Christmas Treats and Your Health, Part 2

categories: Blog

Over the last few articles we have been examining the sugar content of your favourite yule-tide treats. While last time we focused on a good old fashioned (if slightly smaller) tin of Roses and candy canes, this time we look at the natural sugars found in fruit. It’s easy to assume that because you’re eating one of your five a day you’re protecting your teeth and preventing the scales from tilting, however, according to Action on Sugar, healthy fruit snacks and smoothies can be just as damaging. In previous articles we have presented you with the facts concerning children’s ‘fruit snacks’ however, what about those specifically targeted during the Xmas season?

Clementine: 

A little stocking filler of goodness right? There are some delicious Christmas clementine and orange smoothies on the market for little ones and, while natural sugars are preferable to the artificial kind, did you know that each medium clementine still contains nearly a third of your daily allowance (7g). Perhaps you’re wondering if you should make sure your little ones asks Santa for a tooth brush this year also? Don’t worry however; the NHS has the following guidelines regarding fruit consumption and sugar:

Fruit juice is still a healthy choice (one 150ml serving counts towards your 5 A DAY). However, the sugars can damage your teeth, so it’s best to drink it with a meal and no more than one serving a day.

This is because sugars are released during the juicing process. Sugars in whole pieces of fruit are less likely to cause tooth decay because they are contained within the food.

You shouldn’t cut down on fruit as it’s an important part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Cranberry sauce: 

There’s a reason this is just an accompanist to Xmas dinner, Ocean Spray Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce contains 33g of sugar per 100g, no problem if you have a tiny bit on the side of the turkey, but as we all know, it’s not just the main roast itself that gets the cranberry treatment. That jar, once opened needs to be eaten up and, once a year, it fills out a good few sandwiches on Boxing Day and beyond – that’s a lot for your waistline and teeth to take on board!

We at Paul Lowe, offer specialist services and our dentists feature in six of the General Dental Council’s specialist lists. If you have concerns regarding your sugar intake and how this can affect your health and that of your teeth, we are more than willing to talk you through your routines and options, as well as provide first class care and service that is personal and professional. We will always treat you as an individual and put your needs and expectations first. We are all dental patients too and treat you as we would expect to be treated ourselves!

Book an appointment today: Call 0121 711 2424