There are certain things that were in my dental school education, but are not utilized every day in my dental practice. So, I decided to do a little research. I like what the Mayo Clinic has to say, so I started there. "The glycemic index was originally developed to help improve blood sugar control in diabetes." The lower the glycemic index or glycemic load, the less that food affects blood sugar and insulin levels. However, when we are looking at a healthy diet, you can't just choose a food with a low glycemic index. Some of those foods are not nutritionally balanced. Nutrition is a very complicated field of study, in my opinion.
The Short part of the story is... size does not matter! Just because it is tiny, does not mean that it cannot pack a punch. I am making a resolution to eat less M&Ms (less candy) and strive for a more balanced diet. Oh, don't worry - I'll slip up and eat those delicious foods from time to time, striving for what we all need... MODERATION.
It's too bad that understanding nutrition is complicated by all the different fad diets out there. Getting down to the basics may sound easy, but can be difficult to maintain with a busy lifestyle. So here's my advice... Start with Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate (below). Make some small changes to incorporate more healthy foods into your diet and less unhealthy foods. After you have adjusted to those changes, THEN start thinking about ways to improve your diet even more.
From a dental perspective, try to limit between meal snacks. Each time you eat food or drink a sugary beverage it takes at least 2 hours for the pH level (acidity) in your mouth to go back to neutral. Why does this matter? Because that means your mouth has been in cavity-producing mode during those couple hours after you finished eating! Better snacks for between meals include raw fruits and vegetables and a small serving of cheese. Try to limit dried fruits to the times of day when you will be brushing your teeth immediately post-meal. Dried fruits, while convenient, tend to stick in the grooves of your teeth and can cause cavities.
Did you or your child consume a few too many sugary treats around Halloween this year? Don't forget to schedule your dental checkup, so that we can identify dental problems early. When we can fix small teeth problems, a smaller amount of tooth structure is removed and the healthier that tooth is for a lifetime. When dental examinations are sporadic, the problems are often much larger and more procedures are necessary. Since Preventative Dentistry saves so much money (to the tune of $70 billion annually), why not let it save you some money also?
Schedule your dental appointment with Dr. Melanie Steckelberg today. Call (402) 489-7800 or visit us on the web www.steckelbergdental.com
Sources: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/glycemic-index-diet/MY00770
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate-vs-usda-myplate/
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm
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