Healthy Eating

Fruits and vegetables: Combined these should be half of what your child eats every day.
Grains: Make sure at least half of their grains are whole grains, such as oatmeal, whole wheat bread and brown rice.
Dairy: Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy foods.
Lean proteins: Make lean protein choices, such as lean meat, skinless poultry and fish. Try to vary protein choices to include eggs, beans, peas and legumes, too.

In addition to a nutritious diet, snacking habits, bottles and pacifiers also impact your child's oral health. Here are some tips to keep your child's mouth healthy:

Place only formula, milk or breast milk in bottles. Avoid filling the bottle with liquids such as sugar water, juice or soft drinks.
Infants should finish their bedtime and naptime bottles before going to bed.
If your child uses a pacifier, provide one that is clean—don’t dip it in sugar or honey, or put it in your mouth before giving it to the child.
Encourage children to drink from a cup by their first birthday and discourage frequent or prolonged use of sippy cups.
Serve nutritious snacks and limit sweets to mealtimes.

Water rules

Water, especially fluoridated water, is the best beverage for maintaining your oral health. That's because fluoride helps to make teeth more resistant to the acid attacks that can cause cavities

If you can, choose dairy

Lean proteins

Fruits and veggies pack an extra punch

Nourishing nuts

How to Snack Wisely for Dental Health

Food group foods	Good Snacks ( no added sugars)	Better with Meals
Bread Cereal group	Popcorn and other seeds (lightly salted); foods high in bran	Breads, cereals and crackers, sugared and sugar containing baked goods, caramel corn
Fruits Vegetables group	All raw fresh frozen fruits and vegetables or their juices prepared without addition of sugars**	All items prepared with the addition of sugars**, dried fruits eg: raisins
Meat group	Meats of all kinds, hard boiled eggs, nuts of all kinds, peanut butter, bean dips	Meats prepared with sugars**, candy coated nuts
Dairy group	Milk, whole low fat, skim or butter milk, all types of cheese including cottage, plain yogurts, dips and spreads, flavored drinks	Chocolate milk, malts, shakes, cocoa, ice cream, other dairy desert, fruited yogurt
	Suitable between meals	Unsuitable between meals*
Non Food Group foods and other items	Sugarless gums and candies, sugar free soft drinks and other liquids without sugar, sour pickles, olives, un-sugared creams, spreads, sauces, dressings and other fats, oils, some breath sweeteners some antacids tablets or gums**	Sugared gums, candies, mints, soft drinks, or other liquids, sugared coffee creamers, sugars, syrups, puddings, toppings, honey, flavored gelatins, chips, sweet pickles, cough drops, drugs or vitamins as chewable tablets, lozenges or syrups

*The slow and continual sipping, sucking, chewing or nibbling of these items makes them especially hazardous to dental health. Even if consumed rapidly , they should be followed with brushing, flossing or at least mouth rinsing, avoid ending meals with these items

**Check labels for added sugars: Look for (cane, maple brown) sugar (sucrose), molasses, invert sugar, honey, dextrose (glucose), (modified) corn (sugar, syrups, sweeteners, solids), lactose, levulose (fructose)

In addition to a nutritious diet, snacking habits, bottles and pacifiers also impact your child's oral health. Here are some tips to keep your child's mouth healthy:

How to Snack Wisely for Dental Health

Food group foods

Good Snacks ( no added sugars)

Better with Meals

Bread Cereal group

Popcorn and other seeds (lightly salted); foods high in bran

Breads, cereals and crackers, sugared and sugar containing baked goods, caramel corn

Fruits Vegetables group

All raw fresh frozen fruits and vegetables or their juices prepared without addition of sugars**

All items prepared with the addition of sugars**, dried fruits eg: raisins

Meat group

Meats of all kinds, hard boiled eggs, nuts of all kinds, peanut butter, bean dips

Meats prepared with sugars**, candy coated nuts

Dairy group

Milk, whole low fat, skim or butter milk, all types of cheese including cottage, plain yogurts, dips and spreads, flavored drinks

Chocolate milk, malts, shakes, cocoa, ice cream, other dairy desert, fruited yogurt

Suitable between meals

Unsuitable between meals*

Non Food Group foods and other items

Sugarless gums and candies, sugar free soft drinks and other liquids without sugar, sour pickles, olives, un-sugared creams, spreads, sauces, dressings and other fats, oils, some breath sweeteners some antacids tablets or gums**

Sugared gums, candies, mints, soft drinks, or other liquids, sugared coffee creamers, sugars, syrups, puddings, toppings, honey, flavored gelatins, chips, sweet pickles, cough drops, drugs or vitamins as chewable tablets, lozenges or syrups

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In addition to a nutritious diet, snacking habits, bottles and pacifiers also impact your child's oral health. Here are some tips to keep your child's mouth healthy:

How to Snack Wisely for Dental Health

Food group foods

Good Snacks ( no added sugars)

Better with Meals

Bread Cereal group

Popcorn and other seeds (lightly salted); foods high in bran

Breads, cereals and crackers, sugared and sugar containing baked goods, caramel corn

Fruits Vegetables group

All raw fresh frozen fruits and vegetables or their juices prepared without addition of sugars**

All items prepared with the addition of sugars**, dried fruits eg: raisins

Meat group

Meats of all kinds, hard boiled eggs, nuts of all kinds, peanut butter**, bean dips**

Meats prepared with sugars**, candy coated nuts

Dairy group

Milk, whole low fat, skim or butter milk, all types of cheese including cottage, plain yogurts, dips and spreads**, flavored drinks**

Chocolate milk, malts, shakes, cocoa, ice cream, other dairy desert, fruited yogurt

Suitable between meals

Unsuitable between meals*

Non Food Group foods and other items

Sugarless gums and candies, sugar free soft drinks and other liquids without sugar, sour pickles, olives, un-sugared creams, spreads, sauces, dressings and other fats, oils**, some breath sweeteners **some antacids tablets or gums**

Sugared gums, candies, mints, soft drinks, or other liquids, sugared coffee creamers, sugars, syrups, puddings, toppings, honey, flavored gelatins, chips, sweet pickles, cough drops, drugs or vitamins as chewable tablets, lozenges or syrups

Address

About Us

Quick Links

Calendar

Meats of all kinds, hard boiled eggs, nuts of all kinds, peanut butter, bean dips

Milk, whole low fat, skim or butter milk, all types of cheese including cottage, plain yogurts, dips and spreads, flavored drinks

Sugarless gums and candies, sugar free soft drinks and other liquids without sugar, sour pickles, olives, un-sugared creams, spreads, sauces, dressings and other fats, oils, some breath sweeteners some antacids tablets or gums**