Lunches for Michael

Preparing lunch for someone with Type One Diabetes is never as simple as throwing things in a bag and saying "good to go!"  Meal times are also never as simple as saying "yeah, sure, get anything you'd like from the lunch line at school and don't worry about measuring exactly what goes on your plate." Every meal and every snack take a lot of work to correctly prepare.

Michael has wanted to buy lunch at school on a few occasions this semester.  When that happens, the lunch ladies are supposed to measure the scoop of beans or fries or whatever, and Michael's tray is then brought to the nurse's office where they calculate the carbs and dose Michael for them.  Michael then takes his tray back to the lunchroom to eat with the rest of his class.

On days when Michael packs his lunch (which are most days), he takes his lunchbox to the nurse's office.  They calculate the carb amounts that I've written on all items.  They dose him for the carbs (ie, give him insulin), and he then takes his lunchbox to the cafeteria where he eats with his classmates.

I took a picture of the typical lunch he likes to bring to school.  I pack his lunch and his afternoon snack.  If his blood sugar ever drops to a point where he'd need a morning snack, I have provided snack options which are stored in the nurse's office.  These items include peanut butter crackers, shelf stable chocolate milk boxes, etc.

For lunch, Michael typically likes to have a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, some type of chip (in this case it's Veggie Straws), something sweet, and a juice pouch (we use Capri Sun Roaring Waters).  For snack, I like to provide something with protein (Go-gurt, or a Greek yogurt cup, etc.).

For every items, I write whether it's for lunch or snack, and I write the grams of carbs.  This makes it easy on the nurses and also ensures that the correct carb amounts are dosed for, since types of breads vary in carb amounts, etc.

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba