There are plenty of good ideas available online to keep your child’s lunch box interesting and tooth friendly.
The aim is to include healthy low sugar options from the 5 food groups: wholegrains, protein, dairy, vegetables and fruit, along with drinking water. Checkout https://www.crunchandsip.com.au/healthy-lunchboxes
Specific dental guidelines include:
- Check for hidden sugars in pre-packaged snacks. Avoid processed foods like potato crisps and biscuits, as well as sticky food like muesli bars as the plaque bacteria feeds on sticky refined foods that linger on the tooth surface.
- Yoghurt is high in calcium, which is important for developing adult teeth, but check the sugar content is under 12 grams as flavoured yoghurt can be very high in sugar. Low fat alternatives are even higher in sugar than the full fat varieties. Greek yoghurt is a good option as it is higher in protein.
- Cheese is a great option for lunch boxes due to the calcium content and it protects tooth enamel by reducing the acidic exposure of fruit or sweet treats.
- Avoid concentrated fruit like sticky rollups or dried fruit, which are high in fructose sugar. Instead choose whole fruit, which are high in fibre. Limit fruit servings to twice daily. Not all fructose is the same, so although fruit is highly nutritious there can be a link between dental cavities when a healthy child is a ‘fruit-bat’ An example of one fruit serving is: 1 apple or banana,1 cup of watermelon or unsweetened stewed natural fruit, 1⁄2 cup of berries or grapes https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/guidelines
- Drinking plenty of fresh water is so important for healthy saliva flow, which protects the teeth. Alternatives to water will have an acidic content. Avoid the convenient popper juice boxes which have concentrated fructose sugar and are harmful to teeth enamel when consumed regularly.
- The recommended daily vegetable intake is 5 cups (servings). Crunchy vegetables stimulate saliva flow and help to naturally scrub the teeth so try to include 1 cup of vegetables into your child’s lunch box if you can.
In summary an example of some tooth friendly lunch box choices could be:
A whole grain sandwich or wrap with cheese and salad. Some high protein options like almonds, a boiled egg, plain yoghurt or tinned tuna. Homemade muffins with wholemeal flour, hummus with vegetable sticks (cucumber/carrots/celery) and berries or an apple.
Wishing you and your children a great start back to school. Please contact us for an appointment to ensure there are no concerns with your child’s developing teeth and to continue to build their confidence with regular routine dental visits.