Healthy snacks to eat while working from home | Beachside Dental

Healthy snacks to eat while working from home

By
Jul
3
,
2020
Dental Tips, No Comments

We hope you have been staying fit, well and healthy during these unique times. Many of you may be working from home, and we find that we can often find ourselves heading towards the fridge or pantry.

We know how important your smile and the function of your teeth is to your health, wellbeing and confidence and have put together a list of healthy snack ideas while working from home:

Fruits and vegetables:

Fruit and vegetables are good for you full stop. But! There are a specific handful that contain special qualities and will help keep your pearly whites shining.

High fibre fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots and celery, are ‘nature’s toothbrush’. The fibrous texture in these superfoods acts like a toothbrush and scrapes away leftover food particles and bacteria. Munching on these will also stimulate saliva production to help reduce food debris and bacteria. Enjoy snacking on some delicious apples with carrot and celery sticks.

Leafy greens, such as kale or spinach, are also great for your oral health as they have a high water content and a crunchy texture. Packed with vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy diet, leafy greens are also high in calcium that builds teeth enamel.

Though most citrus fruits can be harsh on your teeth as a result of their strong acidity levels, oranges are the least harmful of the group. On the plus side, oranges contain vitamin C, a vitamin that can slow the progression of gum disease by lessening any inflammation. As a result of the acidity in citrus it is recommended to drink water after eating these fruits. Otherwise you could eat some cheese to protect the enamel on your teeth!

Strawberries are another super-fruit to benefit your oral health as they contain malic acid, a natural whitener for enamel. These juicy fruits will actually help prevent your teeth from staining.

Dairy:

Milk and cheese specifically, has the ability to neutralise acid produced by plaque bacteria. Cheese especially has superfood qualities as it contains a type of protein called casein that combats acid erosion of your teeth. Eating it after meals can counter the acidity left behind by other foods.

Chewing cheese also stimulates saliva production, your body’s own method of protecting the mouth and getting rid of food bits.

Drinking a glass of milk after eating desserts such as cakes or sweets will help protect your teeth too. Although, the combination of cereals mixed with milk won’t have the same effect since the milk becomes a syrupy sweet mixture.

Dark chocolate:

Yes! That delicious sweet snack can actually benefit your oral health. Unfortunately, we don’t mean the sweet milk chocolate, we’re talking about the dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa. Darker chocolate contain a compound called CBH that helps tooth enamel harden and reduces your susceptibility to tooth decay. This is because dark chocolate is closer to its origin, the cocoa bean, which houses CBH.

Sugar free chewing gum:

The most important thing to note is sugarless. Gum that contains sugar reverses the positive effects it has to your oral health. Chewing gum stimulates saliva production, nature’s way of cleaning teeth. The extra saliva helps wash away acids left in your mouth while also bathing your teeth in phosphate and calcium, the ingredients for stronger teeth and bones.

Water:

One of the vital ingredients in life will help reduce plaque by removing food debris in your mouth. The water in your saliva breaks down food and helps neutralise bacterial acid, preventing your teeth from decay. Most water also contains fluoride, a special mineral that protects against tooth erosion. So make sure you stay hydrated for your oral health too!

Green tea and black tea:

Bacteria in your mouth feeds on the sugars available. Once they’ve eaten all they can, they excrete acids that destroys tooth enamel. Green and black tea contains a micronutrient, polyphenols, that counters the acid and plaque caused by bacteria by either killing or suppressing them, while also protecting your mouth from cavities and gum disease. Tea contains tannins which may stain the enamel surface of your teeth, however, with regular cleans, or teeth whitening, this staining can be managed easily.

Substitute or add in these superfoods and beverages to your daily diet for improvements in oral health and wellbeing. Don’t forget to have your professional teeth clean and examination, every six months (or as advised by your healthcare professional), with your team at Beachside Complete Dental Care. While brushing, flossing and eating right will help plaque build-up, a proper dental clean is the only way to remove hard calculus, so remember to get your pearly white cleaned regularly!

Recipe: Veggie Chips

This is a great way to use left-over vegetables.

Ingredients

  • vegetables of choice (sweet potato, beetroot, parsnip, carrot, kale, zucchini or eggplant).
  • coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil, to toss.

Directions

1. Thinly slice vegetables with a mandolin or super sharp knife. Toss in melted coconut oil/extra virgin olive oil until lightly coated and then place veggies in a single layer on a baking paper lined oven tray.

2. Cook in oven at 180C for approximately 25-30 minutes or until crispy. Time will vary depending on veggie slices and the type of vegetable you use. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.