What is blood sugar management?

Many things can increase the risk of high or low blood sugar. For example, adolescents are at higher risk. So are people who have an eating disorder, damage to the stomach nerves, or thyroid or kidney problems.

Healthy eating can help keep your blood sugar in your target range. A dietitian or diabetes educator may suggest that you start with the plate method or carbohydrate (carb) counting.

The plate method is an easy way to plan meals and manage the amount of carbohydrate you eat. This can help keep your blood sugar in your target range. You divide your plate into sections for vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates. You learn how much space each type of food should take on a plate.

With carb counting, you first add up the grams of carbohydrate in the food you plan to eat. Then you can adjust the portion size to match your recommended carbohydrate amount for a meal or snack. If you take mealtime insulin, you might be taught to adjust the amount of insulin you need to cover the amount of carbohydrate you eat.

Keeping your blood sugar in a target range reduces your risk of problems from diabetes. These problems include eye disease (retinopathy), kidney disease (nephropathy), and nerve disease (neuropathy). If you're pregnant, staying in a target range can also help prevent problems during pregnancy.