Smoothies are often seen as a healthy alternative to fizzy drinks, but new research shows that the sugar content in a smoothie can often be significantly higher than expected, containing up to 2.5 teaspoons of sugar. Experts explain that ‘free sugars’ such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and table sugar may be added to smoothies and fruit juices by producers, and this adds to the naturally occurring sugars in the drinks.
Protecting your family’s dental health means making sensible decisions about what you and your family eat and drink, but it can be hard to get it right when seemingly healthy options are also seen to be detrimental to our teeth and gums. Here’s our guide to making healthy decisions for your family, to ensure strong, healthy teeth for as long as possible.
Reducing The Risk Of Tooth Decay For Your Family
We recommend:
- Limiting intake of fruit juices and smoothies. It is unfortunately not recommended to include fruit juices
and smoothies in your daily quota of fruit and vegetables, so if you’re aiming for 5 a day, don’t count these drinks as part of this.
Check the nutritional information available, and don’t forget that vegetable juices do not usually have the same health implications.
Experts recommend that you do not exceed 150ml of juice per day. - Eating fruit. Experts point out that eating fruit whole, rather than in juice or a smoothie, is much better
for the oral and general health, since the body will metabolize it differently. Whole fruits and vegetables are essential to our diets,
and eating as many as possible can be seen to have very positive benefits for health. - Diluting and limiting. If you or your children enjoy fruit juice, try diluting it with water to reduce
sugar intake, or choose unsweetened juices. Allowing juice only with a meal or a snack can help to ensure that sugars are not sitting on
the teeth constantly, and eating something like a piece of cheese with fruit juice can help to reduce the risk of harm to the teeth. - Pressing for policy change. Many people believe that lobbying governments to regulate the processes used by
food and beverage manufacturers will be the best way to promote positive change. Many of the additives and sugars that are present in our
food and drinks are unnecessary, and pressure may force the manufacturers to take responsibility for healthy decision making. - Make your own. Try making your own juices with fresh fruits and vegetables, and no added sweeteners. This
is still not as easy for the body to metabolize as whole fruit and vegetables, but it is far better than the processed, commercially
available versions, and will often taste even better!
Find A Supportive Family Dentist in Ballincollig
Are you looking for a good family dentist in Cork? Visit the Guiney Dental Clinic in Ballincollig to meet our friendly, experienced team, who will be happy to discuss your dental needs with you. Call today on 021-481 0535.