Oral Health, Nutrition and the Food Industry

Within the last five decades, with the mechanization of food preparing systems, the consumption of processed food and drink have drastically increased alienating the general population of the content of the food they are ingesting. Unfortunately, during a big part of this period, the food processing companies did not “bother” to choose ingredients appropriately, adding “tons” of colorant and sugar and having very little “space” for nutrients such as minerals, vitamins and good fats. Obesity, diabetes and dental decay are among the conditions that were directly related to the negligence of the food processing companies. The situation have gone to such an extreme that the big majority of our children are unaware of the origin of the food they eat.

The general public have the bad habit of eating and drinking too often during the day. In addition, as if it was not enough harm, they drink and eat inappropriately making choices of what is less recommended. On what concerns dental problems, drinks and foods must not contain high levels of sugar or starch (starch is broken down to sugar before being swallowed). The sugar is digested by bacteria in the mouth having acids as by products. These acids are toxins for our gums and teeth, they cause dental caries, gum disease and consequently bad breath.

Dental Cavity – bertthedentist.com

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Healthy Habits for a Health Living

Fortunately, things are changing! A shift has commenced and people are developing awareness around health issues and their relation with lack of dietary nutrients and exceeding amounts of the “other stuff” in processed foods and drinks. This has urged the emergence of healthy food processing companies. Companies that are trying to find alternatives to the current model of processing food. These alternatives enhance the nutritive value and drastically diminish the contents that were found to be disease related.

Today, it is possible to find processed food and drink with no sugar nor sweetener . Even better, products that are transported in its natural form with no additives. There are different natural fruit juices and even coconut water that are brought to us in its natural state. These options are incomparably better than drinking a soda for example with coconut water being the best choice. Coconut water is a great source of vitamins and minerals with very little fat and sugar. It is a beverage which, opposing to most fruit juices, is not acidic. This is a bonus when speaking of oral health. Besides, the minerals and vitamins content allow reposition of these precious nutrients enhancing well being and preventing nutrient shortage related diseases.

Oral Hygiene and Nutritional Choices – The Perfect Match

Oral health and general health depend enormously on nutrition. It is important to be aware of the ingredients of all the foods and drinks before consuming. The habit of only drinking and eating something when knowing the ingredients is a great one to be cultivated. But that is not all. Good oral hygiene is essential to oral health and to all aspects of life. It enhances self confidence as it enhances image. It diminishes the risks of diseases such as oral cancer, heart disease and pulmonary diseases. As a bonus, it prevents dental decay and gum disease decreasing dental treatment costs.

Healthy eating habits together with good oral hygiene are the “Key” components for good oral health and therefore good general health.

To learn more about oral care, gum disease, dental cavity and oral cancer prevention visit: bertthedentist.com