Why a Plant-Based Diet is good for Oral Health
We go to the doctor whenever we feel not quite right. Less since Covid-19. You might get a physical or take an annual health assessment test just to make sure everything is still working as it should be.
But you are also supposed to go for your “annual” check-up with your dentist, too. A lot of us don’t like going to the dentist because they always find something that is wrong with us and it seems more painful than any other medical experience we have had before.
Right? Wrong! Well….not exactly wrong but my point is this: There’s usually nothing seriously wrong with me when I go to the dental clinic but there are things that sometimes need attention or I simply ignore them until I come back again in 6 months for another look under the microscope. When you get to your mid-30s, you start to think about not only looking good but also staying healthy.
Is it necessary to go plant-based even straight away?
That’s the ideal situation, however, sometimes it takes us time to come out of our bad habits and into our good habits. I stopped eating meat totally when I was 42 when I learnt about the animal cruelty involved and the health benefits and environmental factors followed. I started thinking about plant-based diets but I didn’t go plant-based to start with I first went vegetarian, then pescatarian then vegan and finally I became a plant-based vegan.
What was my turning point?
But it wasn’t until I read the book The China Study by T. Colin Campbell that my thinking became more serious about plant-based diets as a way to stay healthier for life.
So….back to the story.
I went back to the dentist one year after going plant-based and guess what? The dentist immediately noticed a major difference in my teeth since he had last seen me! They told me, “Your gums look better now than when you were here last, your teeth are great, and you don’t need to see the hygienist! What did you do? I thought plant-based diets cause gum disease. They don’t, I said to my dentist they make your gums and teeth better. My dentist now calls me boring and says. “There’s nothing to see here, see you in 6 months.”
But doesn’t plant-based mean pretty much vegan…. right? my dentist asked me next. Yes, I told them they are right but, in my case, plant-based is more of a plant-focused diet, not a vegan diet. Although I am vegan because vegan is a lifestyle and not a diet.
So, plant-based is plant-focused, what does that mean? Simply put plant-based diets are plant-focused. This means the main staple of your daily meals consists of plant foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, and legumes…. not processed foods, dairy, or meat.
Are plant-based diets for everyone?
I know it sounds simple but plant-based diets are not just for vegans. They are for anyone who wants to improve their health without having to take medication all the time. In fact, they help to reverse lifestyle diseases and the aging process.
If you want to reverse aging, then try plant-based eating with lots of veggies and fruits too! Your levels of insulin will reduce dramatically if you go plant-based because they help balance blood sugar levels in your body which decreases glycation—the process where excess sugars bind to proteins and form harmful new molecules called Advanced Glycation End products.
What’s the deal with Blue Zones?
A plant-focused diet is what all the other blue zones areas are doing too, not just Loma Linda which has the most plant-based breakfast cereals in the world available at their local markets but Okinawa, Sardinia, Nicoya Peninsula, Icaria…countries with high concentrations of centenarians who have similar plant-focused diets as well.
So plant-based diets are good for you….? but why are they so successful? Ye sof course they are as long as you stick to a plant-based diet and don’t go off the path.
Because plant foods contain lots of nutrients that cannot be found anywhere else like vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, etc they are superior to other sources of food. These natural foods will help protect your body from disease. And if you go plant-based you’ll be not only improving your dental, physical, emotional, and mental health but you’ll also be helping the environment too.
Since plant-based diets are plant-focused, this means you have lots of plant foods in your diet, so they contain high amounts of fibre which helps with weight loss and controlling your blood sugar levels…lowering the risk for diabetes. It’s a no brainer, isn’t it? You can lose weight and reverse type 2 diabetes by going plant-based? Why doesn’t everyone do it?
People who are plant-focused eat more whole grains instead of processed white bread which will decrease inflammation in your body because its the low glycemic index. Did you know dairy has the same insulin index spike as white bread?
Plant-based eating is good for you we all deep down know this but it’s not until we hit a major lifestyle disease that we decide to change. What if life could be different and we didn’t have to face the diseases of diet and lifestyle? What if we choose to be healthy and happy rather than eat with our eyes…?
Another issue relating to the plant-based diet is protein and the questions I normally get asked are. “Where do you get your protein from?” That’s another article.
For now, though, the main food items you should be eating is all things vegetable and fruit sparingly. Too much fruit can cause tooth decay just like any other sugar, but vegetables, legumes, pulses and grains can be consumed as part of a healthy diet. All things plants in moderation.
To get more plants into your diet learn how to cook. Learn to cook simple foods with variety and aim to eat the rainbow. You can try some of my plant-based recipes for a healthier lifestyle and a healthier happier you.
See also: Plants vs. Coronary Heart Disease
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