Posts Tagged ‘whole grains’

A Miami Dentist Recap: Healthiest Foods 2010

Friday, December 31st, 2010

miami-dentist-recap-healthiest-foods-2010Dentists in Miami are very concerned with the foods their patients eat.  For holistic dentists, food takes on even greater importance.  As the old adage tells us:  you get what you put in.


Comments by Dr. Ted Herrmann:

Eating well balanced, nutrient packed meals pays benefits well beyond merely satisfying your hunger.  When you eat well, you feel well.  As 2010 draws to a close, let’s take a moment and reflect on the healthiest foods of the past year.  Some may look familiar, but take a closer look and you will find that the past year saw an increase in exotic foods that lead to better health.


  1. Salmon—salmon is a great source of both protein and healthy fats.  This heart-healthy food is recommended by the American Heart Association because it is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.
  2. Soy—vegetarian, vegan, or plain meat-eater, soy is derived from soy beans and packed with nutrients like zinc, omega 3s, magnesium, and B vitamins.
  3. Green Vegetables—broccoli is the MVP of this food group, toting vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, and fiber.
  4. Acia Berries—2010 saw a surge in this exotic fruit, and it’s no secret why.  Acia berries are loaded with antioxidants (over 2x that of blueberries).  Antioxidants nutralize free radicals in the body, preventing cellular damage and leading to overall better health.
  5. Whole Grains—consume the recommended 4-5 servings of this food group each day and you’ll get an army of complex “good” carbohydrates, as well as vitamin B, E, magnesium, iron, and fiber.

Increasing the frequency with which you consume the above foods will better your overall health in several ways.  First, each of these foods contains a substantial amount of high quality calories, with the exception of green vegetables.  It is important to ingest plenty of calories throughout the day to minimize those late-night hunger pains that usually lead to sugary snacks.  Second, each of the above foods is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, or omega 3 fatty acids.  These nutrients are essential in promoting longevity and vitality, helping your body to stay healthy.  Omega 3s, in particular, have the added benefit of lowering LDL, or bad cholesterol.


While seemingly out of place on the Miami Dentist Blog, nutrition information is nevertheless a cornerstone of dental education.  Holistic dentistry takes the approach that dental problems may actually be manifestations of other deeply rooted problems.  Often times, these problems stem from poor nutrition.  By taking the holistic approach and identifying causal factors, holistic dentists are better able to educate patients and ensure the problem does not persist.


To learn more about holistic dentistry and the perceived interconnectedness of the body, visit our interactive Meridian Tooth Chart.  There, you will find that each tooth is thought to be linked to specific organs, glands, and other body elements.

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Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

healthy-snack-ideas-for-kidsHealthy snacks for kids are a summer must!  Fresh fruit, plenty of water, and homemade treats can keep your child full, energetic, and cavity-free.  So, treat your children this summer with these delicious and nutritious snack recommendations from Assure a Smile Miami Dentistry.


Comments by Dr. Ted Herrmann

Children, perhaps more so than adults, need snacks.  The eating habits of a child typically mirror those of their caregiver, consisting of three daily meals:  breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  However, as most caregivers can attest, getting a child to clean their plate can be a challenge.


Anxiousness, coupled with a proportionately small stomach, make it difficult for children to sit down and eat an entire meal.  As a result, children may not receive enough calories each day.  This is very unhealthy for both children and adults because fewer calories means less energy and nutrients to fuel the body and protect it from foreign objects, like viruses and bacteria.  Preparing small, nutritious snacks will help children consume the calories they need for energy as well as the nutrients they need to stay healthy.


Heart Healthy Whole Grains

Whole grains are building blocks for a nutritious and filling snack.  Parents must take caution, though.  Most “whole grain” foods are made using only a small portion of actual whole grains.  In addition, whole grain cereals and snack bars are often over processed and rich in sugar.  The best whole grain snacks include oatmeal, topped with fresh blueberries, or a small portion of brown rice and vegetables.  While the portions may be small (two children sharing a single bowl of oatmeal, for example), the nutritious advantage is huge.  Whole grains are associated with a lessened risk of heart disease, and they are a fundamental source of energy!


Delicious Dairy Products

Dairy products make the perfect mid-day snack for children.  Foods like low fat cheese sticks, yogurt, and cottage cheese with fresh fruit offer two main nutritional benefits.  First, they are a good source of protein.  Second, they have moderate amounts of unsaturated fat.  Studies show that replacing ordinary fat with unsaturated fat, like that found in dairy products, reduces the amount of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) in your blood (i).  Although cholesterol worries are something we typically associate with adults, children too can benefit from eating foods that keep LDL levels low.


