Your oral health is an incredibly important part of your overall well-being. That being said, not everyone spends enough time and energy keeping their teeth and mouth clean. Meanwhile, something that not everyone realizes is how their eating habits might not be as healthy as they assume.
In an illuminating thread on AskReddit, various dentists and doctors shed some light on the food items—some of which are supposedly healthy—that you should steer clear of. We hope you’re not huge fans of chewing ice, drinking vitamin water, and eating popcorn… Scroll down to check out these medical professionals’ advice.
#21
Raisins and dried fruit. Those sneaky jerks will cling to your teeth for dear life and cause cavities.
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12points
#22
Apparently they are finding out that high protein diets have been linked to high uric acid levels which is terrible for joints.
12points
#23
Most food/drinks geared towards fitness recovery if you're not really exercising. It's just excess sugar to replenish your energy in 1+ hour long endurance activities like a marathon.
Unsolicited maybe, but just check the macronutrients of what you're consuming in a day. These kind of questions almost always have a "it depends" answer. Avoid too little protein, avoid too much sugar and fat. Avoid excess calories.
I'm 35, and I'm realizing how much better I feel now than in my teens and 20s during the day, because I don't subsist on cheezits and Gatorade.
I'm 180ish lbs, aim for 3 meals a day, I avoid more than 25 grams of fat per meal. Avoid more than 15 grams of sugar per meal. Aim for 40+ grams of Protein per meal. And aim for 10 grams of fiber per meal. These are a averages.
I still eat bread & cereal & cheese daily. Just try using MyFitnessPal, lose it, or whatever calorie/macro tracking thing you want for a day. See what nutrients you're eating.
I've been eating the same breakfast for a year. Cereal with less than 6 grams sugar, and at least 5 grams of fiber, add blueberries, hemp seeds, oat milk. Then a scoop of whey protein in water/oat milk. 700 ish calories (bout 1/3 of my day) 40+ protein, 15 fat, 60 carb. Hemp seeds have lots of micronutrients.
Unsolicited maybe, but just check the macronutrients of what you're consuming in a day. These kind of questions almost always have a "it depends" answer. Avoid too little protein, avoid too much sugar and fat. Avoid excess calories.
I'm 35, and I'm realizing how much better I feel now than in my teens and 20s during the day, because I don't subsist on cheezits and Gatorade.
I'm 180ish lbs, aim for 3 meals a day, I avoid more than 25 grams of fat per meal. Avoid more than 15 grams of sugar per meal. Aim for 40+ grams of Protein per meal. And aim for 10 grams of fiber per meal. These are a averages.
I still eat bread & cereal & cheese daily. Just try using MyFitnessPal, lose it, or whatever calorie/macro tracking thing you want for a day. See what nutrients you're eating.
I've been eating the same breakfast for a year. Cereal with less than 6 grams sugar, and at least 5 grams of fiber, add blueberries, hemp seeds, oat milk. Then a scoop of whey protein in water/oat milk. 700 ish calories (bout 1/3 of my day) 40+ protein, 15 fat, 60 carb. Hemp seeds have lots of micronutrients.
11points
#24
Tea isn’t necessarily bad, but it is very high in staining potential for your teeth.
5points
#25
Dental student. Thinking sparking water is better alternative to soda (teeth wise). The gas is carbon dioxide and in your mouth it can turn into carbonic acid. It’s not as bad as sugary sodas. Also, that lemon infused water thing… yeah also citric acid. Basically drink water and if drinking sugary thing use straw and swirl mouth with water after.
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5points
#26
Seltzers. No fermentable sugars, sure, but still very acidic.
4points
#27
Dental-wise, I caution my patients about eating too many nuts. The force that our food exerts on us is either exerted to our teeth or to the bone (more accurately to the periodontal ligament). Hard foods, like almonds, ice cubes, stray popcorn kernels, can wear down and even fracture teeth (force exerted on teeth) or create mobility (force exerted on ligament and/or jaw bone). When the tooth becomes mobile, plaque and bacteria can get into the space where the ligament is housed, and bone loss and recession will happen as a result. It’s really hard to keep these areas clean once plaque gets into these spaces, so prevention is key. So for my avid nut eaters, I recommend getting sliced or crushed varieties so that they can still obtain the nutritional benefits without exposing their teeth to excessive biting forces.
2points
#28
I’ve heard goldfish crackers surprisingly cause so many cavities in kids.
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2points
#29
Honey.
From a chemical standpoint, honey is roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose.
People consider honey “good and healthy” while High Fructose Corn Syrup is “bad”
Well, HFCS is chemically composed of roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose.
Sure honey has some trace minerals and a few other compounds in trace amounts but teaspoon to teaspoon, HFCS and honey are the same product: sugars.
From a chemical standpoint, honey is roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose.
People consider honey “good and healthy” while High Fructose Corn Syrup is “bad”
Well, HFCS is chemically composed of roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose.
Sure honey has some trace minerals and a few other compounds in trace amounts but teaspoon to teaspoon, HFCS and honey are the same product: sugars.
2points
#30
Crackers: they are dried bread. Just like dried fruit is worse for your teeth than fresh fruit. Crackers are way worse for your teeth than fresh bread.
-6points
#31
Brazil nuts! You should eat one a day max or your are over dosing selenium.
-7points
#32
Tea!
Tea (especially green tea) is a super food but the tea bags are riddled with microplastics! Buy reusable tea bags made from cloth & brew your tea.
On the other end of the spectrum, Xylitol is actually great for your teeth! It’s a sugar substitute that kills bacteria in the mouth.
Tea (especially green tea) is a super food but the tea bags are riddled with microplastics! Buy reusable tea bags made from cloth & brew your tea.
On the other end of the spectrum, Xylitol is actually great for your teeth! It’s a sugar substitute that kills bacteria in the mouth.
-9points
#33
Weed.
It can whip you into a psychotic state when you’d otherwise not have had one. Once you have your first psychotic break you’re predisposed to more.
It can cause seizures when you’d otherwise not have had one and it’s the same with psychosis—once you’ve had one you’re vulnerable to more. Sometimes they’re difficult to control with anti-seizure medications.
Rebound insomnia from weed is horrible.
Rebound anxiety is also horrible.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
It can whip you into a psychotic state when you’d otherwise not have had one. Once you have your first psychotic break you’re predisposed to more.
It can cause seizures when you’d otherwise not have had one and it’s the same with psychosis—once you’ve had one you’re vulnerable to more. Sometimes they’re difficult to control with anti-seizure medications.
Rebound insomnia from weed is horrible.
Rebound anxiety is also horrible.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
-9points
#34
Whole grain everything - it's not the unwholeness of many grain products which makes them problematic, but the general composition of grains. Grains were only ever somewhat healthy to humans as long as they do physically demanding jobs and need the energy those grains provide almost exclusively.
-31points
#35
Beware dark greens they are high in things as like bacon they say it healthy but be wary. sodium is a bad one they put 400 to over 1000 mg a serving. you body also need potassium them so 650 to 1500 potassium to process that much sodium. Check the labels of all the food you buy to see if they have that potassium. if a food say it has sugar put it back only get those with Cane sugar or best is No sugar. Any packaged processed meats you should AVOID until the food industry changes their ratios of sodium and potasium.
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-35points