Sue's Nutrition BuzzGuest Post Archives

How Is Your Diet Affecting Your Oral Health?

Guest Post written by Rory Mycek of Top Dentists, a dental health site in the Everyday Health portfolio.

There are so many fad diets and lifestyle trends floating around these days, but what’s truly healthy? While these diets lead to a slimmer waistline, and in some cases very dramatic weight loss, they can negatively affect your oral health. Regardless of what diet or lifestyle you choose to follow, there are some foods and beverages you should be drinking more of and others you should try and avoid.

The Good List

Fruits and vegetables, especially apples, celery and carrots, are great ways to help clean your teeth and keep the doctor out of sight! You can look at these three foods as “nature’s toothbrushes”. They help remove plaque that lingers on your teeth after eating and promote gum health by aiding in the removal of food particles from your teeth. Juicing diets, while they can be beneficial for one’s health, can negatively affect your oral health. Your teeth need to be cleaned throughout the day and many fruits and vegetables also help whiten teeth but only if you’re chewing on them.

Whole grains are rich in vitamin B and iron, which help maintain the health of your mouth and gums. Those who have a diet that includes the recommended doses of vitamin B and iron notice fewer instances of swelling and irritation in their mouths. Low carb diets have lead more people to avoid healthy carbohydrates, whole grains being one of them. Instead of cutting out healthy carbs from your diet, try limiting them to the earlier part of the day and your body will burn off the calories from those two slices of whole grain bread (yes, two slices is all you need)!

Green tea is not only a healthier alternative to coffee, but it helps reduce your risk of developing oral cancers. Antioxidants, substances that protect cells from free radicals, along with other properties in green tea help lessen the risk of developing cancers, including oral cancers. According to the National Cancer Institute, “Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radicals…they neutralize the electrical charge and prevent the free radical from taking electrons from other molecules.” In other words, they sweep free radicals under the rug!

The Bad List

Sugar is one of the leading contributing factors to poor oral health. Foods and beverages that contain sugar attack your teeth and tend to stick around and cling to your teeth, causing harmful plaque that can lead to erosion in your tooth enamel (cavities). Another cavity-contributor is refined carbohydrates, which attack the teeth like sugary foods. By eliminating, or at least limiting, candy, sweet baked goods and soda from your diet you can do your teeth a huge justice!

Acidic foods are healthy for your body, but they can deteriorate the enamel on your teeth. Lemons, pickles, oranges and tomatoes are some examples of acidic foods that have shown to be healthy for your body but can cause some issues with your teeth. Instead of cutting these foods out follow up with a glass of water to help promote saliva production to get rid of the acidity in your mouth.

When deciding to follow a healthy lifestyle remember that everything in moderation is fine, including sugar. Rather than choosing to follow a diet, choose to include healthier options into your diet or limit foods instead of eliminating them.

Rory Mycek is a guest contributor for Top Dentists, a dental health site in the Everyday Health portfolio. On her free time she can be found doing yoga, dancing, making up healthy recipes to satisfy her sweet tooth, or veganizing popular dinner dishes.

Avocado Mango Madness ! Dessert & Brainfood In A Glass

Sunithi Selvaraj, RD @ 21.03.2013 Blog 5 comments

Creamy avocado mango smoothie with some spinach makes a green drink that is dessert in a glass!! It’s my favorite green drink combo and doubles as a creamy dessert!! Packed with serious brain food and good stuff it’s one of those drinks that you feel like making again! Seriously you won’t say Eww to green drinks when you drink this! To check out my fabulously green avocado mango smoothie and read about the benefits of green smoothies, hop on over to Vanity Network Magazine and read my post titled Go Green with an Avocado Mango Spinach Drink!!

Pleased to be guest posting over at Vanity Network Magazine which is a great magazine for women by women!! Go on, check out the recipe ! You may just get hooked on it like I did! It has some magic ingredients !!

