Confused Yet?

How do we keep up? How do we stay healthy? Omega 3’s? Omega 6’s? Butter? Margarine?

How much Vitamin C? What about Vitamin D? No salt, is sea salt okay ?

Information overload…it can be overwhelming when trying to figure what to eat and what to feed our families. We have access to so much at our fingertips and yet we are more confused than ever?

Everyone is unique and different. We are as different on the inside as we are on the outside, our faces, our fingerprints, our height and our weight, the size of our organs, our digestion and our absorption of the foods we choose. Our differences make it difficult to determine what foods/drinks/supplements that are needed for Optimal Health and Prevention of disease.

Our different lifestyles, exercise activity, stress levels, hereditary issues and health history all contribute to how we should choose our food and our supplements. First and foremost we need to choose our food wisely; locally grown, organic when possible are always the best choices. Getting to know your local farmers and food producers, asking them questions about how they raise their animals and grow their crops. Fresh is best! Eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, try new ones! Get nutty and include nuts in your baked goods, snacks and pasta. Take your kids shopping, stay on the outside aisles and let them look at the colours and smells of the fresh fruit and vegetables. See how many they can name and which ones they remember eating! Stay away from the inside aisles as they contain processed foods that have very little vitamins and minerals.

The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of nutrients is presented as a guideline to prevent nutritional diseases. For example to prevent Scurvy, they recommend 60 mg. of Vitamin C. Someone may feel great with 200mg of Vitamin C a day and the next person may need 2000 mg. of Vitamin C a day. Medications, habits, unhealthy food and drink choices change the amount of vitamins and minerals we need per day.

For Optimal Health and Prevention of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancers we need to choose the healthiest food and supplements available. We are ultimately responsible for our own health and our families’ health. We can do much through preventing health problems. Go and check out your local health food store- Gaudaur’s in Orillia, Nature’s Best and Nutrition Plus in Barrie.

Doing your own research and working with a Naturopath or Holistic Nutritionist will help you determine your unique food and supplement needs. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had vegetable gardens in our backyard, home-canned foods in our root cellars, livestock in our barns and fresh water springs? Sounds like life 100 years ago…

Tammy Gouweloos, RDH is owner of Barrie Dental Hygiene providing a “Whole Body Approach” and is a student in Holistic Nutrition. www.barriedentalhygiene.ca

hiteni? rd
???X ? cause sensitivity of the teeth, so working with a dental health professional will give you the best result. Teeth that have yellow or yellow-brown stains work well with whitening products. Teeth that are grey do not get the same results. Studies have shown that smoking while using whitening products is not recommended. Battery-operated or electric toothbrushes brushes work well to reduce the staining of your teeth and help to keep your gums healthy. Whitening toothpastes are available and have very limited results. Natural products such as baking soda and ground sea salt will have similar results.

 

There are several types of "whitening" products available. The professional treatments include: an"in-office" whitening at the dental office with immediate results and "custom-made home whitening kits" allow for a gradual whitening process where you have more control over the result. Both of these treatments have lasting results, with the option to brighten your smile again in 1-2 years if needed.

Frequent use of whitening products could cause problems and it is not recommended (especially with younger smiles). Tooth coloured fillings or crowns will look different after any whitening products and will need to be redone to match your new smile.

Products purchased over the internet or television may not be safe, comfortable, reliable or effective. Products you can purchase over the counter at your local store will provide you with fair to good results. Always refer to your dental hygienist or dentist when purchasing products. Discontinue with any sensitivity. Talk to your dental hygienist and/or dentist about brightening your smile.

An attractive, healthy smile will make a difference!

info@barriedentalhygiene.ca or 705-722-0030.