More and more people these days are turning to organic foods, vegetarianism, and other similar diets to help keep them healthy. One such diet that several people have been trying nowadays is the raw food diet. This schedule, as the name suggests, consists of all raw foods – all vegetables and fruits, no meat, dairy, or processed sugary items.
Ways a Raw Food Diet Hurts Your Teeth and Gums
Raw food diet started gaining popularity among health-conscious men and women a couple of years back. Raw food diet is expected to give better health and energy to those who can manage to stick to the nutritional plan’s unconventional requirement of no cooked food.
Well apparently, the raw diet seems like a great idea. The structure of food changes when it is cooked. This accordingly leads to a cut in enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. Proponents of the raw diet trust it delivers higher concentrations of naturally occurring nutrients to encourage health, fitness, and strength. Nevertheless, current studies propose following the raw diet can in fact be damaging to the body, particularly the teeth and gums.
Common Reasons Dentists Advise Patients to Avoid Raw Diet:
- May cause you to eat more
- Increased intake of a few raw foods can upset the thyroid gland
- Raw foods may disturb the digestive structure
- A restless GI tract can have an adverse outcome on nutrient absorption
- Oral health begins to suffer
- Raw food diets can weaken your enamel
- Raw food diets have been connected with a reduction in brainpower
Glendale Food Diet
Are you planning on trying, or are you already on, a raw food diet? Wondering to know what to follow to maintain good dental hygiene while on this diet? Let’s explain. If you eat fruits, be selective about what types you eat. Try to evade unripe fruit if you can, and as much as possible. Besides, minimize your intake of acidic ones, like citrus fruit.
This is because acidic fruits do incline to eat into the enamel of teeth more than non-acidic fruits. Grapefruit and lemons are seen to be the nastiest criminals when it comes to eroding teeth. However, oranges are the least acidic of this group. When you consume these, it is suggested that you gargle with water to wash away any acidic residue on your teeth if you cannot brush your teeth instantly.
Well, if you have to take citrus fruits for your vitamin C intake, you should try to find substitutes that are less damaging to your teeth. Apart from oranges, you may get your quantity of this vitamin from dark leafy green vegetables, peas, broccoli, papayas, and bell peppers. These are all jam-packed with vitamin C.
However, these won’t harm your teeth as severely as citrus fruits, and those with high sugar content like apples, grapes, and bananas.
Vegetables are best eaten raw:
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Green beans
- Lettuce
- Snow peas
To sum up, it is not the raw food diet per se that is evil for your teeth, but rather some of the food that you eat because of it. When you exercise good dental hygiene while evading the food that can harm your teeth, you can be assured that you will have healthy teeth that are stout and cavity-free. Besides, it is as well significant that you continue visiting your dentist habitually. This is important to have your mouth checked for developing cavities and other oral problems.
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