Healthy Choice of the Week: SUGARLESS GUM!

Healthy Choice of the Week: SUGARLESS GUM!

Image Source: Google/Trident

Fight cavities, chew sugarless gum! That's right, most dentists now agree that chewing sugarless gum regularly can help fight cavities!

Chewing gum increases an individual’s saliva. Saliva works as a natural buffering agent which washes your teeth and neutralizes some of the acid produced by bacteria. However make sure that the gum you are chewing is sugarless, because if it is not, then the saliva will just spread sugar across your teeth, which in return will cause cavities.

Healthy Choice of the Week: PEARS!

Healthy Choice of the Week: PEARS!

Fresh fruit is a great option for healthier teeth since, like veggies, its fibrous nature stimulates saliva production. Pears in particular have been found to have a larger acid neutralizing effect on tooth surface than other kinds of fresh fruit, including mandarins, pineapples, and bananas.

Just be sure to skip the dried fruit when it comes to teeth- their sticky and sugary nature make them tooth enamel killers.

Good news! Michigan's season for pears is August-October, go ahead and stock up!

Healthy Choice of the Week: CARROTS!

Healthy Choice of the Week: CARROTS!

 

Did you know Carrots contain Vitamin A, which is necessary for healthy tooth enamel.

Not to mention that eating raw carrots helps to stimulate your mouth's natural cleanser - your saliva. To keep your mouth feeling and looking its best - try this Carrot-Pineapple Ginger Salad from the AACD - containing several of our past healthy choices! (Pineapple and Ginger)

Carrot-Pineapple Ginger Salad
Ingredients:

• 2 - 3 large carrots, organic preferred
• 1 fresh pineapple peeled and cored (or 1, 14-ounce can crushed pineapple, organic preferred)
• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated 

Directions:

1. Wash, peel and grate carrots to measure 2 cups.
2. Cut the pineapple in half and cut one half into chunks. Place the chunks in a blender and blend only until slightly smooth and still chunky.
3. Place the remaining uncut half of the pineapple in a glass mixing bowl. Using a sharp knife and a fork, slice the pineapple; continue to cut the pineapple into approximately 1/4” in size. This will ensure all the juice from the pineapple will be in the bowl to flavor the carrots.
4. In your mixing bowl with the pineapple tidbits, combine the grated carrots, blenderized pineapple, and grated ginger. Stir gently to mix flavors. Refrigerate in a glass container to chill, about an hour.

Serving Size: 6

Let us know how you've incorporated carrots into your meals this week on our Facebook page!