We are often asked about the relationship between certain eating styles or diets, such as the Paleo Diet, and oral health. Logically, always there is a relationship between the food we eat and the health of our mouth, although it is not the only factor that influences.
A diet that has become popular in recent years is the paleo diet or Paleolithic diet, although strictly speaking it is not a diet, since quantities of food are not weighed, but rather a pattern of eating.
A) Yes, What exactly is the Paleo Diet? And how does it influence our oral health?
What is the Paleo Diet?
In a very simplified way, it consists of adapting our eating habits to those followed by our ancestors thousands of years ago. It's about eating more natural foods and reducing or eliminating processed foods.
Specifically, the paleo diet talks about eliminating grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar and processed foods. On the other hand, the consumption of fruits, vegetables, vegetables, animal protein, eggs, nuts, roots, oils of non-vegetable origin and seeds is increased.
However, this diet must be applied in an adapted and rational way, since not all people have the same food needs, nor do they perform the same amount of physical activity or have the same general health status.
In addition, there are some foods that are discarded when in fact they have a valuable nutritional contribution, such as legumes. Let us remember that our gatherer-hunter ancestors ate what they had within their reach, they could not choose.
Also keep in mind that the Paleo Diet varied by region and the foods available in that area.
The SEEN (Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition) does not advise any unbalanced diet or those that restrict food groups or nutrients that are necessary to maintain health.
How does the Paleo Diet influence oral health and general health?
The current poor diet has been related to many of today's health problems, such as being overweight, food intolerances or cardiovascular diseases, to give a few examples.
It is undeniable that what we eat influences our health, but we must not forget other factors, such as a sedentary lifestyle or chronic stress, which do not benefit us either.
But there are principles of the Paleolithic diet that benefit our dental health:
- Reduce or eliminate the consumption of refined sugars. Sugar is one of the foods that cause more cavities, among other problems.
- Reduce or eliminate carbohydrates. In our mouth, carbohydrates are transformed into simple sugars, which causes oral health problems.
- Drink more water. In addition to the clear benefits for general health, we avoid carbonated, sugary drinks or drinks with pigments that can alter the color of our teeth, such as wine or tea.
- Eating foods with more nutritional and vitamin content helps us to have better defenses, which improves the protection of our mouth against bacteria.
What do we recommend from Ahoa?
Our recommendation is that, if you want to follow a paleo diet, we consult a professional (doctor or nutritionist), who can help us adapt it to our state of health and lifestyle. In a very general way, we can suggest:
- Reduce consumption of processed foods and refined sugars.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables (more fiber intake). Choose whenever we can seasonal foods.
- Eat quality meat and fish, and fresh.
- Incorporate nuts into our diet on a regular basis.
We do not recommend completely eliminating cereals, since some, such as brown rice, are also beneficial for health. And always, of course, ask a professional for advice and follow the advice of any diet with discretion and logic.