Back to School Nutrition
Time to stock up on pens, pencils, and crayons! For many families, fall is coincident with a new school year.
I don't remember being this excited for a new school year myself.
One thing to keep in both the back and forefront of our minds are the food selections we pick for lunch.
When I was in Boston doing volunteer dental care for the underserved and underrepresented communities, there were many children who were drinking juices excessively, had candies and chocolates with potato chips for lunch, and who, after school would go to a nearby convenience store to buy more soda and candy.
Looking into their mouths, it is shocking and sobering on what poor nutrition does to teeth.
For some 8 years olds, they already have such large cavities on the first molars (which normally erupt at 6 years of age) that they needed to be pulled. This will result in the other adult teeth coming in at non-ideal positions and could result in poor bite, function, and esthetics.
When their parents were informed of their dental problems, some were very surprised, as they didn't know about the relationship of diet and dental disease. These parents were motivated to change and improve their family's nutritional habits.
Others didn't seem concerned, as it is common amongst their friends and family to not have many teeth left by the age of 30. They thought having dentures at a young age is "normal".
It was challenging to induce a paradigm shift in their way of thought, but worthwhile.
On that note, below are a few tips on preparing lunch meals that are both delicious AND healthy, and can help us maintain our natural teeth for a long time.
1) The Main Course
No matter what type of food we have, whether it be sandwiches, rice, noodles, or pasta, we should actively choose less processed foods. These provide longer-lasting energy for our active days, and tend to not contain excessive salts or sugars.
This includes whole-grain, complex carbohydrates such as multigrain bread, choosing brown rice over white rice, and whole wheat pasta.
We also know that protein-rich foods are non-cariogenic, meaning that they do not cause cavities. Examples are cheese, tofu, and meats.
Admittedly, this wouldn't seem appetizing to me as a child, but now I look at this and my stomach starts churning
2) The Drinks
There's a saying in survival training that we cannot survive for more than 3 minutes without air, more than 3 days without water, and more than 3 weeks without food.
This highlights the importance of hydration for our bodies, which will help us stay focused throughout our school and work days.
For the majority of people, the drink of choice should always be water. Vancouver has fantastic tasting tap water, and if the thought of drinking tap water is unappealing, there are always filters available for purchase.
Water: the source of life on Earth
Pop and other sugary drinks is not recommended by the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry, as the sugar content in these is very high, and the drinks are also acidic.
This is reaffirmed by the Canadian Pediatric Society, as they have recently released a statement strongly urging all people under the age of 18 to avoid sports and energy drinks. These beverages contain excessive amounts of sugar, and often caffeine, which is often in too high concentrations for children. Excessive caffeine can cause heart rhythm abnormalities, dangerous blood pressure levels, and even seizures.
More information be found here.
3) The Snacks
A delicious snack for almost any season.
Options such as granola with unsweetened yogurt, combines a non-cariogenic food source (the yogurt) with a crunchy food like granola. Crunchy foods are great for people who enjoy them, but be wary not to take large, strong bites if your dental professional has advised that your teeth are susceptible to chipping or cracking.
Yogurt is also a source of probiotics, and these probiotics have numerous positive effects on our body, such as maintaining a good balance of oral flora, and also helping our digestive system run its daily course (pun intended!)
I hope readers will have learned a few things from these tidbits of advice. Feel free to contact your dental professional or us at MC2 Dental for any questions or comments.