The answer is yes! As long as your child’s snacking habits are healthy, their teeth will be healthy too. At Childventures, we have fresh fruit available all day for children to snack on.
Foods that are high in sugar can cause more cavities. This is because sugar reacts with plaque – a bacteria that covers teeth throughout the day – to form an acid. This acid eats away at teeth’s enamel.
When having snacks and avoiding foods that are high in sugar, you should pay attention to different kinds of sugar. Read the ingredients lists – molasses, honey, fructose, glucose, and sucrose are all types of sugar.
Eliminating sugar entirely can be difficult, but there are ways to cut down the negative impacts of sugar consumption. Eating sweets during meals rather than as snacks is one way to accomplish this. During meals, saliva production is increased and this helps dilute or wash away sugars.
You should also reduce the time sugar spends on teeth. Drink water after eating sugar; avoid eating sticky candy, or chewing sugared gum. You can also prompt children to brush their teeth after consuming sweets or chew sugar-free gum. At Childventures, the children brush their teeth after lunch every day.
Nutritious, unsweetened snack food is recommended for healthy teeth. Here are some examples of healthy snacks for your children:
- Cheese
- Melba toast
- Muffins
- Bread sticks
- Cottage cheese
- Nuts & seeds
- Pita bread with hummus
- Vegetables
- Milk
- Fruit
- Rice cakes
- Bagel and cheese
- Pita bread with cheese
- Yogurt
- Half sandwich – cheese, egg, ham, salmon, tuna
- Unsweetened fruit juice
- Vegetable juice
- Hard boiled eggs
Our nutritionist and head chef work together to make sure your children have the best and healthiest choices available to them throughout the day. Learn more about our nutrition program!