Healthy eating

jp_bl_68 · 8 Mar 2011 at 15:11

I went to the doctor last week and he asked me about my diet. I told him I'd cut down on caffeine, drank lots of water and very little alcohol, ate plenty of fruit and practically no junk food. He said my diet was fine.

I went to the dentist this morning who told me that all the fruit I'm eating isn't doing my teeth any good. Apparently, I might as well be eating sweets and drinking coke for all the good this fruit is doing my teeth. I eat fruit with breakfast, lunch and as a snack to tide me over in between meals. I proabably consume about 4/5 portions a day so cutting down is going to leave a big hole in my diet.

So I'm in need of something healthy to replace all this fruit. Any suggestions?

Paul. W · 8 Mar 2011 at 15:13

Vegatables

D5T · 8 Mar 2011 at 15:19

jp_bl_68 said:
I told him I'd cut down on caffeine

May I ask did you notice any benefits in cutting down on caffeine?

jp_bl_68 · 8 Mar 2011 at 15:26

Oddly enough I'm actually less tired now that I've cut down on caffeine. I think I sleep better without it.

I tend to drink a lot of ice cold water which is a good alternative to caffeine if you're struggling to stay awake.

neodude · 8 Mar 2011 at 15:31

Replace one of your portions of fruit with some mixed unsalted nuts.

krooton · 8 Mar 2011 at 15:34

Brush teeth or chew gum after eating fruit? Saliva neutralizes the acidity or something.

smit101 · 8 Mar 2011 at 15:58

jp_bl_68 said:
So I'm in need of something healthy to replace all this fruit. Any suggestions?

Fat and protein.

AtticusFinch · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:01

Brushing your teeth

krooton said:
Brush teeth or chew gum after eating fruit? Saliva neutralizes the acidity or something.

This is probably the obvious, logical solution. You could even stretch the budget to moutwash too.

Also, sugar-free chewing gum is good?

neil3k · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:02

bananas instead of acidic fruit ?

ThomasTheTankEngine · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:10

Just eat the fruit. People have been doing so for 1000's of years. Listen to the proper doctor.

edscdk · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:11

Paul. W said:
Vegatables

nom nom, chips and chrisps...

Nitefly · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:12

smit101 said:
Fat and protein.

Pestilence · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:19

I'd be more tempted to go with the actual doctor than the dentist, to be fair. As long as you're drinking water regularly, or even carrying a little bottle of mouthwash to rinse your mouth after eating, you won't have a problem.

If you really want to replace one or two of the fruit portions, why not try pre-prepared crudites?

Makunouchi · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:20

Your teeth are important, but not as important as your overall health obviously, so don't stop eating fruit for gods sake, just maybe swap some of the more acidic fruits out for nuts (unsalted) every so often.

Bleek · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:21

Finely dice your fruit so you've no need to chew.

Jingo... · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:27

Your dentist is a specialist on teeth and gums, not a doctor or dietician!

Don't allow them to dictate your diet - just scrub/floss/mouthwash/gum after consuming fruit!

It really irks me how some dentists have such a god-complex!

Nitefly · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:36

Jingo... said:
Your dentist is a specialist on teeth and gums, not a doctor or dietician!

Don't allow them to dictate your diet - just scrub/floss/mouthwash/gum after consuming fruit!

It really irks me how some dentists have such a god-complex!

Not really, fruit is loaded with sugar. Too much of it isn't great for your body or your teeth.

Sounds like his dentist is doing his job to me if his teeth need looking after.

jp_bl_68 · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:38

Nitefly said:
Not really, fruit is loaded with sugar. Too much of it isn't great for your body or your teeth.

Is the sugar in fruit as bad for your body as the processed sugar you get in soft drinks and sweets?

titaniumx3 · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:49

Chomp on some carrots and cucumbers instead.

Redmint · 8 Mar 2011 at 16:52

jp_bl_68 said:
Is the sugar in fruit as bad for your body as the processed sugar you get in soft drinks and sweets?

Depends which sweets, some use the same sugars as you get in fruit.