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.
#1
Vitamin water is full of sugar. Sure, it’s less than a full sugar soda, but I think the deceptive labeling/ marketing fools a lot of people.
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#2
The “red wine is good for you” thing was debunked a while back when they figured out it didn’t really control for income/wealth disparity and really it turns out people who regularly drank red wine were healthier because they had the resources to be able to do so. We are coming to realize now that any level of alcohol consumption at all no matter the type increases your risk for health conditions including cancer.
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#3
Grapefruit. It’s a fruit so good right? Not if you’re on psych meds or anti rejection meds or pretty much any kind of meds, because it effects the rate of med absorption and can cause unintentional o******e or reduce efficacy.
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Because your mouth is the entry point to your digestive tract and respiratory tracts, sometimes, germs can lead to disease throughout your body. That’s why daily brushing and flossing habits are so important. They reduce germ levels and reduce the chances of infections.
The Mayo Clinic explains that some of the main conditions linked to poor oral health include:
- Endocarditis, the infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers or valves, when germs from another part of the body spread through the blood;
- Cardiovascular disease, such as clogged arteries and stroke, may be linked to inflammation and infections from oral germs;
- Pregnancy and birth complications, such as premature birth and low birth weight due to periodontitis (gum disease);
- Pneumonia and other respiratory diseases, caused by germs in the mouth getting into your lungs.
#4
As a person working in dentistry, I wouldn't recommend popcorn! It often gets stuck in the interdental space and sometimes it is difficult to clean it, which leads to rotting and caries.
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#5
Speaking from personal experience, smoothies! Could never figure out why my stomach was always upset until I stopped drinking a ton of liquified fruit every morning. Our bodies are not made to process fruits that way and inevitably you barely gain any of the real nutritional benefit of the fruit because it moves through your system too fast.
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#6
Tea isn’t necessarily bad, but it is very high in staining potential for your teeth.
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Broadly speaking, in order to keep your oral cavity healthy, you should:
- Brush your teeth at least twice daily, for two minutes each time;
- Make sure to brush your tongue as well, not just your teeth;
- Clean between your teeth with floss or a water flosser;
- Eat a healthy diet, limiting the amount of sugary foods and drinks you consume;
- Replace your toothbrush every three to four months;
- Visit your dentist at least once a year for a checkup and to clean your pearly whites;
- Avoid smoking.
#7
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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#8
My dietitian always says that most flavored yogurts have so much sugar that they really should be considered a dessert.
But she also likes to say that unhealthy foods are fine in small amounts and even healthy foods are unhealthy in large amounts. It's about moderation. Like, one banana is good for you. 1000 bananas is not.
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#9
For people taking prescription medications, anything with activated charcoal can decrease their absorption and efficacy.
Image credits: ingres_violin
When it comes to starting new healthy habits, a good rule of thumb is to do things imperfectly at first, instead of waiting for ‘perfect’ circumstances.
If you don’t have enough time to brush and floss your teeth, do one or the other. If you’re extremely pressed for time, brush your teeth at least a little bit. If you don’t have a toothbrush at work or while you’re out and about, rinse out your mouth or drink more water after a meal. If you can't quit sugary food instantly, reduce the amount you consume bit by bit.
Every small action you take is important. And it’s better to do something that you know is good for you imperfectly rather than not do it at all. Your primary goal is to make the habits automatic instead of worrying that you’re not doing things 100% efficiently.
#10
Orange juice.
Probably all fruit juices.
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#11
NAD but thought Agave Syrup low glycemic index meant it was a good substitute for sugar in my 2nd - 4th cup of coffee throughout the day . Nope , it strains the liver and can make diabetes harder to of control.
Ginger is great for soothing my stomach and inflammation. Everything in moderation but 2 teaspoons a day isn't much. Especially if having sushi and drinking cups of ginger tea the same day.
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#12
I'm a physician.
"Organic" food is the answer to your question. I'm at work so I don't have time to delve into it but it's a total and complete scam. I can explain later if someone is interested in knowing why.
And GMO's are a good thing.
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What are your oral health habits like, dear Pandas? Do you feel like you take good enough care of your mouth, teeth, tongue, and gums? Have you ever had any dentist-related disasters before?
Where do you think your diet has room for improvement? What small indulgences do you allow yourself from time to time despite knowing they’re not the best for you? If you feel up for sharing, you can open up about your experiences in the comments section at the very bottom of this post.
#13
Coconut oil is terrible for you. Plenty of people seem to be convinced of its benefits, but they don't realize just how calorie dense it is. Can it be a healthy substitute in certain situations? Sure. But if you're buying the gigantic tub from Costco and cooking everything in it, you're likely adding a couple thousand calories a week to your diet you could otherwise avoid.
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#14
I work next door to a company that creates veneers and fake teeth for dentists. They told me one of the worst thing you can do is chew on ice.
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#15
Raisins and dried fruit. Those sneaky jerks will cling to your teeth for dear life and cause cavities.