Organic Fruits and Vegetables

Organic fruits and vegetables make the best snacks for children.  Fruit is a good early morning snack because it is a good source of carbohydrates, water, and vitamins to sustain energy throughout the day.  Apples, peaches, grapes, oranges, and watermelon are all great choices.  When it comes to late afternoon snacks, though, vegetables are the way to go.  Vegetables contain fewer carbohydrates yet are rich in minerals.  Serving snacks like raw broccoli, carrots, sliced tomatoes, and celery can replenish a child’s nutrient levels without overfilling their stomachs before dinner.  To make things more fun, serve a low fat side to add some extra flavor to the vegetables.  Low fat ranch dip, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, light seasoning, or all natural organic peanut butter complement vegetables in a delicious way.  Also, dipping is fun!  The more fun a snack or meal is, the more likely a child is to eat the entire portion.


As a Miami dentist and nutritionist, I recommend parents serve two snacks to their children each day.  Healthy whole grains, dairy products, fruit, and raw vegetables are hands down the best snacks for kids.  They offer a moderate serving of calories, healthy fat, protein, and plenty of vitamins and minerals.  Holistic dentistry holds the view that overall health is reflected in the mouth; following these snack guidelines will keep your child’s body healthy, and their mouths cavity-free.


(i) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262

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Holistic Wellness and Brown Rice

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

holistic-wellness-and-brown-riceHave you had your grains today?

Researchers now link vitality, disease prevention, and healthier teeth with whole grains like brown rice.  Substituting bad carbohydrates with good is easy, and it may just help you live longer!


Comments by Dr. Ted Herrmann DMD


Everyone knows that carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy.  The popular whole grain cereal Wheaties pushed this idea with their “Breakfast of Champions” slogan in the 1930s, though most of us remember the campaign from the early 90s.

Not all carbohydrates are created equally, however.  Some carbohydrates contain only one or two sugar molecules and are appropriately labeled simple sugars.  The best known of these simple sugars, table sugar, is most likely in your kitchen pantry.  Other carbohydrates are made up of long chains of these simple sugars and, because of their increased molecular complexity, are referred to as complex carbohydrates.  Brown rice, barley, and other whole grains are good examples of these robust, nutrient-dense carbohydrates.


Simple or Complex?


On paper, complex carbohydrates beat their simple counterparts by an astonishing margin.  Complex carbohydrates contain more nutrients, have greater energy potential, have a smaller affect on blood sugar levels, and do less harm to your teeth and gums over time.  Simple sugars, by contrast, have almost no nutritional value, are not a good source of sustainable energy, largely affect blood sugar levels, and can cause plaque buildup on teeth that eventually leads to decay.  Though simple sugars win us over because of their sweet taste, a closer look reveals that replacing simple sugars with complex carbohydrates has enough health benefits to silence even the loudest screaming sweet tooth.


First, complex carbohydrates contain large amounts of B vitamins.  B vitamins, when combined with adequate amounts of water and protein, work to increase your body’s metabolism.  That means more energy!  For the curious readers out there, I urge you to take a closer look at any of the dozens of energy drinks that have popped up in the past five years.  You will notice a common ingredient in almost all of them:  B vitamins.  Complex carbohydrate foods, though, are still a much better option for many reasons:  They will satiate your hunger, they contain fiber to promote digestive health, and they offer a high caloric content for prolonged energy.


In addition to carrying loads of B vitamins, complex carbohydrates promote overall wellness from the standpoint of disease prevention.  Natural News, a website dedicated to the latest in natural living, health, and news, recently reported on a Temple University study that identified a compound in brow rice—a poster child for complex carbohydrates—as having the ability to lower blood pressure, an essential step towards preventing heart disease.[i]


Finally, complex carbohydrates are not as problematic for your teeth and gums.  Simple sugars, especially those found in massive quantities in juices and soft drinks, have a knack for gathering on a tooth’s enamel and forming plaque.  This plaque provides an ideal place for bacteria to breed and infect both the tooth and gums, leading to a host of adverse dental conditions.  Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, contain fewer grams of sugar per serving and are less corrosive to tooth enamel.


The benefits of a diet consisting largely of complex carbohydrates are numerous.  Moreover, adjusting your diet to contain fewer simple sugars and more complex carbohydrates is easy.  To start, here are the three most common “bad” carbohydrates and corresponding “good” carbohydrates to replace them with:


1) White bread:  Replace with 100% Whole Wheat, or other similar Multigrain breads

2) White rice:  Replace with Brown Rice or 100% Whole Wheat pasta

3) Candy:  Replace with sugar free gum, decaffeinated tea, or a small glass of juice

A local Miami dentist can provide you with further information on the benefits of balancing your diet with good carbohydrates.  Certified nutritionists can also help you build a nutrition plan rich in varied, healthy foods.  At Assure a Smile, you will receive both.  Take advantage of our new patient Miami dental cleaning special and learn more about healthy teeth and gum care, holistic wellness, and the importance of a balanced diet.


[i] http://www.naturalnews.com/029143_brown_rice_diabetes.html

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