Choosing Water Keeps You and Your Teeth Healthy!

            For anyone looking to make some small changes in their life and diet to get healthier, both doctors and dentists agree that choosing water over other drinks can make a huge difference. The added calories from different drinks can make it difficult to shed those extra pounds and the extra sugar can make you more prone to develop tooth decay. Below we will share the calories and sugars found in some common drinks and how much sugar is too much for your family’s individual needs.

            Obviously each person has slightly different recommended daily limits of sugar or calories based on their age, health, or activity level. However, we wanted to highlight the averages to give you an idea of what is recommended for different age groups and how much is present in different drinks. Here are the recommended daily limits:

·        Newborns and infants: zero tsp. of zero grams

·        Toddlers and preschoolers: 4 tsp. or 16g

·        Children ages 4-8: 3 tsp or 12g

·        Pre-teens and Teenagers: 5-8 tsp or 20-32g

·        Adult Women: 6 tsp. or 24g

·        Adult Men: 9 tsp. or 36g

Now let’s compare the recommended daily amount to what is found in some common drinks:

• 20 ounce citrus or orange soda
• 19 tsp. or 77g of sugar
• 290 calories
• 12 ounce cola
• 10 tsp. or 39g of sugar
• 140 calories
• 8.3 ounce energy drink
• 7 tsp. or 27g of sugar
• 110 calories
• 6.75 ounce juice box
• 6 tsp or 24g of sugar
• 101 calories
• 8 ounce chocolate
• 12 tsp or 48g of sugar
• 300 calories
• Water
• ZERO tsp or ZERO g of sugar
• ZERO calories

It can be a little shocking to see how those numbers stack up against the recommended daily amount. Even though these are not the standard numbers for everyone, it is good to see how much these drinks can affect our health and our teeth.

            When looking at these figures, I think the key point is to remember to keep everything in moderation. Too much soda or juice throughout the day can be damaging to your body, and being aware of these facts can be very useful in keeping you and your family healthy!

For more information, visit www.brownandkupper.com.

Lee T. Brown, DDS

Brown and Kupper, DDS Inc.