16 Nutritious Lunch Ideas for Children With Diabetes

Lunch Ideas

That time of year is here! Lunch packing is back on our list of things to do with the arrival of Back to School. The days of eating a bag of chips and a bologna sandwich on white bread are long gone. But because you or your child needs to regulate the amount of carbohydrates in their diet, brown bagging lunches can be a little trickier.

Nobody wants hypoglycemia or elevated blood sugar after lunch due to a youngster who refuses to eat. The secret is to plan well. These are some suggestions for lunches with modest carbohydrate intakes (45–60 grams). Adjust to suit your needs. Have fun!

1. Turkey and Cheese Sandwich: A classic that many people still adore. There are thirty grams of carbohydrates in two whole wheat slices of bread. You’re up to 45 grams if you include a fresh apple or peach.

2. Deconstructed Egg Salad: Disassemble a time-honored recipe. Crackers, carrot and celery sticks, and two hard-boiled eggs. A ready-to-eat ½ cup of applesauce can be added to the crackers to make a total of 45 grams of carbohydrates. Just make sure the crackers provide at least 30 grams of carbohydrates (check the labels!).

3. Chicken and Rice Soup: About 20 grams of carbohydrates are found in a substantial 1.5-cup serving. You can add additional 15 grams by adding a side dish of your preferred crackers and another 15 grams by adding a bunch of grapes.

4. Barbecued Chicken Wrap: There are roughly 20 grams of carbohydrates in one whole wheat tortilla. Drizzle with BBQ sauce, top with chopped onions and carrots, and nestle 3 ounces of grilled chicken. Try the grocery store’s ready-to-use grilled chicken strips. If you include in a small box of raisins for dessert, your total carbohydrate intake comes to roughly 40 grams.

5. Hummus: You have a plethora of alternatives if you enjoy hummus. You can easily customize this delicious and creamy garbanzo bean dip by adding roasted red peppers, jalapeño, and cilantro, or you can even replace half of the garbanzo beans with roasted beets or black beans. Twenty grams of carbohydrates can be found in one half (½) cup of hummus. To stay within the desired range, you can add a full pita (25 grams of carbohydrates) or use your favorite veggie dippers.

6. Quick spaghetti Salad: Utilize any spaghetti that was left over from the previous evening’s meal. About 35 grams of carbohydrates can be found in one cup. Add chopped vegetables, bits of cheese, and a sprinkle of bottled Italian dressing. Have a cup of strawberries (15 grams) to round off your lunch.

7. Fried Rice: Fried rice is a simple and quick way to repurpose leftover rice from dinner. Add any veggies you have on hand, such as bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, onion, and celery, and stir-fry them with one egg. Add a tiny bit of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. 45 grams of carbohydrates can be found in one cup of either brown or white rice.

8. Yogurt Parfait: Arrange ¼ cup of granola, a cup of your preferred sliced fruit, and one cup of Greek yogurt in a layer. Just before eating, sprinkle the granola on top to prevent it from becoming soggy. There are 45 grams of carbohydrates in total.

9. PB & Graham Crackers: For thirty grams of carbohydrates, spread two tablespoons of peanut butter over four graham cracker squares. Carrot sticks and a single fifteen-gram pear as side dishes will complete this well-balanced, really quick lunch.

10. Baked Potato: Make extra baked potatoes if you’re having them for dinner the previous evening. A baseball-sized medium potato contains thirty grams of carbohydrates. Top with shredded cheese, Greek yogurt, and salt and pepper just before eating. If you have one cup (15 grams) of melon pieces as your last meal, you will have met your goal carbohydrate intake.

11. Fancy Oatmeal: For breakfast, prepare an additional bowl of oats. Spoon a Tablespoon of almond butter, ½ of a sliced banana, and a teaspoon of strawberry jam into a thermos filled with warm oatmeal. There are 35 grams of carbohydrates in all. Once the banana is finished, there will be 50 grams total.

12. Scrambled Egg Wrap: Place one whole wheat tortilla with one scrambled egg in the center and two ounces of lean ham on top. The wrap with roughly 20 grams of carbohydrates should be rolled up. Add a drink package with eight ounces of pure fruit juice, and your meal will have fifty grams of carbs.

13. Quinoa Salad: One evening, prepare extra quinoa for dinner. Take out ½ cup of the quinoa and combine it with whatever chopped veggies you happen to have. Cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and olives all work well. Add ½ cup of garbanzo beans to this. 30 grams of carbohydrates have been consumed thus far. To sum up, combine one cup Greek yogurt with ½ cup sliced pears, yielding a 52 gram total of carbohydrates.

14. Chili: On Sunday, prepare a large pot of vegetarian chili for the entire week. Chop the eggplant, bell peppers, and onion, then stir-fry them in olive oil. Add three cans of your preferred beans—pinto, white, black, or a mix—and stir. A 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes should be added.

Add chilli powder, cumin, black pepper, and/or jalapeños to taste. If preferred, scatter some shredded cheese on top. You can get roughly 30 grams of carbohydrates from one cup of chili. One cup of chilled watermelon should be consumed to round out the hot meal and achieve 45 grams of carbohydrates.

15. English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich: After toasting one muffin, brush each half with a tiny bit of butter. Place a single piece of ham, cheese, and poached egg on top. This meal has only thirty grams of carbohydrates so far. An additional thirty grams of carbohydrates are found in an 8-ounce box of 100% orange juice. Lunch is breakfast!

16. Fancy Grilled Cheese: To make a conventional grilled cheese sandwich, use whole grain bread and top it with chopped marinated olives or mushrooms, roasted red peppers, or roasted green chilies. If you include 4 ounces of tomato juice and ½ cup of berries as side dishes, you will still stay under the suggested carbohydrate range.

Read Also: Tricks for a Diabetes Child’s Halloween

Additional Advice!

  • Remember to read the food labels on the packaged items listed above to acquire precise information on the overall number of carbohydrates. This is particularly true for the following foods: tortillas, crackers, yogurt, liquids, and sauces.
  • It’s worth the expense to use premium lunch boxes with thermoses or cool packs to keep food at the right temperature.
  • The greatest fruit is always fresh, but pay close attention to how much you eat at a time.
  • Make a plan in advance so you won’t be caught without a lunch plan when you have to leave the house in ten minutes. Over the weekend, plan out your full week’s lunches and become organized.

Take a chance and enjoy yourself during lunch! And let us know which lunch recipes you like.

DiabetesCouncils Article | Reviewed by Dr. Christine Traxler MD on June 05, 2020

Citations:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4079942/

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