to have our reservations selected at our 180 day period. Are there any resources out there that have the carbs listed for restaurants at WDW??

[ElenitaB]

Doug, I'm going to move your post over to the Guests with Special Needs forum, where there are many diabetics and parents of diabetics who will be able to answer your questions.

[Here we go again...]

There are no sites that list the carb content.
When you make your ADRs let the CM know that you have a diabetic child and will need help with the options at the restaurant.
If you go to a buffet, the chef will come out and make recommendations and warn you about what foods to avoid. They have sugar free deserts at most places now.

Look at the menus on info central and try to stick to restaurants that offer meats and vegetables. Since your child is only 6 you might have some issues with the kids choices. I am sure that the chef in any restaurant will make a healthy alternative for you.

Good luck!

[JoDisney]

I sent you a private message.

[Strmchsr]

My 7-yr-old son is a diabetic and we're leaving tomorrow for our trip, so I fully understand what you're dealing with. As Here we go again mentioned, be sure you note on your ADRs that your child is a diabetic and the chefs will work with you. I know it all seems very scary and difficult right now only being a month in, but by July you'll be an old hat at estimating carbs. My son was diagnosed in May 06 and we can now pretty much dose him correctly without needing a carb guide at all just by being familiar with different kinds of foods and portion sizes. Disney Dining sent me some information that was also pretty helpful. If you'll PM me with your email address I'll forward it along to you.

Also, I'm about finished with the new content for our Info Central section that will list many tips and resources for diabetics, so keep a check in Info Central for that. I plan to finish it when we get back from our trip so by mid-December or so I hope it will be up.

[MsMin]

I was very disappointed with the treatment my dad got when we were dining. I asked when I made my ADR's and they said just to mention it when we got there. The most we ever got in return was "we'll look for something sugarfree for dessert for you" or "we'll scrape something up" This was Dec. 06. I hope they've improved by then b/c I thought they could do a lot more to help reduce the fats or carbs on a plate like substitute veggies etc.
Good Luck..

[Nate's Grandpa]

I just found some interesting information by doing a search for "children with diabetes".

Apparently, a group of more than 2500 people had a conference about diabetes in July, 2007.
This conference was held at WDW.

[Strmchsr]

Apparently, a group of more than 2500 people had a conference about diabetes in July, 2007.
This conference was held at WDW.

It was a fantastic conference. A lot of great info. The good news is that they really are on the verge of a cure for diabetes. It's not out of the question that one could happen within my son's (and DizneyDoug's daughter) lifetime. There aren't too many major diseases out there that you can say that about.

As for MsMin's comment, sometimes you have to push a little bit to get what you need. The CM's who do the ADRs are great and work hard, but next time you really need to talk to the folks in the food service dept. They are a lot more knowledgeable/helpful in this situation.

[Strmchsr]

They have sugar free deserts at most places now.Look at the menus on info central and try to stick to restaurants that offer meats and vegetables.

For type-1 diabetics the issue isn't sugar-free, but carb-free. Sugar actually has a pretty low carb count. When my DS has lows we can't just give him sugar to get him back up. It has to be something with fast acting carbs. So, while many type-2 diabetics can watch for sugar-free items for a type-1 diabetic it's just not that simple. Type-2 diabetics produce insulin, but their cells just don't absorb it properly. Type-1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where your own body destroys the pancreas so there is no insulin in the body to break down the carbs. So, we try to keep the carbs down and we have to know how many carbs are in a certain food item (whether it's sugar-free or not) so that we can give the proper insulin dose.

[MsMin]

I really did ask several times to several ppl including @ check-in etc. I was told they only help ppl with food allergies. My dad has been insulin dependent for 20 yrs. My concern is no one can make assumptions by just looking at an individual since diabetes varies. His diet isn't as simple as to avoid sugar. Carbs are quickly turned into sugar, some starting in the mouth and fats will also run up his sugar count so--french fries- a killer, a fish soaked in butter can be as "sugary" as a scoop of ice cream. My dad has trouble tolerating many sugar-free candies as the substitute drives up his sugars as fast as sugar.
Can your child manage those fried chicken tenders that are served at almost every child's meal? Raisins or Grapes?
I do hope they are improving their knowledge base on diet and diabetes.
With teens and geriatrics and compliance is another problem. I don't know many elderly diabetics that will make a fuss over some extra carbs or sugar. Teens who are away from parental control often are embarrassed when with peers. Compliance with these groups often goes down with obstacles. But I'm drifting from the OP. My point is I wish Disney would make more of an effort and it shouldn't be hit or miss --a good start would be to educate their employees.

