Our everyday choices over time, lead to life long habits. So when it comes to food, try and choose a healthier option on a daily basis, to benefit yourself and your loved ones – long term.

Food = Fuel/Energy for your body

According to the World Health Organisation(WHO) guidelines(2015),  “There is evidence showing a higher rate of dental caries(tooth decay) when the intake of “free sugars" is above 10% of the total energy intake, compared to an intake of “free sugars” below 10% of the total energy intake".
 

So, what exactly are ‘free sugars”?

 As defined in the WHO report, “free sugars” refer to sugars added to foods and beverages by the manufacturer, cook or consumer and includes sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates

The WHO guideline does not refer to “intrinsic sugars”, which are found naturally in whole fresh fruits and vegetables.

In short, its best to keep it Simple! Real whole foods - as Mother Nature intended.

AVOID:

• Sticky, sweet foods, e.g dried fruits
• Highly processed sugary snacks, e.g chocolate bars
• Flavoured fruit drinks
• Fizzy drinks
• Iced Tea
• Flavoured Milk
• Flavoured Water

DRINK:

• Water! - No surprises here, Water is always the best option!

CHOOSE:

• Veggie Sticks with Hummus (e.g Carrots, Zucchini and Capsicums – the orange and yellow ones are naturally sweet like apples).
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Baby cucumbers
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Nuts
• Apples (with 100% nut butter as a yummy treat)
• Popcorn
• Plain Greek Yogurt
• Cheese
• Boiled Eggs

There are a lot of hidden sugars in every day foods we eat, remember to always read the label and look out for sugars disguised under another ingredient name.

See the list below for different names for sugar that you might come across:

• Barley Malt
• Beet Sugar
• Blackstrap Molasses
• Cane Juice
• Caramel
• Corn Sweetener
• Corn Syrup
• Dextran
• Diastatic Malt
• Ethyl Maltol
• Evaporated Cane Juice
• Fructose
• Fruit Juice Concentrate     
• Galactose
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Lactose
• Malt Syrup
• Maltodextrin
• Oat Syrup
• Sorghum
• Sucrose
• Syrup
• Treacle
• Tapioca Syrup

We hope this has given you some food for thought!

Warm regards,

The Dental4U Team