With the holiday season over and everyone returning to school and work, our focus shifts from beach days to packed lunches and school pickups. During a busy week, how do we ensure that the foods we prepare for lunch are braces-friendly?
Regularly eating foods that are harmful for braces can easily cause your brackets to loosen, break or become completely displaced. This not only causes discomfort, but also means more appointments to repair the damages, which may extend the time of your treatment.
WHEN PACKING LUNCHES, REMEMBER SOME FOODS TO FAVOUR INCLUDE:
- Soft cooked vegetables
- Soft fruits
- Soups
- Couscous
- Chickpeas
- Oats
- Baked beans
- Yoghurt
- Soft cheese
- Pasta
- Sliced meats
- Fish
- Smoothies
- Eggs
SOME FOODS TO AVOID INCLUDE:
- Hard foods such as nuts and hard biscuits, hard lollies, ice, crackling, corn on the cob, popcorn. Hard foods such as apples and carrots can still be eaten, but should be chopped into small pieces before eating to reduce the stress placed on your braces.
- Chewy foods such as caramels, toffees, muesli or fruit bars, chewing gum, pizza crust.
- Foods that will discolour the brackets, such as curry powders (turmeric especially), excessive coffee or tea, wine, tomato sauce, beetroot, even mustard. Just remember – if it stains the tongue, it will likely stain your braces. Save these foods to eat right before your next adjustment appointment if you really can’t avoid them.
- Highly acidic foods such as fizzy drinks and citrus foods.
- Annoying foods that are okay to eat but will get caught in your braces, these may include sushi, pepitas, lettuce, coconut and bread.
With braces, the blender is your best friend! If you don’t want to miss out on foods you love, we recommend putting them in a blender. Other ways to prepare food to soften it for braces include roasting, steaming, sauteing, boiling and simmering. Drinking lots of water after meals will also help to flush food from your braces and teeth.
WE LOVE THESE 7 BRACES-FRIENDLY RECIPES, IDEAL FOR SCHOOL AND WORK LUNCHES.
1. Garlic parmesan zoodles
2. Avocado tuna chickpea salad
3. Couscous with roast vegetables (avoid the tomatoes in this recipe if you’re worried about stains)
4. Frittatas (easy to modify, great for using up left-overs!)
5. Pumpkin soup
6. Mushroom risotto
7. Chicken alfredo pasta bake (avoid tomato-based sauces)
Do you have your own recipe suggestions for braces-friendly foods? Share them with us on Instagram or Facebook, we’d love to hear from you!
My Dental Team are your local dentists with Clinics conveniently located in Bella Vista, Shellharbour and Wollongong. Offering a wide range range of general dental and specialist Orthodontist services.