Yes, she can eat that.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get about Mackenna’s diabetes is whether or not she can eat certain things.  How have you had to adjust her diet?  What kinds of things can she eat?  Can she have birthday cake?

And can I just say how much I appreciate the questions?  I love that you have chosen to ask, rather than assume you know.  There are no dumb questions.  About what she can eat, or about anything at all diabetes-related.  It means you care.  It means you know that you might not know.  So ask away!  One more person educated correctly means one less person who may make an ignorant and hurtful comment!

The answer is YES!  Yes, she can eat that!  Whatever it is you are asking about, the answer is yes.  Birthday cake, yes.  Candy, yes.  Regular soda, yes.  Italian food, Mexican food, greasy cheeseburgers, yes yes yes.

Is it bad for her because she has type 1 diabetes?  No.  If it’s an unhealthy food you’re asking about, then it’s bad for her just like it’s bad for everyone else!  Mackenna’s dinner is the same as her brothers’ dinners.  Her plate at a birthday party looks the same as the plates of the other party guests.

Diabetes makes meals complicated…not restricted.  We have a few more steps to take care of before she can start in on that birthday cake, but she will definitely have it.

Halloween was two days ago.  We went trick-or-treating.  We have buckets full of candy.  Mackenna will eat it, in moderation, along with the rest of us.  And there’s actually a very good possibility that one of those fun-sized candies could save her life.  Managing diabetes is a very delicate balancing act and sometimes we get it wrong, and sometimes diabetes just plays dirty.  And in those moments, it’s imperative to have something…a couple of Starbursts or a handful of Skittles to save the day.  Literally…SAVE the day.  So yes, she can eat that…and there are times when her life actually depends upon her eating that.

(I learned a few years back that if I wanted cute photos of my kids in their Halloween costumes, I couldn’t wait until Halloween.  We took these photos a week beforehand and I’m so glad we did!)