Now that summer is in full swing the warm weather celebrations are bound to begin. This means there will be heaps of food nearly everywhere you go.
With this in mind, dental implant provider Dr. Craig S. Donn and the rest of his staff want to post an article explaining which summertime foods you should avoid, and what to replace them with if you are looking to improve or maintain your oral health in the coming warm weather.
Let’s take a closer look.
Avoid These Summer Staples for Better Oral Health
Summertime provides us with a plethora of yummy food that is often times hard to resist. Unfortunately, many of the items most commonly enjoyed during warm weather celebrations are not exactly healthy for your smile. Today we are going to list a few of the worst offenders and tell you why they a threat to your oral health.
Hot Dogs, Bacon, Bologna
This may come as a major blow to summertime cookouts, but the truth is hot dogs and other processed meats pose a threat not only to your waistline but your oral health as well.
Why?
Because of something called processed saturated fat. It causes inflammation in your body. Aside from causing you discomfort in your back and joints, inflammation can also do damage to your gums.
Many people aren’t aware of the fact that your gum tissue is kept healthy by an intricate web of veins which provide it with the life-giving oxygen it needs to thrive. When those veins become inflamed, blood cannot travel through them as easily as it should.
When this happens too often, gum disease can be the result. As we all know, gum disease can cause further tooth loss or dental implant failure.
Our suggestion is to try and stick to unprocessed meats this summer or at the very least limit your consumption of them.
White Bread
Much like processed meat, white bread can also cause inflammation in your body. That being said, you should try and limit your consumption of white bread or at least stick to whole wheat for the same reasons as listed above.
Healthy Replacements for Unhealthy Summer Snacks
Instead of trying to fight the urge to indulge in all the appetizers at summer get-togethers this season, why not put your own healthy spin on them?
Check out this recipe we got from foodandwine.com.
Grilled Zucchini Kebabs with Zucchini Dip
Ingredients
Kebabs
- 2 round zucchini (10 ounces each), each cut into six 1/3-inch-thick rounds
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Dipping Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 zucchini (3/4 pound), chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup packed basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Push one 8-inch bamboo skewer horizontally through 2 zucchini slices; keeping another skewer parallel, push it through the slices to secure them. Repeat with the remaining slices to form 6 kebabs. Brush with the olive oil and transfer to a large dish. Sprinkle with the garlic and parsley, season with salt and white pepper and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Light a grill.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the zucchini, garlic and onion and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a platter and refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.
- Scrape the mixture into a blender, add the basil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and blend until smooth. Scrape into a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
- Scrape the garlic off the kebabs and grill over a hot fire for about 2 minutes per side, or until lightly charred and just tender. Serve the kebabs with the dip.
We hope the above yummy recipe for a smile friendly addition to any grilling party inspires you to look for more healthy additions to your summer celebrations this year.
Until next time readers, keep smiling.