Why you should up your antioxidants if you live with type 1 diabetes
Why do people like me (nutritionists!) always bang on about these little powerhouse compounds?
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)
Which colour are you going to focus on this week?
How to manage your T1D in the heat
Feeling hot, hot, hot - how to manage your diabetes in the summer heat.
Beth Edwards Nutrition | Type 1 Diabetes Nutritionist | London Nutritionist | How to manage type 1 diabetes in the heat
Has the heat got your type 1 diabetes hot under the collar?
Lots of my type 1 diabetes clients are noticing differences in their blood glucose levels now the temperatures have started to rise. Maybe you are too?
So what's going on? Well, it all comes down to PHYSICS. The extra heat increases the kinetic energy of the particles in our bodies and our insulin. This provides more kinetic energy (i.e. the insulin moves around quicker and therefore does its job quicker). Additionally, the heat expands your blood vessels, which in turn can speed up insulin absorption and possibly lead to lows.
What can you do?
Keep a close eye on BG levels. If you're dropping low across the whole day, you might need to reduce your background (basal) insulin.
Maybe you find you go higher in the heat. This could be due to your insulin overheating. Ensure you keep your pens and vials in cool, shady spots when out and about, and change your infusion sites (if using a pump) more often if you feel your insulin reservoir is getting too warm.
Always carry lots of water with you, particularly if you're running a little bit on the high side. When the body is dehydrated, BG becomes more concentrated due to the decrease in blood flow through the kidneys. This makes it harder for the kidneys to remove any excess glucose from urine.
It's extra important to keep hypo treatment on you if you know you're prone to going low in the heat.
What is your experience - high or low in the heat? (Or both?)
Pret-style almond + coconut bites
These almond + coconut bites [resonant of Pret's] are often necessary to get me through Monday. If you are feeling similarly to me (in need of a little pick-me-up and feeling a mixture of joy and sadness that you can't spent lots of money on Pret's snack selection) then this recipe is for you.
Pret-style almond + coconut bites
These almond + coconut bites [resonant of Pret's] are often necessary to get me through Monday. If you are feeling similarly to me -
in need of a little pick-me-up and feeling a mixture of joy and sadness that you can't spent lots of money on Pret's snack selection -
I have the perfect recipe for you.
Ingredients:
- 200g almonds
- 2 tbsp runny honey or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 100g unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 200g dark chocolate (70%)
How to:
Line a baking tray with baking parchment
Blitz the almonds in a food processor for 5 minutes
Add the honey or maple, the coconut oil, vanilla and a good pinch of sea salt and blitz for a few minutes
Add the desiccated coconut and blitz again until you have a rough dough-like mixture
Press the dough into the lined baking tray to even it out into a square about 2cm thick and place in the freezer for 5 minutes
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gentle simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water)
Take the almond/coconut mixture out of the freezer and cut it into 24 bars
Place back into the freezer to chill
Once the chocolate has melted, take it off the heat and allow it to cool and thicken, stirring occasionally
Dip the bars into the melted choc using two forks, then lay them onto another lined baking sheet
Once all the bars are coated, place back in the freezer to set
I tend to store these in the freezer (wrapped in the used parchment).
Enjoy! Let me know if you’re also in need of a little snack-attack-pick-me-up!
How to eat breakfast without stepping on the blood sugar rollercoaster
Despite eating breakfast are you still getting hungry at 11am? Feeling like you’re on that blood sugar rollercoaster and want to get off it? Don’t worry - this is the blog post for you.
How to eat breakfast without stepping on the blood sugar rollercoaster
Despite eating breakfast, do your energy levels ever crash at 11am and you feel hungry again? Despite your best breakfast efforts, you just don’t feel like you’re ‘doing it right’?
I get it – it’s frustrating that you’ve fuelled up with breakfast, but then feel yourself reaching for the coffee and croissants mid-morning.
However, it doesn’t need to be this way. With a few simple tips and tricks, you’ll be able to create a breakfast that’s so nourishing, you won’t even be thinking of lunch until, well – lunchtime.
Yes, really!
I’ll share my number 1 top tip to keep blood sugars stable throughout the morning and finish up with a banging recipe to keep you fuller for longer.
The trio of glory (macros)
Any meal, but breakfast especially, needs to contain the three macronutrients:
- complex carbs (oats, berries)
- protein (chia seeds, Greek yogurt)
- healthy fats (flaxseed, nut butters)
The reason why? Well when we eat carbohydrates with protein and/or fat, the breakdown of carbs – into glucose is slowed down.
This means that glucose is absorbed into your blood streams at a slower rate too, giving you a steady stream of energy throughout the morning.
Winner!
The problem with Cheerios
The typical western breakfast is normally a carbohydrate-heavy breakfast, without any protein or fat – cereals with milk, toast with jam.
This means that the glucose from these carbohydrates is broken down super quickly and hits your bloodstream. This gives you an initial boost of energy, but this quickly wears off – hence the drop in blood sugars at 11am and the rising hangriness.
Blood sugar loving overnight oats
I’m a massive of fan of oats. They’re a great source of complex carbohydrates and fibre and if you want more #oatporn, follow me over on Instagram for regular pictures and recipes.
This is my go-to overnight oats recipe. It’s packed with nutrients, blood sugar loving foods and tastes pretty darn good too.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of oats
- 2 cups of plant milk (I like oat by Rude Health)
- Handful of frozen berries
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Half a banana
- Dash of coconut oil
- 1 tbsp nut butter
Method
1. The night before, mix the oats, berries, milk and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. In the morning, add the coconut oil to a pan and gently fry off the banana until golden brown (approx. 3 mins on each side).
3. Top on to the oats with the nut butter.
4. Enjoy!
Ta da!
So there we go. My golden tip for eating breakfast like a queen, preventing that blood sugar rollercoaster and keeping you powered up ‘til lunchtime.
Meaning: more productivity in your morning and fewer growling tummies!