Create Your Plate

The American Diabetes Association “Create Your Plate” is a simple and effective way to manage your blood glucose and weight. With this method, you fill your plate with more non-starchy veggies and smaller portions of starchy foods...no special tools or counting required! You can practice with this interactive tool. The healthy meal combinations are endless!

Learn more about creating your plate at the American Diabetes Association website.

Your BHS Diabetes Educator are great resource and can explain how eating impacts you. Together, you can identify ways to create a plan that is realistic for your situation.

The main goal of your healthcare team is to keep your blood glucose levels within target ranges (before meals: 80-130 mg/dl; and 2 hours after the onset of a meal: less than 180 mg/dl). Blood glucose levels that are well controlled help you to stay as healthy as possible and to feel your best. Should your blood sugar levels run out-of-control, they can impact any and every part of your body over time. Looking at the short-term effects, high blood glucose levels can make it easier to get infections and harder to treat them. Long-term effects of chronic out-of-control blood glucose levels can include eye, nerve, kidney, heart, mouth, skin and feet complications. The chance of developing high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol are also increased in people with diabetes.

In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. The body breaks down the sugars and starches you eat into a simple sugar called glucose, which it uses for energy. Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children can learn to manage their condition and live long. Learn more about type 1 diabetes and the American Diabetes Association.

Diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. This is also called hyperglycemia. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.If you have type 2 diabetes your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time it isn't able to keep up and can't make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels. Learn more about type 2 diabetes and the American Diabetes Association.

During pregnancy - usually around the 24th week - many women develop gestational diabetes. A diagnosisthe determination of a disease from its signs and symptoms.X of gestational diabetes doesn't mean that you had diabetes before you conceived, or that you will have diabetes after giving birth. But it's important to follow your doctor's advice regarding blood glucosethe main sugar found in the blood and the body's main source of energy. Also called blood sugar.X (blood sugar1. A class of carbohydrates with a sweet taste, including glucose, fructose and sucrose. 2. A term used to refer to blood glucose.X) levels while you're planning your pregnancy, so you and your baby both remain healthy. Learn more about gestational diabetes and the American Diabetes Association.