So there has been quite a lot of discussion on kids’ health in Harrisburg especially with the Wellness Challenge in the city. My kids came for the weekend which was nice so I was trying to get them interested. At the moment, there is a focus on dental hygiene and health. And one way to ensure kids dental health is by focusing on the child’s diet apparently. Thus, key to dental hygiene is regular dental visits and a good diet, with minimal sugar and acid.
The problem today, according to Children’s Dental Health Associates owner, Dr. Eric Felix, is that kids are consuming huge amounts of fruit juices and candies that all attack enamel. In other words, pure sugar is being put directly into their teeth. What parents also have to be aware of is the amount of fruit snacks and gummy vitamins they are consuming since their sugar content in these is also extremely high. Thus the advice being given to parents is to remember that fruit roll-ups are basically candy and should be treated as such – as an occasional treat, not as a “fruit.”
That’s definitely something I didn’t know and will be trying to modify in my kids’ diets also. But it’s really so hard since I see them so rarely all I want to do is spoil them; I guess I’ll have to find other ways to do this now, not with sweet treats as they won’t thank me for that in the end.