[dpamac]

It is a delicate balance, and it's one that can be accomplished as Chris said.

I've gotten to the point now where I can figure the carb counts out pretty accurately and dose the insulin properly. And when I can't figure things out, I ask questions about ingredients and preparation. And I always leave food on the plate. The portions are always more than I need.

Most servers don't understand diabetes and they think that we just need to avoid sugar. What it really comes down to is our brains have to act as our pancreas. Where our pancreas would know how much insulin to secrete based on what's flowing through the body and when, ours is an inexact measure.

To explain for some who might not quite understand, there are three things coming into play:

1. Carbohydrates (simple and complex too).
2. Insulin dose and exercise level of the day and
3. How each individual's body metabolizes the insulin.

For some diabetics, they may need to take one unit for each 12 grams of carbs in the meal or, maybe it's 10 grams or 8 grams. It depends on the person.

Say it's ten grams. If you are not given good information about what you are eating and you figure it has 80 grams of carbs when it really has 120, those four units of insulin make a huge difference. Or, vice versa, if you think it's 120 and it's really 80, your blood sugar sways another way.

Chris' information is a great place to start (and his soon-to-be trip reports will be as well). He has a lot of great advice, and has done a lot of thinking about the DDP that I thought was brilliant. If you haven't PM'd him yet, drop me a note as I have a copy.

Make sure to include your daughter in the planning and research. I was 8 when I was diagnosed and if it weren't for my mom, who knows what I'd be doing now . . . probably not as well.

Lastly, remember that she's still a kid. There may be some bumps in the road, and it won't be perfect. Stay relaxed, be smart and be patient. If things get a little out of whack, don't let it ruin our day (hey, happened to me yesterday and I'm still trying to figure out what happened). Adjust and keep moving.

Remember, diabetes is a part of HER life, she's not a part of its life. That's why they call it "control." We are in charge of this disease. And so are you guys. Just keep telling it who is boss.

[disneydeb]

Test more often than ususal. I'm Type 2 diabetic. The excitement of the parks AND walking cause my sugar levels to drop. I had to drink orange juice a couple of times during the Intercot Anniversary bash because of low blood sugar.

Good luck and have a great trip!

[Brandi1leigh]

Test more often than ususal. I'm Type 2 diabetic. The excitement of the parks AND walking cause my sugar levels to drop. I had to drink orange juice a couple of times during the Intercot Anniversary bash because of low blood sugar.

Good luck and have a great trip!

I'm a diabetic (Type 2) and this is the exact tip I was going to give. All the walking and the excitement make my levels swing like a yo-yo if I'm not careful. Also since the original poster is going in July be careful of the heat. Getting overheated and not drinking enough can be a real problem. Plus, the heat will make you burn sugar more quickly. Test more often! It's annoying, but much better than getting sick on vacation.

[ElenitaB]

Remember, diabetes is a part of HER life, she's not a part of its life. That's why they call it "control." We are in charge of this disease. And so are you guys. Just keep telling it who is boss.

Well put, Gary. That's exactly how I try to see my condition as well.

Welcome to INTERCOT, Brandi1leigh!

[Here we go again...]

My how things have changed over the years.
Mom was a type 1 diabetic. She passed away 13 years ago due to complications. She was 54 years old. I am sure if we knew then what you know now she may have lived longer.
The doctors never really taught her about counting carbs. We knew that potatoes and pasta turned to sugar, but that was about the extent of it. And trying to get servers to tell you what was in a meal was like asking for mom's secret recipe and it was not going to happen. 15 years ago no one really wanted to cook anything special for you to begin with.
I am glad to see that restaurants must provide that info now.

Good luck everyone.
I have learned a lesson today.

[kakn7294]

I know that counting carbs is new to diabetic diets in my area. We've only been using that approach at our hospital for the last few years although the calorie based ADA diets did incorporate that to some extent. My suggestion to you is to find a dietician to work with you in establishing a good dietary foundation now and by the time you leave, you will be a pro at a diabetic diet. You can even take copies of the menus to the dietician to help you with meal planning for your vacation. Best of luck to you!