Here’s why you should eat cheese and chocolate this Christmas

 

CHRISTMAS is just around the corner and with it comes delicious treats for us to indulge in.

If you love tucking into a cheese board over Christmas research suggests you should chomp away – all in moderation.  Forward planning can ensure that you have the tastiest Christmas yet.

Cheese and nuts can be a great choice for oral health.

Cheese has a number of benefits. Cheese helps balance the pH level in your mouth, which means less harmful acid, more cleansing saliva, and as a consequence, fewer cavities. A perfect accompaniment after your Christmas pudding!

Nuts are also a good choice if you are looking for a healthy snack during the run up to Christmas – choose an unsalted nut to nibble on, like almonds. Nuts are a great source of fibre, contain various nutrients and healthy fats.

If you’re after something sweet, you can still indulge, but should switch from sweets to dark chocolate.

Sweets, particularly the gummy variety, are almost entirely made up of sugar, and their consistency means that they can stick to your teeth, putting you at risk of cavities. Dark chocolate is the perfect choice for a treat. It has less sugar than white or milk chocolate, and the consistency means that it will not lodge in your teeth and cause potential issues with your oral health in the future.

Cheers!

While we know to eat both chocolate and cheese to have a Merry Christmas, it’s also key we know what drink we can have that won’t ruin our teeth.

If you want to stick to a healthy smile then try and limit the amount of champagne and prosecco you drink as this can dissolve tooth enamel due to the high acidic level.  This is turn can increase your risk of tooth erosion and the same goes for fizzy drinks such as cola and lemonade.

Choose a low-carb beer, as these beverages have the highest water content and lowest acidity, so are kinder on your teeth.

If you are planning to stick with the fizz this Christmas, drink a glass of water in between the prosecco and champagne. The water will wash away the sugar and acid from in or around your mouth.

But remember that carbonated drinks which are sugar free, can still lead to enamel erosion and future problems.