5 Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

 If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. –Benjamin Franklin

Healthy eating doesn’t just happen. As we take our marks along the holiday season starting line, what’s in your sights? How will you eat your way through a marathon of festivities and packed schedules? What can you do to ensure a victory in oral (and overall) health while racing a course fraught with cavity-causing obstacles? Read on for tips that will produce a strong start and finish.

Multi-Task. If you are going to eat sweets, have them with your meal, or soon after, while your salivary juices are still flowing. One of the easiest and most effective ways to beat your cavity-causing opponent (the acids produced by bacteria in your mouth) and wash away extra food particles is to use the saliva that is naturally created when you eat.

Hydrate. We tend to forget to hydrate during the winter months because it’s cooler and we don’t feel thirsty. But we are. As much as ever. So, drink hot tea like it’s your lifeline and a tall glass of water between alcoholic drinks. Alcohol tends to dry out your mouth. Dry mouth is the cause of 30% of tooth decay in older adults. This one is easy.

Avoid the hard stuff. Popcorn, biscotti, nuts and candy canes—all among a dentist’s worst enemy—are classified as hard foods which is the number one cause of cracked and chipped teeth. Enjoy these treats. But we aware of their danger and proceed with caution.

Double down on raw veggies. It’s the crunch factor that turns these healthy snacks into serious scrubbers for our teeth. Munch all day long, and like magic, you’ll be stripping away all those superficial stains that have piled up during your tea, coffee and wine binging.

Make apples your friend. Apples, like raw veggies, are not only master brushers, but because they require vigorous chewing, they aid in stimulating saliva production. The more you salivate, the more you rinse your teeth.  Brush and rinse, as you eat, while washing away sugars and hydrating, as mentioned above, all at once.

Eating the right food, maintaining good oral hygiene, and keeping up on regular dental checkups and cleanings is the prescribed routine of champions this holiday season. And ready or not, it’s time to hit the ground running. Review these healthy habits as you gear up and race toward the New Year. Your prize? A healthy happy smile. Give it all you’ve got and come out a winner.

For more tips on healthy eating, or to book a cleaning this holiday season, call us today!