April 2012
Brought to you by: Henriott Group
Dieting: Why Some Diets May Damage Oral Health On your way to a trimmer waistline? Don’t short-change your teeth and gums. Whatever diet you choose, take extra care of your oral health by supplementing your diet with multivitamins and drinking extra fluoridated water. Avoid Quick Fix Diets - Nutritious foods and beverages are needed for healthy teeth, gums, and bone. Poor nutrition can affect the immune system and increase the risk of periodontal disease. Fad diets with lots of fruits that are full of natural sugars can promote decay and erode tooth enamel. Diet pills may increase the risk for cavities by reducing the saliva flow that helps neutralize the affects of plaque acids. Crash diets, fasting, and anorexia can lead to deficiencies of nutrients and minerals including calcium, which is needed for healthy teeth and bone.
A dental health professional should be consulted if you are unsure how a diet may affect your oral health. Nutrition & Oral Health - The links between oral health and nutrition are many. Good nutrition promotes good oral health through the healthy development and maintenance of the mouth’s tissues and natural protective mechanisms. In contrast, certain foods, particularly starches or carbohydrates, can cause plaque development increasing the risk for oral disease.
Sneaky Nutrition Have picky eaters at home? If you’re concerned about their nutrition, try these sneaky yet easy tricks to healthier eating:
Serve smoothies made with nonfat yogurt to get finicky eaters to load up on fruit.
Fill your spaghetti sauce with minced carrots or other vegetables. It’s a nutritional entrée when spread over wholewheat pasta.
Finely dice vegetables or make a veggie puree to add to recipes. Chances are your picky eaters won’t notice these additions but will still receive all the benefits.
Put antioxidant-rich blueberries in pancakes to give breakfast a fruit boost. Stir flaxseed meal into the batter to boost the nutritional value even further.
Eat a balanced diet to maintain good oral health throughout life. Choose foods from each of the five major food groups to keep teeth, gums, and bone healthy. Limit in-between meal carbohydrate snacks like candies and soda containing sugar, and complex starch foods like chips, pasta, breads, and bakery items that can promote tooth decay. Source: American Dental Association www.ada.org
DID YOU KNOW? A young child may have to try a new food more than 10 times before he or she develops a taste for it.
Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month Eye Protection - We wear helmets to protect our heads, and pads and braces to protect our bones and joints. However, what do we do to prevent the possibility of permanent vision loss, a scratched cornea, or a fractured eye socket? Sports-Related Eye Injuries - There are three main types of eye injuries most often associated with sports accidents:
Ask your eye care professional to fit you with prescription eye guards. Be sure your eye guards contain the correct lenses and that they are secure or pop outwards away from the eye. For more information, go to www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/injuries/index.cfm.
Blunt trauma – when something hits your eye Penetrating injuries - when something cuts into your eye Radiation injuries – caused by exposure to ultraviolet sunlight Eye Gear Guidelines - Prescription sunglasses, regular sunglasses, and occupational safety glasses do not provide adequate protection to your eyes while participating in sports. It is recommended you invest in eye guards. Purchase eye guards at a sports or optical store to be sure they have been tested for sports use.
World Meningitis Day – April 24th
Simple Spaghetti Sauce
What is Meningitis? Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges. It is caused when germs infect the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which circulates around the brain and spinal cord. The infection can be caused by three kinds of germs:
Spread this easy sauce recipe over whole wheat spaghetti noodles for a meal that is both nutritious and delicious.
Bacteria Viruses Fungi
Viral meningitis is the most common and less severe type. Almost all patients recover without any permanent damage. However, bacterial meningitis causes severe infections, which can lead to permanent damage or death. Fungi meningitis also causes severe infections but are much less frequent than bacterial meningitis. Groups at Risk
The peak age groups at risk for bacterial meningitis are infants of six to 18 months of age. There is a second disease peak in adolescents 15-19 years of age. With the decline of immune function in the elderly, this group is also at risk for bacterial meningitis. In addition, people with disease or conditions which affect the immune system are at increased risk.
Source: http://comoonline.org
2 tbsp. olive oil 2 small onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1¼ cups zucchini, sliced 1 tbsp. oregano, dried 1 tbsp. basil, dried 1 can (8-oz) tomato sauce 1 can (6-oz) no-salt-added tomato paste 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 1 cup water In a medium skillet, heat oil. Sauté onions, garlic, and zucchini in oil for five minutes on medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Serve over spaghetti. Yield: 6 servings. Each serving of sauce provides 105 calories, 5g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 15g carbohydrates, 260mg sodium and 4g fiber. Source: www.health.gov.