Your
smile is the first thing that people see on you. Whether
the moment is as mundane as the instant you pass a
stranger on the street or as significant as a career
interview, a healthy smile speaks volumes in an instant.
The easiest, most economical and wholesome way to
have a beautiful,
healthy smile is through a healthy diet and preventive
dentistry. Additionally, a healthy diet will benefit
your overall wellbeing in countless other ways. More
energy, natural weight control, healthier skin and hair
are just a few ways that a healthy diet will benefit
you - and those benefits will ultimately shine out of
your fresh healthy smile, from within.
10 Ways a Healthy Diet Equals a Healthy
Smile
1) A healthy diet begins
with choosing foods wisely. Make conscious decisions
about what you put in your mouth. For a healthy smile,
eat a nutritional diet with variety. Choose foods
from each of the five major food groups and eat them
in balanced proportions.
2) Choose cheese.
It is a well known fact that
calcium from dairy foods such as milk, cheese, or yogurt
positively affects teeth and bone health by increasing bone
acquisition during growth, slowing age-related bone loss,
and reducing osteoporosis-induced fragility fractures. There
are also several potential qualities that cheese and milk
have that, when included in your healthy diet, can facilitate
you acquiring a healthy smile. Dairy foods stimulate the
flow of saliva, which increases plaque pH. Saliva prevents
enamel demineralization and helps clear fermentable carbohydrates
from your mouth.
3) Raise your hand for raisins.
Raisins are a great way to
keep yourself on track when your goal is a healthy diet.
They are a convenient, high-energy low fat snack, easy to
eat and almost never go bad. Furthermore, recent studies
at the University of Illinois Chicago, College of Dentistry,
have found that compounds found in raisins fight bacteria
in the mouth that cause cavities and gum disease. So, eating
raisins may also help you keep a healthy smile. Researchers
identified five compounds in Thompson seedless raisins:
oleanolic acid, oleanolic aldehyde, betulin, betulinic acid,
and 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural. All of these are known
phytochemicals - antioxidants found in plants. Oleanolic
acid inhibited the growth of two types of oral bacteria:
Streptococcus mutans, which causes cavities, and Porphyromonas
gingivalis, which causes periodontal disease.
4) A healthy diet includes limiting the number of in-between
meals you eat.
More snacks can mean more
calories, and poor dietary choices. Furthermore, each time
you eat foods that contain sugar or starches, your teeth
are attacked by acid for 20 minutes or more. Limiting snacks
is the smart choice for a healthy smile.
5)
If you do snack,
choose
nutritious foods such as cheese, raw vegetables, plain yogurt
or fruit. These healthy dietary choices supply your body
with essential vitamins, proteins and fiber and are less
likely to promote unhealthy weight-gain - and cavities.
Make wholesome choices for a healthy diet, and get the benefits
of a healthy smile.
6) Adding tea to your healthy diet benefits your teeth
and gums.
Mounting studies have shown
that tea is an excellent source of flavonoids, which are
a natural class of antioxidants. Antioxidants rid the body
of molecules called free radicals, which are side products
of damage done to the body by pollution and the natural
aging process. Teas have been shown to reduce the chance
of developing rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, flu, heart disease,
high blood pressure, Parkinson's Disease and dental caries.
Studies have shown that antioxidants in black tea will suppress
the growth of bacteria in the mouth that cause cavities
and gum disease. Those antioxidants inhibited the attachment
of bacteria to the tooth's surface. So, drink tea for your
overall health, as well as a healthy smile.
7) Foods that are a detriment to your overall
health
are often concurrently bad for your
oral health. Avoiding these foods with contribute to a healthy
diet as well as a healthy smile: Soft drinks; diet drinks
- which contain phosphoric acid; excessive fruit drinks
- which are often high is sugar; coffee or tea with sugar
added; chocolate and candy - particularly those that you
leave in your mouth and let dissolve; and large amount of
dried fruit - dehydration concentrates the sugar in the
fruit.
8) A healthy smile mirrors a healthy diet.
Recent studies have found that
your mouth is a reflection of your overall health. Possibilities
include: healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables may
help clear plaque off or your teeth; obesity may promote
inflammatory chemicals linked to gum disease; and physical
activity may cut inflammation helping the entire body including
the mouth.
9) A healthy diet includes sufficient water intake.
Your body's chief chemical
component is water. On the average, it makes up about 60%
of your weight. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs,
carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment
for ear, nose and throat tissues. It also helps rinse the
mouth and is a healthy alternative to sugar-laden juices,
soft drinks and other beverages. Adequate water intake also
helps combat plaque and bad breath. For a healthy diet and
a health smile, the Institute of Medicine advises that men
consume about 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages
a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total
beverages a day.
10) A healthy diet empowers you.
When you make the decision
to have a healthy diet, you are choosing to live well. And
when you take action to craft everyday around that resolution,
you will see growth in all aspects of your life. Nothing
can contribute more to a beautiful, radiant, healthy smile
than the feeling of control and self-respect that you will
gain from choosing to take those first steps towards a fine,
fit life.
