Eat your way to a healthy mouth

Gingivitis and gum disease are inflammatory conditions which affect the gums and underlying bone.

They are two of the most common conditions in the world and when gingivitis is left untreated, it progresses into gum disease. Not only is this hugely problematic for our oral health, but our overall health as well. Gum disease is linked to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, premature births and even erectile dysfunction.

While it’s widely accepted that brushing, flossing and having regular dental cleans reduces your risk of gum diseases, what’s also emerging is that certain foods and vitamins can be a useful adjunct to oral hygiene in reducing your risk of gingivitis and gum disease. A recent study in the BMC Oral Health Journal, for instance, has shown that you can reduce your risk by what they call an “oral health optimised diet”.

The recommendations involve:

• Reducing your intake of carbohydrates as far as possible to a level lower than 130g per day. It was shown that these carbohydrates should come from natural sources such as in fruits and vegetables as opposed to highly processed foods, sweetened beverages and meals, flour containing foods and rice.
• Increasing your daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids by incorporating a portion of sea fish, fish oil capsules or flaxseed oil and avoiding trans-fatty acids such as fried meals, crisps, donuts. At the same time, reducing omega-6 fatty acids which are found in sunflower oil, grape seed oil, safflower oil, and margarine.
• Daily intake of a source of vitamin C such as two kiwifruits or one orange.
• Daily intake of a source of vitamin D such as a 300g avocado, 15 minutes of unprotected exposure to the sun or a vitamin D supplement.
• Daily intake of antioxidants such as a handful of blueberries or cup of organic green tea.
• Daily intake of fibre from sources such as natural vegetables and fruit.

So, what would this oral health optimising diet look like on a plate? Nutritionist and IQS recipe developer, Olivia Kaplan, weighs in…

“For breakfast, this could mean that instead of having two large slices of sourdough with your eggs, you simply dial it back to one slice and add some spinach, mushrooms and avo to your plate.

For lunch, again start with veggies – go for colour and roast up some pumpkin, sweet potato, beetroot and zucchini. Add some quinoa and a can of sardines for those omega-3s and protein. Skip the vegetable oil dressings and drizzle over some olive oil and lemon juice instead.

At dinner time, we can’t go past meat and three veg! Pick some good quality meat, cooked the way you like it (we like slow-cooked!) and add three kinds of veg. Finish off with some low-fructose fruits like berries or kiwis with a dollop of full-fat yoghurt!”

Unfortunately, eating these foods doesn’t mean you won’t have to brush and floss! However, if you can incorporate the recommendations from the study into your meal (as well as brush and floss regularly) you’re far more likely to have healthier gums and therefore be a healthier version of yourself!

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