- Reduce Your Intake Slowly
To prepare for the culinary overload this Christmas, practice avoiding sweets by starting a few weeks early. Gradually reduce your sugar intake by eliminating one sweet vice at a time. When Christmas comes around, you’ll have gained more willpower.
- Eliminate Sugary Drinks
A lot of sugar you ingest is hidden in your beverages. Be mindful of the drinks you consume and their sugar content. It doesn’t need to be summertime in order to swap your favorite sodas with refreshing lemon or cucumber-infused water.
- Chew Gum
Chewing gum is a great way to divert your oral fixation for chewy candies. Gum also helps you continue to produce saliva, and cavity-causing bacteria. Remember to choose sugar-free gum.
- Eat Fruit
Replace your sucrose fix with more natural sugars like fruits. Apples are great for scrubbing the teeth and helping produce more saliva. And berries are great teeth whiteners.
- Eat Regularly
Don’t forget to eat and enjoy! When you skip your meals (even the holiday ones) you allow your sugar cravings to skyrocket, leaving you vulnerable to a sweets binge. Instead, make sure you eat multiple well-balanced meals so that you aren’t hungry searching for snacks.
- Create Diversions
Even with gradual reduction there will be times when weaning yourself off of sweets doesn’t seem to be working. To stay strong, seek options for a diversion. For some people taking a walk may be just the trick. For others, taking a nap or calling a friend for a chat is more helpful.
- Savor Your Sweets
If there is a time that you do enjoy a candy or cake, try to chew longer and pay attention to the flavors. You’ll find you can really enjoy fewer helpings and appreciate each bite as a true “treat”.
- Drink More Water
As always, water is a key element in achieving healthy oral care and conquering a sweets compulsion. Drink more and you’ll find you are hungry less often, and thereby less likely to seek snacks and bonbons.
- Reduce Refined Foods
Another hidden sugar is refined foods. The refined carbohydrate intake does just as much harm as sugar, as it is a form of sugar itself. Try to avoid crackers, and white breads and pastas.
- Quit Cold Turkey
If you think you have the strength to quit consuming sweets, outright, then go for it. Make the conscious decision to improve your health and teeth this Christmas and eliminate sweets from your diet.