Kids can cook: New program for children with Type 1 diabetes

A pilot program has launched to help children with Type 1 diabetes better understand food and make healthier nutrition choices as part of managing their diabetes. The program—led by Vanita Pais, an award winning diabetes educator, clinical dietitian and nurse in Toronto—has so far recruited more than 50 children to participate in the eight-week program, which will initially open only to patients at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. “We’ve been recruiting since early January, with a goal of getting about 60 participants and starting sometime in the middle to the end of February,” Pais told The Medical Post. “Our goal is to increase food literacy skills among kids with Type 1 diabetes, because dietary management plays a very important role in achieving optimal glycemic control, preventing complications and promoting good long-term health.” The program—a partnership between the hospital, Ryerson University and a Toronto-based food skills community program called summerlunch+—will take participants through eight weekly sessions where they learn about the food system, food marketing, how to make balanced meals and healthy snacks, and how to reduce food waste. Pais noted that the new program is based on a similar program created by summerlunch+—which was designed to address the challenges of children in neighbourhoods that faced food insecurity—but amended to include all kids with Type 1 diabetes regardless of their family's financial situation. Read: Nutrition in adolescence: Multiple challenges, lifelong consequences and the foundation for adult health Delivered through videoconference, the sessions will be led by Ryerson University nutrition students who will also teach skills such as how to use a knife and kitchen appliances, proper hand hygiene, kitchen sanitation and proper food storage. “We want kids to have a positive attitude towards food and towards cooking,” said Pais. “Knowing how to work in the kitchen is a big part of that.” Pais was among two Canadians who were named last November as recipients of the newly launched Leonard Award, a global awards program created by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company to mark the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin. The award—named after Leonard Thompson, the first diabetic patient to receive insulin—donates $20,000 on behalf of each winner to a non-profit organization called Life for a Child, which helps young patients with Type 1 diabetes living in poor countries get access to care, medical supplies and education. Read: Managing severe hypoglycemia To be considered for the newly launched food literacy program, participants must be between the ages of six and 12 years old, and have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes for more than a year. The latter criterion was included to allow for the adjustment period that patients and their families typically go through after a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, said Pais. Participants must also have access to a computer at home, and be able to speak and understand English. At least one parent or guardian must be present during the sessions, which Pais said will likely be scheduled for Saturday mornings and will run for about an hour-and-a-half. Pais said work is also underway to expand the program criteria to include kids with celiac disease “An estimated 5% of the population with Type 1 diabetes can get celiac disease and will need to follow a gluten-free diet,” she said. “We were getting requests from families whose kids have celiac disease.” A food kit with ingredients and materials for each session will be provided to all participants. But those with celiac disease or who live outside Toronto will likely get a grocery card instead, said Pais. “We cannot provide kits to gluten-free families because it could get too complicated trying to figure out what substitutions they need,” she explained. “And for the families who live in areas outside the city, the logistics of picking up a food kit is not always feasible, especially if we get snow.” Pais said she's sensitive to the fact that some of the families in the program may have living situations that could make them reluctant to be seen on videoconference. That's why the program won't require participants to turn on their cameras if they don't want to but will ask them to keep their microphones on. She's also aware that parents may find it challenging to fit the sessions into their schedules—especially if they need to work on weekends—and expects that some families who don't need the grocery cards may want to give them to the families that do. She has asked the families for permission to include questions about their food security as part of a survey for program participants, and plans to use that data to further shape and improve the program. "These are all things that we are working out and will probably continue to work out during the program," said Pais. Read: Good long-term glycemic control can keep diabetics with COVID out of the ICU

Kids can cook: New program for children with Type 1 diabetes

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