“Carbohydrate counting is critical for accurate management of diabetes,” said co-author Dr. Sumana Narasimhan, a pediatric endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s in Ohio. “If we don’t fix this problem, families of children with diabetes from non-western cultures may continue to guess the carbohydrate count of their ethnic foods, resulting in inaccurate insulin dosing and poorly controlled diabetes,” Narasimhan added by email. “The risk of diabetes complications is higher when diabetes is not managed properly.”
The case report in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology involved a child recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition usually diagnosed in children or young adults. With this condition, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to allow blood sugar, or glucose, to enter cells and produce energy.
When this mother asked us about carb content in traditional Arab foods, we were a bit puzzled as the usual patient information pamphlets do not carry this information.
– Dr. Hamza Nasir
In this case, the child’s mother asked doctors how to count carbs for the traditional Middle Eastern foods she prepared at home.
While doctors did eventually find some resources in Arabic based on nutrients common in Middle Eastern diets, it was still difficult to calculate the carbohydrates in an entire meal.
Nutrients in home cooked food
Because Type 1 diabetes so often affects kids, the burden of managing their disease falls to parents, often the mothers who prepare their meals, Nasir said by email.
“When this mother asked us about carb content in traditional Arab foods, we were a bit puzzled as the usual patient information pamphlets do not carry this information,” Nasir said.
“I do think there is a broader problem understanding the nutrient content of certain home cooked ethnic foods as well as home cooked foods in general,” Gregg, who wasn’t involved in the case report, said by email.
“Families generally feel more peace of mind when they know the exact carbohydrate count of the foods they are giving their family member with diabetes, and there is a great deal of certainty with food that comes with a label.”