Looking for Healthy Options? Enjoy These Dentist-Approved Holiday Meals

Feasts and dinner parties are common occurrences during the holiday season, and the traditional spreads often include tempting sweets like cheesecake, cookies, and pumpkin pie. While these make for delicious desserts, they contain sugars that can cause lasting damage to your teeth if you aren’t careful. While practicing proper dental hygiene and drinking plenty of water are great ways to keep the problem under control, making good decisions about what goes on the table can make a world of difference. Here’s a brief list of tooth-friendly foods for the holiday season.

Gobble Up Some Turkey

Turkey is renowned as a holiday dish because it is big enough to feed everyone at the table with leftovers to spare while making an impressive centerpiece for the rest of the spread. Thankfully, this bird is actually pretty good for your teeth. It’s low in sugar and contains important nutrients such as protein, calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus, all of which are key ingredients to keeping your teeth healthy. Just be sure to take it easy on any sugary sauces that might be served with it, and your teeth will be happy to chew on a generous helping of turkey.

Vegetables Are Wonderful

Many families enjoy having a selection of roasted, grilled, or raw vegetables as part of their holiday feasts. While vegetables are rich in all sorts of vitamins and minerals that your teeth need to stay healthy and strong, they can also play a role in cleaning your teeth. Snappy, fibrous veggies like carrots and celery are firm and textured enough to scrape plaque and food debris from your teeth without harming your enamel. Load your plate with some plant matter to keep your teeth happy for the holidays.

They’ll Always Want More from the Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie boards are festive and fun ways to snack at a classy party, and they often come loaded with treats that your smile will love. Common morsels found on these spreads include lean meats, nice cheeses, and grapes. Meat is full of protein that your teeth and gums need to stay healthy, and cheese is rich in calcium that will keep your teeth and bones strong. Similarly to snappy veggies, hard cheeses can help wipe away plaque and food residue as you chew. The sugar in grapes can be easily cleaned from the teeth, and these fruits are naturally rich in cavity-fighting fluoride.

There’s no reason not to enjoy a festive feast during the holidays with all of these teeth-healthy options available. Watching out for your smile while you celebrate can keep it healthy for all the photographs you’ll take to remember the occasion.

About the Author

Dr. Jeremy Rudd earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry before completing a General Practice Residency. He currently serves as a proud member of the American Dental Association, the Texas Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. His office in Mansfield, TX offers general, pediatric, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry. For more information on keeping your holiday feasts teeth-healthy, contact his office online or dial (817) 473-6857.