In today’s world of processed food and a never ending push from fast food to make dinner or lunch easier and more convenient, it has become more difficult to make healthy choices for our kids. Sugar is not just in cookies, cakes and desserts anymore. Studies show that 80% of food items that are purchased by consumers in the grocery store contain added sugar. Sugar hides behind many names like fructose, dextrose, maltose and high fructose corn syrup. Too much sugar in any form is dangerous, as it has been proven that sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine. That is a frightening truth for parents to face, especially when sugar has become present in every single meal we serve.
High Sugar Content in Bad News for Healthy Teeth
Realizing that the sugar content you serve your family is off the charts can be difficult to fathom. However, sugar has many hiding places. Orange juice, chips, cold cereal, salad dressing, granola bars, ketchup, yogurt and white bread all contain hidden sugar. Think of the items that you may be packing into your child’s school lunch or the food they may be purchasing at school to eat. The sugar adds up so quickly, producing an unhealthy lifestyle and hijacking your child’s health in a very sneaky way.
High Sugar Intake Leads to Obesity
The number one result of all of this sugar intake has become childhood obesity. Today, one in five children are obese. More people will die from the effects of obesity than from starvation. The advancement of processed foods has elevated these unhealthy outcomes. False advertising will have you believe that eating healthy verses eating fast food or processed food will cost you more money. This is false. It does not cost more money to eat healthy. One of the main offenders of sugar overdosing is the soda industry. Soda is a significant contributor to the obesity problem in today’s society.
Added Sugar Causes Teeth Cavities
All of this added sugar that contributes to the obesity epidemic is also contributing to cavities in kids. Sugar is extremely harmful to your child’s teeth as it plays a harmful role in tooth decay. The bacteria that forms together to become plaque uses sugar as a form of energy. The more sugar your child intakes and exposes to their teeth, the faster plaque is able to grow. Some bacteria even turns sugar into a type of glue that it can use to stick itself to the tooth’s surface. This makes it much harder for bacteria to get washed away with your saliva.
Be Proactive Against Sugar
Be proactive with the fight against sugar overloading. Make healthier food choices for your children and know what exactly it is that you are feeding them. A good routine teeth cleaning will help your child avoid the threat of cavities that are caused by the intake of sugar. Contact Smile Reef today to schedule a cleaning for your child and help prevent cavities.