Chia Seeds Health Benefits & Ways To Use them

Sunithi Selvaraj, RD @ 27.02.2013 Blog 4 comments

Ch – Ch- Chia !! Remember those funny looking pets you could grow by just adding water that were so popular in the 90′s ? Well Chia is back now in a perfectly edible form. This new super food is hitting the health food markets like a storm. So much power in this tiny seed that is packed with so much good stuff ! To know about the benefits of Chia seeds and read some creative ways to use them in your diet, hop on over to Vanity Network Magazine and read my guest post entitled “ More Reasons To Love Your Chia Pet “ !

Nutrition, Supplements and Weight Loss

Sunithi Selvaraj, RD @ 7.02.2013 Blog 12 comments

Guest post by Sandra Goldstein

Losing weight is one the toughest journey’s any of us can go through in this life, and most people have to take the journey at least one time in their lives. As they say, nothing worth doing is easy, but we are confident that if you put your mind to it you can achieve your weight loss goals.
It is useful to remember that our burning desire to change can frequently lead us to search for miracle drugs, exercise programs, etc. When anything promises you results that seem too good to be true, it always is. Weight loss is a lot of things, but it is never easy.
To keep to your goals you just have to do two things, maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly. The formula is to burn more calories than you take in to drop pounds. No pill is going to burn the calories that you need to, to lose weight. Simple as it sounds, it is a huge challenge.
The only pills that aren’t a weight-loss hoax that can help you are dietary supplement. We are losing weight for more than just our looks, right? Dietary supplements, aka vitamins, will help you maintain your long-term health whether you are on a weight-loss journey or just seeking to be a bit healthier.

Dietary Supplements

Beyond just reducing health-risks, vitamins give us boosts of energy that will help you to have energy to exercise. They do this by providing nutrients that we need that we don’t always get from our food. Here are some of the most vital dietary supplements that you can add to your nutritional regime.
Multivitamins
This is the first vitamin that you should invest in. It has a little bit of everything in it, to help your body function at a high level. There are different types aimed for different ages and gender since our bodies are all so different. Starting here will really make a big difference. It will also prepare you for getting in the habit of taking vitamins ever day.
Omega 3
Good for your heart, brain, joints, cells and everything else. Unless you eat A LOT of fish you probably are not getting enough of this essential fatty acid. They don’t call it “essential” for nothing. Omega 3, when taken consistently, reduces your chances of heart conditions. Heart conditions are the number one killer of women in the Unites States, and this is one precaution we all can take to try to reduce the deaths. A great way to get Omega 3 is through krill oil, fish oil or flax seed oil. I highly recommend krill oil which has proven to be the most effective in recent studies.
Vitamin D
This is another vitamin that covers a lot of areas. It helps you stay sharper in your old age. It boosts your mood and energy levels. It helps our bodies absorb calcium to ensure bone health. It reduces your chances of heart attack, arthritis, developing cancer and more.
Chromium
This supplement can actually help you lose some weight. It does not burn the calories for you, but it actually decreases your appetite. It does this by lowering your blood sugar level and increasing “good” cholesterol. If you plan on taking this vitamin, it is good to consult with a doctor first. It is important to remember to take chromium in moderation, because overtaking this supplement can read to additional health risks like glaucoma and damage to the liver and kidneys.

Maintaining Your New Lifestyle Choice
Taking vitamins will begin to empower you to let you know that you are making a change in your life. Even if you slip up on your diet or get too busy to exercise, these will help you become healthier.
When we start to make the small changes in our lives is when we can start to see the big differences over time. Weight loss is not just about calories, pills, skinny jeans or even our health; it is about feeling good from the inside out.
When you are feeling discouraged, remember that mind is always over matter. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t burn that many calories. Just take yourself for a walk, exercise or channel your negative energy into a positive outlet. Remember that we are the only ones who can determine the outcomes of our lives, and that is why it is a lifestyle choice not a lifestyle destiny.

About the author:

Sandra Goldstein is an Outreach Manager and health expert at Everest Nutrition Krill Oil. An outgoing person at heart, a novel junkie, and a cat lover, she writes on supplements, krill oil benefits , weight loss, heart health and healthy lifestyle.