Snacks That Look Healthy but Are Harmful to Your Teeth
Posted on 7/7/2020 by Brandon Cooley
When looking at snacks that are good for both your body and teeth, there are clear winners such as carrots and celery. But there are also ones to watch out for- ones that look like they are doing your mouth a favor but are unfortunately a betrayal in food form. We will be going over a few common “healthy” snacks to avoid for the sake of your teeth.
Fruit, in general, is an excellent part of your diet. We encourage everyone work in fruits such as apples, pears, and watermelon. This applies to fresh fruits, however and not dried fruits which are becoming an increasingly popular way for people to get their fruit intake in.
The problem with dry fruit is that you are essentially concentrating all of the fruit's sugar down to a small shrivel that used to be a relatively large piece of fruit. This makes each bite hard, sticky, and incredibly sugary- you can akin it to almost like gummy bears when it comes to how it is affecting your teeth. It is best to pick up fruit in its natural state!
This may sound counterintuitive to the section above, but citrus fruits in excess can cause your enamel to be worn down due to the citric acid contained in fruits such as lemons, oranges, limes, and grapefruit. Citrus is a good source of vitamin C and is good for your body in general, but we recommend that you watch your raw citrus intake for the overall health of your teeth.
Not all trail mix is terrible for you, but what about the ones that have chocolate candies tossed in? It is best to avoid that. The nuts in trail mix are some of the best snacks for both your teeth and body, but when you add in dried fruit and chocolate candy, it turns an otherwise healthy snack into a nightmare for your teeth. If you would like to schedule an appointment with us or have any questions, give our office a call.
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