Tooth Friendly Foods – Essential Need for Healthy Teeth

We all love to nibble on food from time to time, hectic lifestyles and busy people have changed the way that many of us eat. The trend is away from three set meals to a habit of snacking or “grazing” as it is often known.

While nutritionists agree that 3 meals per day and minimal or no snacking is the best way to go, there are times when we are all a bit peckish and need something to keep us going. So if you want to avoid dental decay and have a hectic lifestyle why not consider trying some of the things below. Here is our list of top 10 low risk snacks for your family.

Snacks
• Rice cakes, oat cakes, crisp breads, breadsticks, mini pitta breads
• Vegetable strips - carrots, sweet pepper, celery, cucumber
• Mini salads - lettuce sweetcorn, mozzarella, pasta, tuna
• Fresh fruits -
• Nuts, peanuts, pistachios etc Suitable for older children and adults only as they can represent a choking hazard to young children and babies
• Cheeses - there is whole world of cheeses to choose from now why not let your children choose some new ones to try.

Drinks
• plain water
• plain milk
• Why not make your own "diluting juice" with fresh Fruit juiced and diluted at least 1 part to six in water. Remember not to add any sugar.

For the younger members of the family, why not involve your children in making some of these things? You never know you may have a budding Jamie Oliver or Delia in your family and not even know it. As ever moderation is the key as some of the low risk snacks for decay can have higher fat or salt contents so a good balance is always advisable.

Keep a special eye open when choosing supposedly sugar free items from shops. If the label says No added sugar – then the product still contains sugar and will most likely cause decay. To be totally safe the food needs to be marked – Sugar Free.

Do not try and revolutionize your families diet, just take it bit at a time and the small changes can really add up and lead to a healthier body and a healthier mouth and smile.