Tips For Reducing Sugar In Your Diet

Helping Teddington residents with a healthier and more tooth friendly diet

If you ask almost anyone what causes tooth decay, they will tell you ‘sugar’. Whilst the reality is a little more complicated than that, it is certainly true that sugar consumption plays a very significant role in a number of dental problems. That, plus other health issues such as obesity and diabetes, also linked to sugar consumption, should hopefully provide a significant motivation to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet.

In today’s Elmfield House Dental Practice blog, we offer a few suggestions to help our Teddington patients do just that, and help them to have a healthy and attractive smile.

Watch out for ‘hidden’ sugars

By this we mean not only sugar that appears in foods you might not expect it to, such as a lot of savoury foods, but also, sugars that are divided into their specific types, which often don’t mention the word ‘sugar’ directly. These include fructose, lactose, glucose, corn syrup, maltose and even hydrolysed starch.

A healthy start

Don’t start your day with a high sugar cereal or chocolate spread (however nice they might taste). These can provide immediate gratification and a quick energy boost. This boost fades quickly though and you would be much better off substituting these with no sugar cereals, yoghurts and fruit.

Mind the snacking

If we are at work and with limited options of what to eat when we get that mid morning or mid afternoon slump, we may be tempted to reach for a chocolate bar which is obviously high in sugar. Be prepared for these times and make sure you have a supply of nuts or similar with you. Better still, try to avoid snacking if at all possible. This will allow your teeth time to recover between meals.

Watch the ‘fat free’ labels!

Especially if you are trying to lose weight or have been told by your GP to eat more healthily, beware the tricks of the trade. ‘Fat Free’ or ‘low fat’ products may seem like a great idea but fat and sugars are added to food because they give extra flavour. Take away the fat and we are sure you can guess what is likely to be added for flavour compensation!

Avoid ‘posh’ coffees

Increasingly, we are becoming a nation of coffee drinkers, with many of us popping into a cafe at least one a day for our daily caffeine fix. Do take care though; many of the more specialised coffees are extremely high in sugar. Stick to standard coffees and avoid those loaded with creams or flavoured syrups.

It can be difficult switching to a lower sugar diet and it is quite possible you will suffer the occasional lapse. Don’t punish yourself for this though and simply try to return to your lower  sugar diet as soon as possible.

In addition to reducing sugar in your diet, you should also continue to see the hygienist and dentist on a regular basis. If you need to make an appointment to see one of our Teddington dentists, you can do so by calling the Elmfield House Dental Practice on 020 8614 1995. Our team will be pleased to book your appointment at a convenient time.