Worst foods and drinks for dental health

Keeping your teeth healthy is vital. Your teeth are very important, you need them to eat. In order to keep your teeth healthy, you should be mindful of the foods and drinks you are eating. These can destroy your teeth.

Foods that are bad for teeth

One thing that is not good for your teeth is sugar. You probably already know how bad sugar is for you and your general health, but what you may not realise, is how bad it is for your teeth. Sugar is normally found in highly refined and processed food. These foods include things like lollies, packaged baked foods such as cakes, biscuits, etc. and soft drinks. The problem is that sugar sits on your teeth and gums. It accumulates and increases your risk for cavities and tooth decay. Snack foods also often cause you problems with your teeth. This is because certain snack foods can get stuck in your teeth. This will increase your risk of bacteria building up. These foods include popcorn, chips and pretzels. Something that you may not have thought would be bad for your teeth is dried fruit. The problem with them is due to the fact that they are sticky and can get caught in your teeth. This again causes issues with bacteria build up. If you are after a fruity snack try swapping out the dried fruit with fresh fruit instead. White bread can also cause problems with your teeth. This is because these types of breads are typically made with refined white flour. This type of flour is usually stripped of most its natural fibre and nutritional value. It is typically higher in sugar content causing stickiness on your teeth. These foods include white bread, bagels, donuts, and white pizza dough. They are also very bad for your gut and can cause a whole list of stomach problems.

Drinks that are bad for your teeth

Not only should you be thinking about the foods you’re eating but also the types of drinks that you are drinking. Alcohol is not great for your teeth. If you are a heavy drinker, you will have a higher risk of gum disease and tooth decay. Alcohol abuse is actually the second most common risk factor for oral cancer. Other drinks that can cause you problems with your teeth include acidic drinks. If you are drinking a lot of citrus juices, soft drinks, Kombucha or coffee and tea you could find you have problems with your teeth. This is because these drinks have high acidity which can wear away the enamel on your teeth and lead to discoloration. While Kombucha offers several health benefits, it is high in sugar and acidity, and may be worse than soft drink. Green tea however, is linked to fewer cavities and better periodontal health.

The only time you shouldn’t brush your teeth is straight after eating or drinking sugary or acidic foods and beverages. You should rinse your mouth with water instead. You should wait at least 30 minutes before you brush because the acid temporarily weakens the tooth enamel.

Also remember to see your dentist at least every 6 months for a check up to make sure your teeth stay strong and healthy. Remember ideally your teeth need to last your for your whole life so look after them.

How’s your memory?

Have you ever walked into the room and forgotten why you went in there, or forgot where you left your keys? Most likely this has happened to you from time to time as there are times when we all forget things especially when times are busy or we are in a rush. This can be completely normal but at the same time very frustrating.

Research has shown that genetics play a role in memory loss, particularly when it involves conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, but your diet and lifestyle can also have a big impact on your memory. The good news is there are some natural ways to give your memory a boost.

(pic thanks to Samantha Hurley - Burst)

How did this happen?

There are some changes you can make to your daily diet to help improve your memory. Firstly, you should eat less sugar as too much sugar has been linked to memory loss. A diet high in sugar has been shown to reduce brain volume in the area that stores short-term memory leading to cognitive loss. Cutting back on your sugar will help to make your memory a bit sharper.  

Do you crave carbohydrates? Pasta? Pizza? Potato? Cakes? Cookies and white bread? It has been shown that eating large amounts of refined carbohydrates like these also impact on your memory. This is because these foods have a high glycaemic index, namely convert straight into sugar in your body and are digested quickly causing a spike in blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that refined carbohydrates are linked to dementia and cognitive decline. On the other hand foods that have anti-inflammatory effects are rich in antioxidants and may help to improve your memory.

Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to a reduction in cognitive function. So, make sure your vitamin D levels are high enough. Alcohol in large quantities can be bad for your health in many ways and can also negatively impact your memory. Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that raises your blood alcohol levels to 0.08 grams per ml or above. Studies have shown it alters the brain and results in bad memory.

Obesity is also linked as a high-risk factor for cognitive decline. Being obese can actually cause changes to memory-associated genes in the brain, negatively affecting your memory.

What to use

Curcumin is good for helping to improve your memory. Curcumin has been known to reduce oxidative damage and inflammation in the brain and also lower the quantity of amyloid plaques. These gather on neurons and cause cell and tissue death. This may also cause memory loss.

Cocoa is not only delicious but also nutritious. It may help stimulate the growth of blood vessels and neurons and increase blood flow in parts of the brain involved with memory.

Fish oil is a great supplement to take if you are looking to improve your memory. Fish oil is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. These fats are important for overall health and have been shown to slow mental decline.

There are also many other herbs and supplements that can help your memory improve – like Brahmi tea. Brahmi tea has a full rich flavour and is a nice warming cuppa on any day.

Aside from that there are games you can play which will keep your mind mentally active. Also make sure you get enough sleep and try some meditation and mindfulness practice. Learning to meditate and focus your mind will improve your concentration and in turn your memory.

All this of course will lower your stress and frustration levels but it is not an easy task to do on your own. Seek out a trusted natural holistic therapist that can help you put your mind and body in tune with each other, bring about more harmony, assist you in gaining more peace of mind and you will soon find your memory begins to improve. Even if you can’t repair all the cells any repair is better than none.

Give us a call if we can assist you with your stress levels, memory improvement, lessening your fatigue and if you need more balance and peacefulness in your life.

Sugar onslaught – It’s just so bad for your health

Sugar is bad for us and we know it adds to obesity, being more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and can cause a whole variety of health issues. Sugar is highly addictive because it causes the release of opioids and dopamine, which increase feelings of pleasure in the body, but unfortunately your body gets used to the level of these quite quickly and craves even greater quantities of sugar. The maximum recommended daily intake of sugar is 6 teaspoons in a day which as a natural therapist I find pretty high. Given that there is a lot of added sugar in many foods we eat we probably have that level already in our daily intake without adding sugar to anything.

Fructose

Fructose, a simple component found in added sugars we use can affect the Leptin hormones, which tells your brain when you are full, thus running the risk of continuously over eating. Adding sugar to hot drinks to make them sweeter also adds to us eating too much sugar. This then causes excessive weight gain. By reducing the amount of sugary foods you eat and remembering to give your body time to adjust, usually about a couple of weeks, the addiction to sugar will get less. Take a walk to reduce cravings or eat some protein rich foods such as eggs.

Fructose can affect your organs in a negative way. Fructose can cause your liver to start to store fat even around itself and other organs. This excess sugar in turn raises our insulin levels which then can lead to insulin resistance, high blood pressure and other health problems like heart disease. Research from the USA has even found a link between insulin resistance, high fat diets and Alzheimer’s disease. The research also showed that the brain can be affected by the way it uses glucose. Rats that were tested showed that sweet and fatty foods are associated in triggering Alzheimer’s. Added sugar in your diet can also create an excess in unhealthy cholesterol in the body and too much sugar can lead to depression.

What to do 

These are just a few of the reasons it’s important to eliminate sugar from your diet so start reading labels of the foods you eat and no matter how healthy it says a product is remember, if it contains sugar, it takes away from any other healthy ingredients in it. Get rid of the packaged food and just eat two fruits a day, vegetables and a minimum of one serve of protein be it meat, fish, beans or lentils. Drink lots of pure, filtered water and exercise at least three times a week and very soon you will find many of your health issues will start to disappear.