Gums are the hero of the mouth. They keep your teeth secure, protect your oral bones, and battle against bacteria on a daily basis. While we take care to make sure that our teeth are properly cleaned daily, we can often forget to take care of our gums. An easy way to make sure your gums are getting the healthy support they need is through your diet. Read on to discover the best gum-loving foods that you can easily incorporate into your meals to give them an extra daily boost.
Onions
Onions have been proven to be a fantastic food for healthy gums because they neutralize oral bacteria. They have microbial properties that target the most common types of bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities. For great gums, try incorporating more onions into your meals as salad toppers, in sandwiches and burgers, in stir fries, and in soups, stews, and chilis.
Leafy greens
Vegetables like kale and spinach are filled to the brim with mouth-healthy vitamins and minerals. Specifically, they hold vitamin C, which boosts the production of red blood cells and reduces inflammation. Both these benefits battle against irritation and gum disease. Leafy greens require more chewing, thanks to their high fibre content, which is good for gums because the chewing action creates more saliva. This helps to flush out food particles, bacteria, and plaque that may be sticking to your teeth near the gum line. Revamp your diet with power-packed greens by creating salads with them, adding them as a cooked side dish to main meals, and putting them in soups and sandwiches.
Green tea
There is some research which shows that this antioxidant-rich tea can help stave off inflammation in the body. Green tea has specific antioxidants called catechins which help gums fight inflammation caused by the one of the types of oral bacteria responsible for gum disease. Try drinking a cup of green tea daily to give your gums a healthy boost.
Peppers and citrus fruits
Vitamin C is also high in vegetables like peppers of all colors and acidic fruits such as oranges, kiwis, pineapple, and strawberries. Add them into your diet to reap the benefits of this anti-inflammatory vitamin through smoothies, with yogurt, and in salads.
Shiitake mushrooms
Lentinan is an antibacterial compound found in shiitake mushrooms and it fights against plaque-building bacteria in the mouth. This type of bacteria breeds in hard to reach places in the mouth such as in between teeth and along the gum line, and can cause irritation and possibly lead to gingivitis and gum disease. You can incorporate shiitake mushrooms into your meals in a variety of different ways. Try sautéing them as a side to a main course or chopping them up and adding them to whatever vegetable dish you prepare.
Celery, carrots, and apples
Foods that are very crunchy are excellent at scraping away stuck on food and plaque. The hard bits of foods like celery, carrots, and apples get in between teeth and into tooth crevices and can help keep your mouth fresh between brushings. Crunchy fruits and vegetables also happen to be high in fibre, which, again, means they take longer to chew and generate more saliva. Saliva is great for flushing the mouth of bacteria near the gum line. Simply add these foods to your daily diet as snacks to help get rid of food particles between meals.
Milk, yogurt, and cheese
Dairy products are great for teeth because they are high in calcium, a mineral that helps to strengthen bone, but they are also great for your gums. This is because of a protein called casein that is found in most dairy products which helps to neutralize oral acids that are produced by bacteria in the mouth. These acids can be destructive to tooth enamel and gum tissue, leading to irritation or worse. Include a healthy amount of dairy in your diet by drinking a cup of milk daily or by eating snacks that include dairy such as cheese or yogurt.