Healthy Living / The Diabetes Plate
The Diabetes Plate, Guam edition.
A simple way to picture a balanced meal with the foods a Guam kitchen already uses. It is a starting point, not a prescription.
The 9-inch plate
Use a standard 9-inch dinner plate and fill it by area. For breakfast the same idea applies: a protein, a measured carbohydrate, and something from the vegetable or fruit group.
- Half the plate, non-starchy vegetables. Long beans, eggplant, cucumber, kangkong, pak choi, tomato, peppers, greens.
- One quarter, lean or plant protein. Fish, chicken, eggs, tofu, beans, lean pork.
- One quarter, a quality carbohydrate. A measured scoop of rice, whole grains, starchy vegetables, or fruit.
- To drink, water or an unsweetened drink. Save juice and soda for a treat, not every meal.
The higher-energy add-on.
The plate serving is a place to start. If you are active, still hungry, or your plan calls for more, add one clearly sized option: another quarter cup of cooked whole grain, one small whole fruit, or three-quarters of a cup of plain yogurt. Choose additions according to your individual meal plan. A registered dietitian or your diabetes-care team can set carbohydrate and energy targets for you.
Carbohydrate needs are individual. They are not set by sex, and no single portion is right for everyone.
Safe internal temperatures
- Poultry and ground poultry: 165°F
- Fish: 145°F
- Ground meat: 160°F
- Whole pork: 145°F, then a 3-minute rest
- Egg dishes and casseroles: 160°F to 165°F
- Leftovers: reheat to 165°F
Use a food thermometer. Remember Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill: wash hands and surfaces, keep raw meat away from ready-to-eat food, cook to temperature, and refrigerate within two hours.
This is general education, not individual medical advice. Carbohydrate and portion needs vary. If you use insulin or medicines that can cause low blood sugar, or have kidney disease, pregnancy, allergies, or another medical condition, ask your clinician or registered dietitian how these meals fit your plan. Do not change or skip a medicine because of a recipe. See the Site & Health Disclaimer.
How these recipes are built, and why you can trust them without a paid review.
Run 4 Awareness does not employ a dietitian. Instead, every recipe is built to a published, authoritative standard and the method is fully in the open:
- Framework. Each recipe is portioned to the Diabetes Plate Method from the American Diabetes Association: half the plate non-starchy vegetables, a quarter lean or plant protein, a quarter quality carbohydrate. This also follows the USDA Dietary Guidelines and the CDC’s diabetes self-management guidance.
- Nutrition. Carbohydrate and fiber figures are calculated from the USDA FoodData Central database for the listed ingredients and amounts. They are labelled as estimates because they are not lab-tested.
- Kitchen-tested. The Run 4 Awareness team cooks every recipe before it publishes and adjusts the method and timings.
- Local fit. Recipes are checked with CHamoru home cooks so the ingredients are things people can actually get here and the dishes make sense on island.
- Not individual advice. These are general meal ideas, not a treatment plan. Your own doctor, diabetes educator, or care team sets your carbohydrate targets and portions. If something here conflicts with what your care team told you, follow your care team.
- Tell us. If you spot an error or something that does not fit local cooking, email info@run4awareness.org and we will fix it.
For recipes reviewed by a registered dietitian, the American Diabetes Association’s recipe hub and the NIH NIDDK are good next stops.