Why you should up your antioxidants if you live with type 1 diabetes
What’s the deal with antioxidants?
Why do people like me (nutritionists!) always bang on about these little powerhouse compounds?
Let me explain.
There's a balance between oxidants and antioxidants inside our body.
Oxidants – are produced due to oxidative stress and include things like Reactive Oxygen Species i.e. free radicals, which you’ve probably heard of.
Oxidative stress in the body can be caused by things many things i.e. micronutrient deficiencies, pollution, immune responses to an infection, high and low blood sugars (this is pertinent!).
Oxidative stress can be balanced out by our own internal antioxidant system and antioxidants we eat.
Antioxidants – compounds that can protect your cells from damage caused by potentially harmful molecules known as free radicals (think of them as coming along and ‘mopping up’ the free radicals).
If you live with T1D, it’s impossible to keep your blood sugars in range ALL THE TIME – you will have some highs and lows. That’s why it’s important to get lots of antioxidant-rich foods into your diet.
Antioxidants = fruits and vegetables! Specifically, phytonutrients found in the pigmentation. This is where eat the rainbow comes from (a cliché, but you can see why now!)
Aim to get as many different colours as possible
Red (apples, tomatoes, radish)
Orange/yellow (carrots, mangoes, turmeric, papaya, sweetcorn)
Greens (spinach, sprouts, watercress, broccoli, peas)
Blue/purple (blueberries, beetroot, aubergine, grapes)
White/black (cauliflower, coconut, parsnips, black garlic)