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#16
Anything with citric acid in it, like those hot lemon juice "cleanses." The citric acid chelates the calcium from your saliva and stops your enamel from absorbing it. I remember a patient moved to a property with a lemon orchard and she became obsessed and put lemon juice on absolutely everything. When she came in for a check up 2 years later, she had worn such deep abrasions into the surfaces of her teeth that it looked like the base of her teeth were missing on radiographs. There was so little mineral left that they became partially radiolucent. Only ever seen it to that extent twice over the past 12 years though.
Image credits: sleighco
#17
Diabetic here, my blood sugar is well controlled so I can afford to use my body as a testing machine for different foods and snacks from time to time. Read the below from sugar content / carbs perspective as this is what impacts my blood sugar. I will pick on few items below that p**s me off a bit
- oat milk: contains a lot of sugar, if flavored even worse. Opt for cow milk if you have no intolerance and ok with the taste.
- oat: healthy yes, but contains a lot of sugar (from starch). Good snack yes but not really good if the plan is to lose weight. Not all carbs content will be absorbed tho given the high fiber intake
- snack bars / cereals / granula / cornflakes with healthy branding: b******t, full of sugar. Go for raw nuts/with some dry fruits is much better for you
- yogurt: flavored yogurt is high in sugar. Go for plain and add berries (berries are really good, low in sugar (blueberries, raspberry, strawberries, + pineapple)
Happy to answer any questions about other foods as well.
Image credits: premiumpuf
#18
Dentist here. Not about food but sleep.
Generally, sleep is good for you, and for the most part getting more sleep corresponds to better health overall. Sleep is good for your body but it’s actually somewhat devastating to your teeth.
While you are awake your saliva flow naturally limits the bacteria in your mouth through constant flushing. When you fall asleep saliva flow decreases to near zero and whatever is in your mouth breeds and multiplies and doubles many times over by the time you wake up. That’s why morning breath is a thing.
It’s also why dentists recommend brushing twice a day, once right before bed and once right after breakfast…and if it weren’t for the fact that the first thing you do after waking up is eat, we’d say brush as soon as you wake up, but brushing then immediately eating is no good, so we countenance a brief delay. But basically, you want to sandwich your sleep with oral hygiene because as far as dental health goes, sleep is bad for you!
Image credits: IndividualistAW
#19
Searched the comments and couldn’t find this. Apologies if it’s already been posted.
Apple Cider Vinegar.
I know not all would agree it has health benefits, but as a dentist I absolutely f*****g hate the stuff. The number of patients I’ve seen with sudden onset attrition quite frankly scares me. It’s like one moment they have healthy, non worn out teeth. The next minute a 30 year old has the teeth of a 50 year old.
Stay away from apple cider vinegar kids.
Edit: this got a lot of traction so I’ll add a bit more useful information. A lot of people who drink apple cider vinegar are actually aware it’s bad for their teeth. So after drinking it they brush their teeth immediately. It’s doubly bad when you do this because your teeth are weakened by the vinegar. And then brushing immediately essentially removes the layer of weakened enamel. This is the same with all acidic substances eg red wine.
Rinsing with water afterwards does help. But much better off not drinking the vinegar in the first place. Hope this helps.
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#20
Processed and/or smoked/charred meats. Especially packaged. Those turkey and ham slices are chock full of sodium, preservatives (bht, bha, etc.) Nitrosamines in smoked/cured meats -> gastritis -> peptic ulcers -> gastric cancer, which is on the rise in young adults. If you like blackened foods or like char on the grill just know there’s carcinogens involved.
Best is to slow cook, bake, pressure cook, sous vide. Enjoy every week or two, just not every day.
regretfully,
a bbq enthusiast.
Image credits: wrren400
#21
Apparently they are finding out that high protein diets have been linked to high uric acid levels which is terrible for joints.
Image credits: -widdendream-
#22
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.
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#23
Brazil nuts! You should eat one a day max or your are over dosing selenium.
#24
Anything that says low fat usually has much higher sugar. salad dressing especially.
#25
Deli meat. Some people think that because it's turkey or chicken meat it's healthy for them, they don't realize how much sugar is added.
And actually meat in general should be kind of limited to either 2oz of red meat a day, or 5 oz turkey/chicken meat a day. That's essentially one decent sized chicken breast a day, or a chunk of red meat smaller than a deck of cards a day. Most people are eating meat in every single meal, which is why America's number one killer is heart disease.
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#26
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.
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#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.
Image credits: dannytatas
#28
I’ve heard goldfish crackers surprisingly cause so many cavities in kids.
#29
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.
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#30
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.
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#31
All these supplements that have no FDA approval to their claims.
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#32
Seltzers. No fermentable sugars, sure, but still very acidic.
#33
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.
#34
Any plant part that isn't fruit. Plants can't run, so they protect themselves with chemicals. We can deal with them, but overeating a certain kind can cause drastic issues, even death.
#35
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.
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#36
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.
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