The American Heart Association advises men to consume no more than 150 calories of sugar per day. For women, the recommended daily limit is 100 calories.
One 12-ounce can of Coca Cola contains 150 calories. A can of Mountain Dew, orange soda or root beer has even more. In other words, you can easily get 100% or more of your daily recommended amount of sugar from one single serving of soda. Other soft drinks such as energy drinks, lemonade and fruit juice cocktail are all high in sugar as well.
Does that mean you should never drink soda? Well, listen here. The All About Teeth team cares deeply about your health. Your family’s health. Everyone’s health, when you get right down to it. That said, we aren’t the fun police, and we live on the same planet as you. A cool, refreshing 7 Up feels like paradise on a baking hot day – and if you’re buying, even we will have a root beer float.
Now, to answer the question. Yes: you should never drink soda. It may feel like an irresistible temptation at times, but soda is absolutely packed with a substance the human body just isn’t designed to digest very much of. If your diet includes excessive sugar, then you are at higher risk of hypertension, weight gain, diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart attack and stroke.
Since we’re All About Teeth, we must call attention to the harmful effects of sugar on oral health. Sugar is a favorite food of several bacteria which naturally exist inside your mouth. When they consume it, they produce an acidic substance which coats the teeth and dissolves their protective enamel. That’s called tooth decay, and it causes toothache, tooth sensitivity, tooth discoloration, discomfort while eating, and cavities. Ultimately, tooth decay leads to tooth loss. When it is continually soaked in soda over a span of 48 hours, a tooth loses a whopping 5% of its weight!
If you do drink soda, then we recommend brushing about 30 minutes afterward. That gives your tooth enamel time to remineralize before you remove the sugar from its surface.
If you don’t drink soda, then what should you drink? Here are our favorite alternatives to soft drinks (and don’t worry, we’re not about to recommend any hard drinks for the benefit of your health).
Water
Woah! What a curveball! Healthcare professionals recommending that you drink water. Somebody, alert Fox 13.
In all seriousness, water is the best thing you can drink. It contains zero calories or coloring. It isn’t corrosive thanks to its perfectly neutral pH of 7. And unlike soda, water doesn’t cause dehydration. It certainly does prevent it, however. If a man drinks 15.5 cups of water per day (woman, 11.5 cups), they can receive all the benefits of adequate hydration:
- Better organ functionality
- Better joint health
- Reduced risk of infection
- Improved sleep quality
- Improved cognition
- Improved mood
Better yet, water helps you make saliva, which plays an essential role in keeping your mouth clean and protecting your tooth enamel. It also rinses away food particles before they can contribute to tooth decay, and all water naturally contains some fluoride that can help to restore tooth enamel.
Low-Sugar Vegetable Juice
Many delicious vegetable juices are naturally low in sugar. Tomato juice is a good source of vitamin C, as well as lycopene which may lower your risk of heart disease. Beet juice is rich in betalains – antioxidants, which may reduce the risks of inflammation and some types of cancer.
If you really want a vegetable juice that’s good for your teeth, choose one made of dark green vegetables. Kale and spinach arguably don’t provide the tastiest juices, but they are jam-packed with the calcium you need to enjoy having strong teeth and avoid getting gum disease.
Milk
Speaking of calcium: milk. A single cup of milk contains 305 milligrams of calcium, which is almost one-third of the amount adults between the ages of 19 and 50 need in a single day. In addition to strengthening your teeth, your body uses calcium to achieve healthy blood circulation, hormonal regulation and nervous system functionality. By drinking milk you’re also directly benefiting American dairy farmers, who are all lovely people.
Real Fruit Juice
By “real,” we don’t mean beverages like cranberry juice cocktail, Capri Sun or SunnyD. We certainly aren’t talking about Tang. We’re talking about the natural stuff – made of 100% fruit with no sugar added.
Cranberry, orange and grapefruit juice are all better for your health than soft drinks. That’s because they contain fructose and glucose – both natural sugars – instead of high fructose corn syrup, which is an artificial sugar that is linked to diabetes, heart disease, and several other serious health issues.
But take care! Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean sugar doesn’t contribute to tooth decay. Like all sugary foods and beverages, fruit juices are always best enjoyed in moderation.Avoiding sugar altogether is nearly impossible. If you want to avoid tooth decay in the 21st century, then you can’t do it without regular dental care. That’s why we welcome you to contact All About Teeth today to schedule your teeth cleaning in Logan, UT!
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