{"id":300,"date":"2019-08-26T20:54:09","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T20:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/?p=300"},"modified":"2019-08-26T20:54:10","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T20:54:10","slug":"3-health-foods-to-watch-out-for-when-making-your-childs-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/3-health-foods-to-watch-out-for-when-making-your-childs-lunch\/","title":{"rendered":"3 \u201cHealth\u201d Foods to Watch Out for When Making Your Child\u2019s Lunch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Trail<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

School\u2019s almost\nhere, which means it\u2019s time to start thinking about the lunches you pack for\nyour child. But be careful! There are many foods that are usually thought of as\nhealthy that can actually be doing untold damage to your little one\u2019s pearly\nwhites. Here are 3 common staples of midday meals that can make a children\u2019s dentist\nnervous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Trail Mix<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many parents might think trail mix is a healthier\nalternative to chips and other snacks, but this isn\u2019t necessarily true when it\ncomes to the teeth. Depending on the ingredients, trail mix could add an\nunhealthy amount of sugar and fat to your child\u2019s diet. Check what\u2019s in the mix\nbefore you buy it; if there\u2019s a lot of chocolate and candy, you should probably\npass on it. That said, there are many unflavored trail mixes that won\u2019t pose a\nthreat to your child\u2019s teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Dried Fruit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dried fruit is very different from regular fruit. Not only\ndoes it lack the water that usually helps provide nutritional value, but it\nalso contains a much higher level of sugar. For example, a plum contains 16\ngrams of sugar while a cup of prunes (dried plums) will contain roughly 45\ngrams. Obviously, fresh fruit is by far the better option from the perspective\nof your family\ndentist<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Vitamin Water & Sports Drinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Say your child has lunch after gym class or football\npractice. Maybe some \u201cnutritional\u201d water or a sports drink would be good to\nhelp them recover? Unfortunately, as far as oral health is concerned, these\nbeverages could be a huge step backwards. Some brands of enhanced water \u2013 such\nas Vitamin Water \u2013 contain more sugar in a 20-ounce bottle than the daily\nrecommended allowance for adults, and many sports drinks have as much sugar as\na can of cola. Your child will be better off with regular bottled water instead;\nnot only is there no sugar, but it also helps rinse bacteria and food particles\noff the teeth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Should You Pack Instead?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

 Of course, when\nlooking at foods that could attack your child\u2019s smile, you should also be on\nthe lookout for healthier alternatives. Dairy products like cheese and yogurt\nare usually a good option; they\u2019re high in calcium and protein, which\nstrengthen tooth enamel. Additionally, crunchy fruits and vegetables like\napples, carrots and celery can act as natural toothbrushes and scrub the teeth\nwhile your child is chewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk with your dentist about the foods you\u2019re currently\nincluding with your child\u2019s lunch. They may be able to help you find potential\nthreats for tooth decay that you didn\u2019t even know about. Do your research and\nmake sure that your child is getting a meal they can enjoy that will also help\nkeep their smile healthy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Drew Vanderbrook has been named New Dentist of the Year award by the Dallas County Dental Society, an honor only awarded to dentists who have graduated in the last ten years and provide outstanding service to patients and families in the Dallas area. To schedule a checkup for your child or ask questions about their oral health, schedule an appointment at his practice, Vanderbrook Family Dentistry, by visiting his website<\/a> or calling (214) 821-5200. \u0002<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

School\u2019s almost here, which means it\u2019s time to start thinking about the lunches you pack for your child. But be careful! There are many foods that are usually thought of as healthy that can actually be doing untold damage to your little one\u2019s pearly whites. Here are 3 common staples of midday meals that can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":302,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300\/revisions\/302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanderbrookdds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}