to carb or not to carb? (day 4)

Today's prompt: Today let’s blog about what we eat. And perhaps what we don’t eat. Some believe a low carb diet is important in diabetes management, while others believe carbs are fine as long as they are counted and bolused for. Which side of the fence do you fall on? What kind of things do you eat for meals and snacks? What foods do you deem bolus-worthy? What other foodie wisdom would you like to share?

First of all, reading the Shakespearean title of today's topic has inexplicably put 80's chart-topping dance hit "Girlfriend" by Pebbles in my head. Why did she pronounce question "quest-eee-own"? And why can't I get it out of my head?

As for whether our family eats carbs or not, the short answer is: yes. The long answer is, well, longer.  L was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes last fall after a very difficult spring and summer. We had been operating for several months under the assumption that she had multiple food allergies, and starting in April of last year, we implemented some very severe dietary restrictions.  We called it The Reboot, and the foods we removed from her diet included, but were not limited to: gluten, milk, corn, eggs, peanuts, soybean, wheat, yeast, and much much more. We managed to stick to the reboot for a few months, and it was an absolute nightmare. Initially, we saw an improvement in some of her symptoms (stomach/headaches, mood swings), but eventually those all creeped back in, and in some cases, got even worse. Gee, I wonder why? OH YEAH, IT'S BECAUSE SHE HAS DIABETES.

Needless to say, by the time L was diagnosed with T1D, it was a bit of a relief, because then we knew for sure what we were dealing with, and there was a very specific way to treat it. On her first day in the hospital, she actually uttered the phrase, "If I can have a brownie, I don't care how many shots I have to get!"  So, as difficult as it was to go through the whole Reboot thing, I believe it actually made the T1D diagnosis easier to deal with. Go figure!

So, yes, we do not restrict her carb intake. Especially since by the time she was finally diagnosed, she had lost 10% of her body weight. We were happy to do anything we could do get those pounds back on. I reckon that in the future, as she continues to grow, we may have reason to adjust her "diet plan". But as it stands now, that is what works for us.