Season of Treats: How to Politely Deflect from Friends and Family
The holiday season has started and that means you’ve probably started thinking about all the parties you’ll be attending. These parties often include a tempting display of snacks and treats but unfortunately, many of these can have a harmful effect on teeth and overall health. These are a few alternatives you can consider as you prepare for the season of treats.
1. Go to the Party Full and Hydrated
Eating healthy fats keeps you full for longer and prevents your body from craving sugar. Foods like avocado, fatty fish, cheese, eggs, nuts, and beans are all great sources of healthy fats that give your body plenty of energy. Similarly, drinking plenty of water keeps your body healthy and energized. When you are low on energy, this is when those sugar cravings can kick in.
2. Start and End with Arginine
Chewing Basic Bites or applying Tom’s of Maine to your teeth before you arrive and immediately after you leave will protect your teeth from harmful bacteria found in sugary treats. These arginine-rich products will stick in the grooves of your teeth, creating a protective layer so that food cannot get trapped. When food is trapped in your teeth, it is broken down by cavity-causing bacteria which can have a detrimental effect on your oral health.
3. Don’t Spread Out Your Snacking
Grazing at a party is easy to do, but constant snacking can have a significant impact on your oral health. Constant snacking creates a constant acidic environment in your mouth which makes it easy for cavities to develop. Instead, you can snack all at once and then rinse your mouth with water or finish with a healthy snack alternative to promote a healthy, neutralized environment in your mouth.
4. End with Healthy Foods
After snacking on sugary or unhealthy treats, you can maintain your oral health by finishing the night with cheese, broccoli, celery, apples, or other foods rich in calcium, magnesium, or vitamins D and K2. High-fiber crunchy vegetables clean out your teeth and help neutralize the pH level in your mouth. Dairy products rich in calcium strengthen your teeth and the protective enamel layer that keeps cavity-causing bacteria out.
5. Bring Your Own Sweet Swaps
There are many delicious treats you can bring to your holiday party that are also teeth-friendly! Keto sugar cookies that swap erythritol for sugar are just as sweet and delicious but erythritol is a sugar alcohol with similar benefits as xylitol. This sugar alcohol cannot be converted into food by cavity-causing bacteria, so it is a great promoter of healthy gums and teeth.
You can also make keto gummy bears with fruit tea concentrate instead of sugary fruit juice and erythritol for added sweetness. There are many ways you can incorporate erythritol as a sugar alternative in your baking – these are a few tips for how you can use it while still making delicious treats!
6. Beware of Hidden Ingredients
Citric acid is often found in “healthy” products like fruit and some pH-controlling candies. Citric acid breaks down the protective enamel and demineralizes your teeth, creating an acidic environment that leads to tooth decay. pH-controlling candies neutralize the acidity in your mouth to promote healthy teeth and gums – you can find some of our favorite delicious and beneficial pH-controlling candies on Carrie Ibbetson’s Amazon Shop page.
7. Buyback Program
Did you know you can get paid for candy? Halloween buyback programs exchange unopened candy for cash and other prizes and the same system can be created for leftover holiday treats. Consider donating some of your extra snacks and treats to our troops overseas, shelters, and children in need. Dental offices sometimes participate in these programs so check and see if yours is one of them!
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