Diet Advice

What we eat affects our bodies in numerous ways. Your diet also affects your teeth. We are always told about the things that are bad for our teeth but it seems that everything is bad for us one way or another. The aim of this advice sheet is to reinforce the foods that are bad for your teeth and also give you some idea of a diet that is generally healthy, but particularly good for your teeth!

What not to eat

We should all know some of the things that are bad for our teeth. Here is a quick list of the most obvious:

• Sweets
• Fizzy drinks
• Sugar

What about the less obvious things?

Acid

The reason that fizzy drinks are bad for your teeth is because they are high in acid ingredients, just read the side of a can of cola to see! This means that diet drinks are no better for your teeth than normal varieties, because they still contain the same acid.

You can still get caught out if you avoid fizzy drinks. Squashes and fruit juices contain natural acids, although at lower levels than fizzy drinks. Flavoured and carbonated waters contain acids as well.

Foods can contain acids as well. Most obvious are citrus fruits like oranges but also in green apples. The tart flavour comes from citric acid which can attack your teeth as much as any can of pop!!

Sugar

Sweets are the most obvious source of sugar however any intake can help to cause decay. Particular caution needs to be taken to find foods that contain hidden sugars. Baked beans, ketchup and diet foods are all examples of foods that contain significantly higher sugar concentrations than you would expect.

So what can I eat?

The foods above are bad for your teeth. Some foods are neutral. The following diet suggestion contains some neutral foods but also some foods that actually help fight tooth decay as well as look after your general health:

Breakfast:

• Drink tea rather than coffee, it’s rich in antioxidants and also contains fluoride.
• Drink apple juice instead of orange juice, it is much less acidic
• Muesli or whole grain cereals are lower in sugar than most cereals. If you need to sweeten, use a Xylitol sweetener which kills harmful bacteria. Alternatively natural sweeteners like raisins could be added, particularly for kids.
• Fruits, like Kiwi or banana contain plenty of vitamin C
• Dairy products like milk or yoghurt produce a protective layer on teeth.

Lunch:

• A jacket potato provides an excellent lunch
• Oil fish, like tuna or mackerel help prevent plaque sticking to the teeth. Rubbing the jacket in olive oil will have the same effect.
• A small amount of grated cheese is very good for your teeth, it helps protect the enamel and prevent decay.

Dinner:

• Eat meat or fish, protein based foods don’t cause decay.
• Potatoes are best eaten in their skins
• Crisp, steamed vegetables or salads are best, olive oil dressing again help prevent plaque sticking to the teeth
• Olive oil based mayonnaise is much better than ketchup.
• Dessert can be fruit salad, baked apples, natural yoghurt, or cheese and crackers.

Snacks:

• A small cube of cheese, like all dairy products, helps to reverse tooth decay.
• Peanuts are a good alternative, but not for children under five. They are protein based so they don’t cause decay and the pieces they break into help to get in between the teeth and clean.
• Raw vegetables and fruit (not citrus) are also good. Dried fruits like raisins make a convenient snack in school.
• Drink lots of water (non-flavoured, non-carbonated), tea or coffee, or milk throughout the day.
• Chewing sugar free gum helps stimulate saliva and prevent decay.