Vegetables: Eating for a Beautiful Smile

All vegetables are good for you, and along with whole grains, should be the foundation of your diet.  Just a few of the health benefits include glowing skin, strong hair and nails, a trim figure, and reduced risk of preventable diseases.

Let’s look at how they affect your smile.

Raw Vegetables

Raw, crunchy veggies like celery and carrots massage the gums and clean between teeth.  The chewing they require also produces saliva, which helps to neutralize bacteria and prevent cavities.  Vegetables are naturally low in sugar as well, which is obviously better for your teeth.

Leafy Greens

Leafy green vegetables such as cabbage, chard, collard greens, endive, lettuce, kale, mustard greens, asparagus, spinach and watercress provide you with a ton of vitamins and minerals needed to maintain and improve oral health. Nutrients found in these dark green foods include vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Spinach and other leafy greens are rich in magnesium. Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and kale contain large amounts of vitamin C and phosphorus. Phosphorus is stored in the teeth and bones, and is instrumental in helping your body balance and absorb calcium and magnesium.

Any Vegetables

From vitamin A (in pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, broccoli) to vitamin C (spinach and swiss chard), to calcium (broccoli and bok choy), vegetables contain the nutrients your teeth need for healthy enamel and gums, without the stuff that does nothing your teeth, like fat and sugars.

If your diet includes plenty of vegetables, you’re doing a good thing for your mouth and entire body.  If you aren’t a fan of vegetables, try to find some you like, or try sneaking them into dishes where you don’t notice them so much.  When you start to see the benefits, you’ll be surprised at how you develop a taste for what your body really needs.

As always, if you live in or around the Atlanta, Alpharetta, or Roswell areas, and would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Sarah Roberts, call 678-319-0123 or email us today.