So Paleo friends, how are your teeth?
Listen, you only get one set of teeth (adult teeth)…take care of them. Poor dental health can cause a boat load of health issues. Heart disease can be a result of bad dental hygiene! Here’s an article I found on WebMD, in case you want to read further about the mouth/body relationship.
After reading some articles, I came up with some good information. Even though they didn’t own toothbrushes, prehistoric people had better dental health than we do now. Once farming was introduced, gum disease and cavities were on the rise. Basically, our change in diet is to blame. Meats and veggies got replaced by carbs and sugar…causing a lack in nutrients. Good bacterias are replaced with bad bacterias, and that isn’t good. It causes a lot of problems. If we start eating like our ancestors, then we will return to homeostasis (just go watch Biodome). The health of your teeth is in jeopardy …just go Paleo!
With a diet that no longer has refined sugars or processed foods, your overall health will improve…and that includes the health of your teeth and gums. All of those nutrient blocking foods I’ve talked about in previous blogs also prevent nutrients from being absorbed by your mouth. If you eat healthier and get the right vitamins, it can/should repair this. Calcium is important for good dental health, so being Paleo will allow you to eat a balanced diet, and you’ll get the right amount of calcium you need. The non-inflammatory aspects of the Paleo way of life will also contribute to a healthy mouth. Vitamin D3, C, and K2 are good supplements to take for your teeth. If you look up K2, you can find a lot of information on how it helps teeth. So if you’re mouth is feeling a little meh, then take some K2 (I smell a commercial jingle). Smile for the camera!
I read an interview with a dentist named, Dr. Alvin Danenberg. He was asked what made him want to try the Paleo diet…his reply, “I learned that there are societies in the world today that have never been exposed to processed foods and grains from a westernized diet (Standard American Diet). These people never developed the degenerative diseases that we have in the United States. I also learned that there are societies today that never had degenerative diseases until they were exposed to the Standard American Diet. These people now suffer from rampant diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Wow!” You can read the entire interview here.
“Greedy eaters dig their graves with their teeth.”
-Proverb-
