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September has arrived—this is often synonymous with the return of school routines, the preparation of lunches and healthy snacks for your children. When preparing snacks and meals, many parents look for nutritious foods that are rich in protein and carbohydrates. Have you ever thought about how your child’s food is directly linked to oral health? In this article, we’ll discuss some tips for preparing healthy lunches and snacks for not only your children’s nutritional needs but oral health as well.
The Golden Rule
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As you probably know, it is very important to avoids ugar-rich foods as much as possible in your children’s lunches. The sugars consumed by the latter are converted into acid by the bacteria on the surface of the teeth. These bacteria, depending on the amount consumed as well as the frequency with which the sugar is consumed, greatly increase the risk of having cavities.
Don’t worry, it’s not about completely cutting sugar out of your child’s diet, but rather about being aware of the amount that they consume. Keep in mind that refined sugars are as bad as natural sugars found in fruits and juice, which is why it’s important to keep a variety of snacks on hand.
In order to reduce the effects that sugar has on your children’s teeth, several options are available to you. First, if possible, accompany your child’s sweet or carb-rich snacks with filling foods such as cheese, nuts or even vegetables. Additionally, if you choose to spoil your child with sweets, prioritize them at meals instead of as a snack. Your child will produce more saliva at meals, which helps to reduce the effects of sugar on dental health.
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Fruits
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Often an easy option for dessert or for a snack, it is important to keep in mind that fruits consumed in large quantities can be harmful to the teeth. Indeed, these can cause cavities and erosion of tooth enamel. To avoid these problems, it is recommended to serve the fruit with cheese or nuts. Accompanying the fruits with these foods will restore the pH in your child’s mouth and make the snack more nutritious. Be careful not to serve your children canned fruit in syrup: these preparations are very sweet and bad for oral health. Apple sauce made from 100% fruit and no added sugar is a better choice.
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Veggies
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Unlike fruits, vegetables tend to have too little sugar concentration for bacteria to produce acid that causes erosion and decay. Crunchy vegetables promote salivation and give freshness to your mouth. We recommend apples and raw vegetables (celery, carrots, etc.) since they are very good for the oral health of your child. Indeed, these foods require a lot of chewing which generates saliva and wash bacteria and food debris away.
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Dairy products and alternatives
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In addition to being very nutritious and easy to add as a snack to your child’s lunchbox, cheese is a great option for promoting oral health. Consuming cheese between meals or at the end of a snack reduces the risk of cavities from consuming certain foods. In addition, cheese has the ability to cover the teeth like a protective coating, and its high calcium and other minerals promote the remineralization of teeth.
If you or your child prefers not to consume dairy products, do not worry, there are several options available to you! Many of the fortified soy products contain calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus, and are just as beneficial to your child’s oral health.
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Drinks
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Many parents are used to always putting a juice in their child’s lunch box. This is not a huge mistake, but keep in mind that fruit juices, although natural, have the same effect on teeth as soft drinks and other sugar-added drinks. Indeed, these products coat the teeth with sugar. This has the detrimental effect of wearing off enamel and promotes the formation of dental cavities. To reduce the risk of cavities, you can opt for a reusable water bottle. This will encourage your child to consume more water throughout the day. The more your child drinks water, the less likely they are to consume sugary drinks. The important thing is that he understands that the solution when he is thirsty is to drink water and not juice.
