Eat Your Way to a Healthy Smile

Most of us think about our waistlines when it comes to deciding what to eat, but have you thought about your mouth? We’re not just referring to how a food tastes, but the impact it could have on your oral health. According to nutritionist Rick Hay, this is something we should add to the list of criteria when choosing what to have for dinner.

In a recent article for Healthista, he pointed out which foods are good for keeping your pearly whites, well, pearly white and which should be avoided. A few general rules can be applied, like opting for yellow and orange ingredients for healthy gums and avoiding sugar, which is no surprise, although coffee and meat may be more unexpected.

Yellow and orange foods are a good choice, as the bright pigments indicate they are high in beta-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A. This helps to maintain the mucous membranes, which in turn leads to healthy gums and the foundation of good oral health.

Oily fish has long been touted as great for the memory, but it could be good for your smile too. Eating it has been found to help prevent gum disease, so there’s another reason to have a portion of salmon or mackerel for your tea. You could take it as a supplement if fish isn’t your thing and while you’re there, Mr Hay suggests Coenzyme Q10, vitamin A and olive leaf extract as useful capsules to pop for your mouth.

He added: “When you think about supplements for your teeth, I bet you automatically think about calcium. Calcium is great to get nice, strong, healthy teeth, and nuts and seeds will help you to keep your calcium levels up, but what you really want to do is look beyond that.”

On the flipside, there are some foods worth cutting out or at least down on to improve your oral health. Since an early age, we’ve all been told that sugar will rot your teeth and the old adage holds true. When sugar meets the bacteria in your mouth it is converted into teeth-dissolving acid. And nobody wants damaged teeth.

Tea and coffee are among the biggest culprits when it comes to staining. If you drink lots of cups a day, no amount of brushing before bed is going to restore them to their former glory. Also think about the amount of meat you are eating, as chewing large amounts of such proteins can have an impact on your jaw and your teeth.