Good habits are important, especially for children. The habits we help form for our children can carry with them through their teenage and adult years. What foods are good for our children’s teeth? What foods should be consumed sparingly?
Good for Teeth
- Carrots– Yes, it’s true carrots also contain beta-carotene. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A. One of the best promoters of healthy and strong teeth is vitamin A. Well, it’s no wonder why carrots made the top of our list. Carrots also take a lot of chewing to break down. The high water content and fibrous makeup of carrots helps clean teeth as they are chewed. Now I know what you are thinking: what about other fibrous vegetables that are high in vitamin A? Why isn’t broccoli at the top of the list? It’s true there are other vegetables that fit wonderfully into this category, but here is why carrots take the cake: Kids like them. What child have you ever met that willingly eats broccoli? Sure, there might be one or two in the history of kids that can’t get enough broccoli, but we’ll hedge our bets that carrots are the more preferred vegetable.
- Water– Nothing like some H2O to rinse all that apple juice off your children’s teeth. Drinking water is just a very healthy habit in general.
- Cheese– We don’t have to force our kids to eat carrots and drink water for the rest of their childhood. They can eat delicious food that is also good for their teeth. Cheese contains natural cavity fighting agents.
- Seeds- They’re good for teeth. Don’t ask why.
Bad for Teeth
- Soda- Or pop, or softdrinks. Of course this is on the top of the bad list. It’s sugary, sticky, acidic liquid. Avoid giving your kids this cavity in a can.
- Coffee- Are you giving your kids coffee? Well, don’t. Coffee is not for kids.
- Sour Candy- It’s basically the solid version of soda, a sugary, sticky, acidic solid.