What Should Kids Snack On Instead of Sugar?

Posted May 20, 2020

Keeping your child’s teeth safe from things like cavities can take more than just teaching them how to brush and floss properly. For example, it’s just as essential to help them develop discipline and restraint when it comes to things like eating too many foods with processed sugars. These can quickly lead to weakened tooth enamel and faster cavity development, even if your child diligently brushes and flosses their teeth each day. To help your child learn to avoid eating too much sugar in their foods and beverages, it’s important to teach them what they should eat, instead, to help promote healthier, cavity-free teeth for life.

Things you might not realize are harmful

One of the reasons it’s easy for cavities to become a threat to your child’s health is the misconception that well-known sugary treats, like candy, are the only threat. Sugar is only one of the types of carbs that oral bacteria can metabolize into harmful acids that could actively erode your child’s tooth enamel. More can be found in otherwise healthier food choices, such as breads and sugar-free foods and beverages. Any food that’s processed and packaged may contain fermentable carbs, so be sure to pay close attention to their contents.

A few healthier snack alternatives

Fortunately, avoiding sugars and fermentable carbs, or at least dramatically reducing your child’s teeth’s exposure to them, can be simpler than you realize. It can also be more successful with the right types of foods, which not only lack harmful sugars and carbs but also provide several essential minerals your child’s teeth need. For example, try appeasing your child’s sweet tooth with whole fruits like apples, oranges, berries, and more. Unlike the process sugars in other foods, the natural sugars in whole fruits don’t pose a particular threat to your child’s teeth when consumed moderately.

Other foods to improve your child’s oral health

In addition to healthier whole fruits, you can also help boost the strength of your child’s tooth enamel against the harmful sugars they do consume by adding plenty of foods and beverages with calcium. Tooth enamel is made almost entirely of minerals, calcium most of all, and foods such as dairy products (including milk, cheese, and sugar-free yogurt) can provide your child’s teeth with plenty of them. This will also make it easier to keep your child’s smile healthy and still allow for occasionally indulging in candy and other treats.

Learn how to protect your child’s healthy smile

Telling your kids not to eat too much sugar is one thing, but you can protect their smiles better by giving them tasty, healthier alternatives to snack on instead. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX today at 214-321-4880. We proudly serve patients who live around Casa Linda and all surrounding Dallas communities.