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Are you ready for Halloween?
If you celebrate this holiday, you probably have a ton of ideas about how to make this year’s celebration even more fun for your family. You have to think about the decorations and costumes and ensure you’ve got everything (school, work, sports, and parties) on your calendar correctly.
And let’s not forget about the tasty treats!
Whether you’re making something for your child’s classroom Halloween party or a party in your own home, choosing healthier options is critical to your child’s health. Your kids are going to get a lot of sugar this holiday season. Limiting their sugar intake is one of the best ways to protect their teeth.
Thankfully, your Santa Barbara orthodontist has some great ideas!
We’ve written before about lunch ideas for kids in braces. But preparing for Halloween is another thing entirely. It’s a special time of year when kids (and adults!) want to have fun and allow themselves the opportunity to indulge in some of their favorite sweets.
While you can’t always control what your kids consume, you can significantly influence what they put into their bodies. Here are just a few snack and treat ideas that your Santa Barbara orthodontist recommends.
If you want to talk about something scary, let’s talk about soda. Soda is one of the worst things a person can drink, especially if they have braces.
In addition to the added sugars (10 teaspoons in 12 ounces of soda, according to the Coca-Cola company), the carbonated water is acidic and eats away at the enamel. In fact, a 2017 study found that soda significantly damaged and demineralized tooth enamel after just five minutes of exposure. A lot of people don’t drink a soda within five minutes; many savor the drink for longer, causing even more damage.
One way to avoid soda while still having some Halloween fun is to make your own sugar-free (no added sugar) Halloween drinks. Even healthy, fresh fruit and vegetable juices can taste like a delectable treat if prepared right.
Another way to get the fun flavors of Halloween candy is by making drinks with seltzer water and sugar-free syrups. A word of caution, though. Seltzer water is acidic and can damage enamel over time. Be sure to limit how much your kids drink of it, perhaps saving it for special occasions only.
Like all fruit products, applesauce contains natural sugars. However, these sugars are healthier than processed sugars, and there’s not an abundance of sugar in each serving.
In addition to being low in sugar, unsweetened applesauce contains three grams of fiber per one-cup serving. Kids should get between 19 and 25 grams of fiber each day.
You can make your own unsweetened applesauce or find some in certain supermarkets, farmers’ markets, and online.
You (or your kids) might think a veggie platter is boring. But with some creativity, you can turn this simple snack from ho-hum to delicious and spooky. You can find some great recipes on Pinterest and blogs that show you how to use mushrooms, celery, cucumbers, and more to create a fabulously fun veggie skeleton.
Similarly, you can use various fruits to create monsters or other Halloween-related characters, like Frankenstein’s monster with grapes.
Not every snack needs to be sweet. You can also create savory snacks, like roll-ups, which can provide much-needed energy for after-school activities.
Roll-ups are made with tortillas or lettuce and contain your choice of meat, veggies, sauce, and even some cheese.
Add some homemade googly eyes to them, and you will have fun, Halloween-themed roll-ups that are perfect for a party.
Do you have a hard time getting your kids to eat their greens? Try a fruit smoothie. You can easily sneak in some greens like spinach or kale. Use other greens like Granny Smith apples and grapes to create a creepy-looking green smoothie. Or add some blackberries and blueberries to create a dark smoothie that looks like something on the Addams Family’s Halloween menu.
No, it’s not real candy corn. It just looks like it.
In a clear cup, first layer some pineapple chunks. On top of that, add some orange or Clementine mandarin slices. Top it all off with some whipped cream. You’ll get a fun, tasty dessert that is perfect for kids in braces from a Santa Barbara orthodontist. Adults will enjoy it, too.
Pancakes are great any time of day.
You can find healthy pancake recipes online and pancake mix at the store that are high in fiber and low in sugar.
And not only do these pancakes taste great, but they’re moldable, too. You and your kids can make them together using various pancake molds that are perfect for Halloween, like ghosts and Jack-o-Lanterns.
Brushing and flossing are essential dental homecare activities. Avoiding them will lead to long-term damage and disease, including decay and gum disease – the leading causes of tooth loss.
Oral care at home is especially important for people who wear braces. Bacteria-laden plaque and food particles can easily build up around metal or porcelain brackets and between teeth. Eventually, the build-up can lead to demineralization and white spots on the teeth. Or worse yet, decay around the brackets.
While the suggestions on our Halloween snacks and treats list are healthy, some contain carbohydrates and natural sugars. Just because something is healthy doesn’t mean brushing and flossing aren’t necessary.
Whatever you and your kids eat, your Santa Barbara orthodontist urges you to make sure to clean your teeth to prevent disease.
You and your family have a lot going on this season. It’s imperative that you do what you can to stay healthy. Delicious, healthy snacks and treats will give you the energy to deal with all the holiday additions to your To Do list, keep your immune system going to prevent illness, and keep your teeth and gums strong and disease-free. Plus, when they’re Halloween-themed, they’re anything but boring.
What should you do if you or your child experiences an orthodontic emergency over the holidays? Contact us for more information!
CALL (805) 979-9070
OR
REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT NOW!
