Hannah is a 12-year-old who has had Type I diabetes for a few years.

Hannah is a 12-year-old who has had Type I diabetes for a few years. Her mother, Rose, is a strict vegetarian and believes this is also the best diet plan for her daughter. Hannah says, “I just want to eat like all my friends do!” As a result, she often cheats, and lately, there has been a steady increase in Hannah’s blood sugars. In order to fully understand Hannah’s situation, please answer the following first: When are carbohydrates good for us? Carbohydrates, such as glucose and sucrose, occur naturally in fruit to sweeten them and make us more likely to eat them. Dietary fiber lowers the risk factors for diseases like diabetes or cancer. Carbohydrates provide the body with necessary energy to function and spare protein, allowing protein to be used for functions that only protein can complete. When the correct types are eaten in harmony with a good diet and exercise, they help to maintain homeostasis for blood glucose levels. What are “good” versus “bad” carbohydrates? Good carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates which, because of their longer series of sugars, take the body longer to metabolize, leading to a more consistent release of energy and, usually, a lower glycemic index. Simple carbohydrates are often called bad carbohydrates because they release energy quickly and store energy quickly. This leads to energy levels that are not consistent, but more like peaks and valleys. When one refers to simple carbohydrates, they are usually referring to junk food; however, some foods such as potatoes (which are a complex carbohydrate outside of the body, but are processed like a simple carbohydrate inside the body), white rice, and pasta are also simple carbohydrates. Within the category of bad carbohydrates, there are different degrees of how bad a carbohydrate is, with cake being worse for you than a baked potato. When are they not good for us or our bodies? Eating overly sugary foods can cause tooth decay. Additionally, consuming too many simple carbohydrates because carbohydrates need to be balanced with nutritional value. For instance, even if a doughnut and a piece of fruit have the same amount of sugar, the carbohydrates in the fruit are balanced by the vitamins and dietary fiber that is also found in the fruit