Three Meals A Day: What’s Best For My Teeth

Dental Care Tips from your local Berwick Dental Clinic.

Three meals a day has always been seen as the social norm. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each meal is designed to sustain you until the next – with dinner typically being the larger and more exotic of the three meals. Today, our Berwick dental clinic has decided to establish a list of foods that will contribute to keeping your teeth in a healthy condition. You might think that keeping your teeth healthy means you have to eat boring foods – but that’s not true at all. We’re here to show you that health can be fun too!

Breakfast

Some people like to skip the first meal of the day, but our dental clinic in Berwick would advise against that – there’s a reason they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Cereal is a quick and easy meal to have in the morning and it works great for kids as well.

The problem is that a lot of cereals are high in sugar – especially the children’s range that attract them with colourful and creative box-art. If you’re going to have a cereal – stick with whole grain cereals and look out for high fat and sodium levels.

Another fantastic breakfast meal that isn’t too harsh on your teeth is a tasty omelette with cheese (not too much though) and vegetables. Natural yogurt is also a great option – but, again, be sure to avoid high-sugar varieties. Try some plain, natural yogurt and add some honey and muesli in it for flavour.

If you have the time, try making a smoothie with low-fat milk and frozen fruit. Things like mixed berries, bananas and peaches go well with some crushed ice in a blender. Prepare the smoothie the night before to make the morning easier.

Lunch

Fruit and vegetable are paramount for keeping up your fibre levels. Fruits and vegetables that are high in fibre is the next best thing to scrubbing your teeth with a toothbrush. The chewing motion also stimulates saliva – which as we know fights against tooth decay. Options like carrots, celery and cucumber can all be kept fresh and eaten raw as a snack or cut-up and thrown into a salad.

Calcium-rich foods such as cheese, sardines, edamame and tofu are fantastic as well. A lot of places offer tofu nowadays so it’s perfect if you’re looking for a quick lunch-fix during work. Of course, your body can only efficiently absorb calcium if your vitamin D levels are up. Fatty fish such as salmon is high in vitamin D, making it a great option to eat on its own or combine with a variety of other things – whether it’s smoked or cooked.

A common misconception that some people have is that bread is good for your teeth. This is only true for whole wheat bread. White bread can be high in sugar and cause tooth decay – so if you’re going to make a sandwich, stick with whole wheat bread.

Dinner

The lines have become blurred in recent times with what is considered dinner and lunch food – with people often having a traditional dinner meal such as a steak for lunch. At the end of the day there is no right time of the day to eat your food. However, as a Berwick dental clinic, we do suggest sticking to meals such as fatty fish and meat for dinner.

Red meat contains natural nutrients and is high in iron – so having a steak every now and then can be beneficial for your health and your teeth. As we mentioned before, foods that require more chewing will generate more saliva and are thus beneficial for you. Chicken is also a fantastic option as it is a lean meat and contains a large amount of protein, calcium and phosphorous.

Whole-grain pasta is another alternative if you don’t feel like tofu, meat or vegetables. It has fewer calories and carbs than normal pasta and is also higher in fibre. Add vegetables and some smoked salmon in with it to make the meal more creative.

Looking for a Berwick dental clinic?

Whilst the above foods aren’t considered harmful to your teeth, Eden Rise Dental suggests that you should always endeavour to brush after every meal and floss at least twice a day. That way you can maximise your teeth and oral hygiene. We provide a variety of services for both children’s dentistry and adults.

If you need to book a check-up at a Berwick dental clinic, then get in touch with us by calling (03) 9702 6111. You can also get in contact with us by filling out the enquiry form on our website.