We all know that eating the wrong foods can make us gain weight, feel sluggish, and affect our health. We all know that eating healthy foods helps keep us healthy, at a healthy weight, and feeling and looking better. But did you know that certain foods can do the same thing for your children’s teeth? You can help keep your child’s teeth healthy with the types of foods you feed them. Today is Halloween so bets are that starting tomorrow your children will be eating a lot of candy, and then there are the yummy holiday treats that we will soon be indulging in. With this in mind, here are some ways to keep your children’s teeth healthy.
Healthy Snacks
It is okay to give your children a few pieces of candy from time to time, but make sure they get healthy snacks, too, more often than not. This can help keep them energetic, at a healthy weight, and help keep their teeth healthy, too. What snacks are healthy snacks? Raw, crunchy fruits and veggies such as:
- Apples
- Pears
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
Why Crunchy?
Crunchy fruits and vegetables benefit your teeth in three ways. First, they are largely water. While fruits contain natural sugars, the veggies contain no sugars or starches which can remain on your teeth and cause decay. The water in these snacks helps keep your teeth clean. Second, because veggies require a lot of chewing, your saliva production is increased. Saliva not only neutralizes harmful oral bacteria, it consists of minerals that help strengthen your tooth enamel. Third, the crispiness of these snacks, and the added texture of some (broccoli and cauliflower), actually acts as a toothbrush, wiping away bacterial plaque that leads to decay.
