How To Beat The Heat And Keep A Healthy Summer Smile!

How To Beat The Heat And Keep A Healthy Summer Smile!
By Dr. Kao Pediatric Dentistry

With summer almost here and kids out of school, the weather is getting hot and our children will be drinking more to stay cool and hydrated. The Alameda County Public Health Department has a “Soda Free Summer” campaign that reminds us that soda is very bad for our teeth and gums. http://sodafreesummer.org/sfs-join-us.php Because the sugar content and acids that can eat away at tooth enamel, they want you take the Soda Free Summer pledge of “Stop The Pop”. Brushing can help manage gum disease and cavities and definitely a quick visit to the dentist for that summer oral checkup will fortify a healthy mouth. However, keeping a hydrated and fit body is important as well in the summer heat. We are told that soda is not the best choice and there are other choices that you may think are wonderful alternatives, may not be. How about juice?

Jessica Girdwain an editor with “Men’s Health & Team Mom” suggests that there are juices that contain more sugar than soda. She highlights the sugary juices in her article, “5 Juices With More Sugar Than Soda”. https://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/5-juices-more-sugar-soda-151200515.html Ms. Girdwain indicates that “A new report from researchers at the University of Glasgow in the U.K. discovered that a glass of fruit juice has very little difference than a can of soda. The only difference is the juice has a few more vitamins. So your perception of how healthy juice actually is can be unrealistic. When researchers polled more than 2,000 adults, people underestimated the sugar content in juice by a whopping 48 percent. (Americans consume 23 teaspoons of added sugar a day.)” However it is not all bad news. There are alternative juices that contain less sugar that are tasty and refreshing, such as

• Lakewood Organic Pure Cranberry – It’s made with only cranberry juice to keep sugars low at 9g per cup and nearly half the calories–75 compared to 140.
• Eden Foods Organic Apple Juice – Apples are full of powerful antioxidants, too – and sometimes it pays to go back to basics with juice. This one packs an impressively low 12 g of sugar per 8 oz.
• Simply Orange Juice with Pineapple – Contains nearly one-quarter less sugar because it’s made with only orange and pineapple juice.

Other juice alternatives are also provided in her article. And if none of these are a match for your child, there is always water. Check on “Kids Food Fest” for a suggested amount of water consumption is for children. http://kidsfoodfestival.com/archives/1805

Another way to beat the heat and keep a healthy body is with a frozen treats. There are wonderful healthy freezer pop recipes with natural fruit and fun to make with your children. Going to sites like “Kids Cooking Activities”, http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/Popsicle-recipes.html, there are frozen fruit treats to make like applesauce popsicles, watermelon popsicles, and all types of slushies to help your child learn how to create snacks that are healthy and keep them cool all summer long.