Whether you’re ready for it or not, the holiday season is coming up very soon. While your mouth may be watering already at the thought of turkey, egg nog, and gingerbread cookies, your teeth are bracing for the impact that all those sticky, sugary holiday foods will have on them. Fortunately, not all holiday snacks are dangerous to your dental health. But do you know which ones are good for your teeth and which aren’t?

With 32% of people saying they’re concerned for the way their teeth look, you’ll want to be mindful of what goes into your mouth this holiday season. Let’s discover which traditional holiday foods are bad for your teeth and which ones can actually help you keep them healthy.

Naughty: Egg Nog

Delicious though it may be, egg nog is really high in sugar, which makes it a bad choice for your teeth. If you just have to have some this holiday season, try making your own with less sugar and little-to-no alcohol with one of the great recipes you can find online. It may not taste exactly like what you get at the store, but your teeth will thank you.

Nice: Turkey

Turkey meat is non-fermentable and as a result, it won’t stimulate any cavity-causing responses in your mouth. This protein-rich bird also contains phosphorus, which helps you produce strong, healthy teeth along with calcium. However, drowning your turkey in sugar-rich cranberry sauce can diminish any benefits you’re getting, so use that sparingly.

Naughty: Candy Canes

When it comes to maintaining healthy teeth, candy canes are a lose-lose holiday treat. If you crunch down on them, pieces of the candy can get lodged in your teeth, causing decay and possible fractures. On the other hand, if you just suck on them, you’re exposing your teeth to the sugar for that much longer, which can considerably increase your risk of developing cavities.

A survey conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found that 99.7% of all adults, practically all of them, believe that a healthy smile is important to enjoying a healthy social life. If you’re a part of this vast majority, you may want to avoid candy canes altogether this Christmas.

Nice: Cheese

This may come as a surprise, but cheese is actually great for your teeth. This is because it’s a naturally antibacterial food and it has lower pH levels that help lower the acidity in your mouth. This doesn’t mean that a cheese wheel would make an adequate toothbrush, but it does mean that you don’t have to feel any guilt about consuming this popular delicacy. When that cheese plate gets passed around, don’t be afraid to grab a handful.

Naughty: Chocolate

When it comes to chocolate, there’s both good news and bad news. The bad news is that highly-common milk chocolate, which is fairly light in color, is notorious for having a lot of sugar in it. The bacteria in your mouth digest this sugar as you’re eating it and this process produces acid that can dissolve the enamel on your teeth, leading to cavities later on. But this is the good news: pure dark chocolate is actually okay for your teeth because it has less sugar in it. The darker the chocolate, the better it is for your teeth. Just be wary of the light, sugary stuff.

Nice: Mixed Nuts

Nuts are like little bombs of healthy nutrients, and your teeth like them as much as your body. They contain such nutrients as iron and magnesium, two incredibly important minerals, and they also supply a considerable amount of calcium, which contributes to strong teeth. Eating nuts also stimulates saliva production, which helps keep harmful bacteria at bay. Basically, eat as much of these as you like!

Naughty: Dried Fruit

Even though dried fruit is marketed as being nutritious, it’s very high in concentrated sugar. This isn’t because sugar is injected into dried fruit, though. Sugar is naturally-occurring in most fruits. However, the sugar content inside becomes highly-concentrated when you extract water from the fruit in the drying process. As a result, dried fruit has seven times more sugar content than fresh fruit does. Yikes!

If you and your family choose to enjoy dried fruit as a holiday treat, make sure you drink lots of water to wash it away from your teeth. A 2012 study by the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry discovered that more than 65% of parents using bottled water didn’t know how much fluoride it contained. Fluoride is considered by the dental industry to be important for your teeth, so be sure to check the fluoride levels in the water you drink.

Nice: Vegetables

Fortunately, veggies are one of the holidays’ redeeming qualities when it comes to healthy eating. Not only are most vegetables high in vitamins and minerals, but the fibrous ones (like carrots and celery) work like toothbrushes as you eat them. Their fibrous texture help to remove plaque, which would inevitably turn into tartar within 72 hours, as you chow down on them. Even though they’re probably not the highlight of anyone’s holiday, make sure your Christmas and Thanksgiving meals have plenty of deliciously-prepared vegetables available.

