Plant-based diet for caries

What to eat to avoid caries

What is the right diet for cavities?

Diet for caries should be:

• Rich in antibacterial food to combat the infection of the gums and teeth.
• Rich in nutrients that strengthen teeth: calcium, vitamin D, vitamin C, magnesium, boron and flavonoids. In general, a diet rich in plant foods.
• Astringent foods for the bleeding gums: mainly those containing tannins (loquats, Granada, etc..)
• Low in refined sugars, restricting those foods rich in sugars such as candies and chocolates.
• No snacking is recommended. however we must do more than 5 meals a day and brush our teeth after meals. In between meals or snacks, we can take much mint tea, which has properties against germs.

WHAT IS THE SUITABLE FOOD FOR CARIES TREATMENT OR PREVENTION?

Antibacterial food to kill bacteria that causes caries

The main antibacterial foods to maintain your teeth in good health are:

• Garlic and onions: The sulfur compounds in garlic and onions improve circulation of the gums and have a strong antibiotic effect.They should be taken as food, preferably raw or lightly cooked (salads with raw onion, add chopped raw garlic to dishes, soups or boiled dishes).
• Aromatic spices: Spices are rich in compounds that help prevent gum disease and control bacteria in the mouth. Among the spices with more powerful effects as antibiotics we have cardamom, cumin, ginger, cloves, thyme and other plants rich in thymol as savory, oregano, rosemary or basil.

Foods with vitamins, minerals and flavonoids to strengthen your teeth

Among the foods to strengthen teeth, we have those who provide us minerals for tooth formation (calcium, magnesium, boron, manganese, fluorine), vitamins (vitamin C and vitamin D mainly) and flavonoids to improve blood flow to the gums.

Among the most important food in the caries diet, we have:

• Vegetables: They are essential foods for their fiber content, vitamin C, minerals and flavonoids that clean our teeth and restore blood circulation to the gums. These vegetables must be low in sugar and calories, and, in return, they give us numerous health benefits.

Among the most convenient vegetables we have to include these that are rich in magnesium and boron, important mineral for bones and teeth.

Vegetables helps to increase the pH of the mouth, counteracting the acidity caused by the cariogenic bacteria. Choose the most colorful ones as they contain more carotenoids (to strengthen the gums). Consume 2 servings a day of vegetables (carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, beets, squash, lettuce, etc.)

• Legumes (. Lentils, soybeans, chickpeas, peas, etc.) and nuts: They are rich in magnesium, manganese, boron and other trace minerals important for healthy teeth. Legumes should be present in our diet at least 23 times a week.

Nuts contain no sugar and are suitable as a source of minerals, most notably of all is sesame that it is rich in calcium.

• Whole grains (. Rice, oats, etc.): We recommend eating whole grains as they contain less sugar ratio to be an integral part of fiber in the food, plus more vitamins than refined grains.

Useful fruits to prevent caries

The most important ones are:

• Citrus fruits (oranges, limes, lemons, kumquats): We can talk about the best citrus fruit for diet against cavities. They have a very low sugar content compared to other fruits, and provide high doses of vitamin C and calcium. Moreover, if we take the skin, such as kumquats, it is rich in flavonoids (rutin) favoring the circulation of the gums, and essential oils with antibacterial properties. These foods should be eaten with foods that neutralize its acidity, as accompanied by cheese on food, nuts, etc..
• Apples: Their properties to disinfect the mouth (flavonoids and vitamin C) make them a very suitable food for clean teeth and strengthen the gums.

  

  Eating a piece of apple after meals can be a good remedy to avoid caries formation.

• Avocado: It is rich in vitamin D which helps fix calcium in the bones. Another source of this vitamin include dairy.

Other interesting foods to prevent caries

• Seaweeds: They are a good dietary source of fluoride, which reduces the incidence of dental caries.
• Olive oil: Increased dietary fat intake while maintaining the same balanced diet carbohydrates results in a lower incidence of caries.
• Cheese: Cheese is recommended to avoid the acidity of the mouth. His wealth in calcium makes a buffering effect on pH and acidity preventing teeth damage. One must choose aged cheeses, which contain almost no sugar and calcium intake is high.

Astringent foods are very recommended on caries diet

These fruits are noted for its tannins content, that brings astringent qualities preventing bleeding gums. They are also suitable to eliminate bad breath and protect the mouth against infections that cause inflammation. Among the main astringent foods, we have, for example:

• Astringent fruits: Medlar, pomegranate, blueberry, guava: Pomegranate is astringent, it also provides a lot of vitamin C and flavonoids. Others, such as guava, also contain antibacterial principles since they are rich in essential oils.
• Green Tea: Green tea is rich in tannins with bacterial properties It has proven germicidal value, something which is used by the industry to develop toothpaste. Also, drinking green tea offers other benefits such as catechins for obesity.

Sugarless gum for caries

Chewing sugarless gum helps increase the level of saliva in the mouth, which helps to clean teeth of food debris and bacteria.

Xylitol is an artificial sweetener used in chewing gums that can help prevent tooth decay and other dental diseases.

NON SUITABLE FOOD FOR CARIES

Among the main food NOT suitable for caries, we mention the following:

• Sugary foods: You should avoid eating foods that contain sugar, since this type of food can aid to develop oral bacteria that cause dental disease.
• Juices of citrus fruits: oranges, lemons, mandarins and other citrus fruits in general are rich in citric acid which is harmful to tooth enamel. Citrus fruits, especially citrus juices, should only be taken between meals with other foods. This will dilute its citric acid content so that this does not affect the tooth enamel so much.
• Carbonated drinks: carbonated drinks contain phosphoric acid that attacks teeth. These beverages should be minimized and should be drunk at meals, mixed with food, to prevent their acid content to cause any damage to your teeth.

More information about tooth decay.

Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing

22 October, 2021