Naughty: Ice Cubes

Some 90% of U.S. households regularly indulge in a sweet, frozen treat, but we often neglect to talk about ice cubes. Yes, ice cubes. This “food” can be especially hard on your teeth during the wintertime. Because ice is so hard, eating it can cause the enamel on your teeth to chip off, in some cases leading to fractured or even broken teeth. It’s an especially bad practice for those with braces or recent dental work. And when you pair eating ice with the rapidly decreasing winter temperatures, which cause your teeth to contract, you end up with a recipe for trouble. If you enjoy eating ice, this may be a habit you should rethink this winter.

Nice: Sugar-Free Gum

When you’re finished with a big holiday meal, top it off with a piece of sugar-free chewing gum. This will increase saliva production, helping to neutralize and wash away acids produced by bacteria in your mouth. Besides this, it gives you minty-fresh breath, which is especially appreciated during crowded get-togethers.

Now you know what foods to avoid and which ones to pay special attention to throughout this holiday season. As a rule of thumb, remember that anything good for your body is good for your teeth, and vice versa. With that in mind, you can mindfully snack your way through the next couple of months. Happy holiday feasting!

Being a mom of kids and pets means I have done my fair share of cleaning around the house. One of the things that I can tell you that gets the dirtiest in your home is your floors. This is especially true if you have a pet and this can be really true when you have multiple pets! When you have kids and pets you honestly need on floor duty almost daily if not more. You can’t just have any vacuum either, having a good one is IMPORTANT!

Not all vacuums are the same. They come in a variety of price tags with different features. I am going to tell you about the BISSELL CrossWave Cordless Max at Best Buy and why you are going to want one to clean your floors with!…

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Finding an exercise routine and sticking to it is incredibly challenging, and you’re not alone if you’ve been struggling to make it to the gym. In fact, 67% of people with gym memberships never use them. But what about an exercise routine makes it so difficult to stick to? Many people looking to improve their cardiovascular health through exercise often try the same tired methods: running on the treadmill, using a stationary bike, and so on. Over time, these get boring and can cause people to lose their motivation to work out. Instead, if you’re wanting to work on your cardio, give a few of these exercises a try. It won’t even feel like you’re working out, but you’ll still get all the benefits of routine cardio and then some.

Try Out A Sport

Plenty of adults love to watch sports on television, and even if you know all the rules of the game, you might rarely play it yourself. The five largest sports in the U.S. are football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer, and all of these make for excellent exercise. Next time you’re thinking about checking out the big game on TV, why not get a few friends together to play a round of it for yourselves? You’ll have all the excitement of your favorite sport, plus it makes for a fun get together that keeps you and your friends active.

Get Active With The Family

Finding it hard to make it to the gym because of the busy schedule of parenting? There are still plenty of opportunities for you to fit in your cardio exercise; just start including your family in your plans. Your kids and pets will be glad to have the extra time to get up and moving during the day. After all, most dogs benefit from daily aerobic exercise and a 30-minute walk, and will be more than happy to help you get out of the house more often. Having your family involved can also help add some extra accountability and motivation. You’re more likely to get working on your cardio on a regular basis if your kid gets into the habit and expects to have outdoor play time with you.

Join A Club Or Class

If you’re looking for an opportunity to treat yourself to some time away from the kids and the stress of parenting, use it as a chance to work on your fitness. Plenty of local gyms and clubs have fitness classes that you can use to learn a new activity or make some new friends. There are all sorts of classes for people interested, including everything from yoga to dance to more traditional sports like tennis. This last one is an especially great cardio workout; playing tennis for fun can burn around 169 calories in 30 minutes for a woman. Don’t be afraid to step outside the box and check out new activities through local clubs and class offerings. You might just find your new favorite pastime in the process. Just make sure you take the time to wipe down any gym equipment before and after you use it — you don’t want to catch a cold during a good workout!

Sticking to a cardio routine can be a challenge, but some of these activities and suggestions can make it less of a chore. It’s time to ditch the boring treadmill and stationary bike for some more exciting activities. Before long, you’ll be out there with the best of them and working on your cardio on a regular basis. What do you use to improve your cardiovascular health and fitness? What activities make exercise more enjoyable for you?

Are you a fan of Hallmark movies like I am? I am really a fan during the holidays as I love fun family movies with a little romance sometimes. If you like to enjoy reading and collecting books you are going to want to add Wrapped Up In Christmas from Hallmark Publishing to your reading list. This is a book that you can add to your bookshelf that is based on a Hallmark Original Movie…

Here is the scoop on what Wrapped Up In Christmas  is all about: …

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