Frosty, Tooth Friendly Treats Your Kids (And Your Dentist In Wheaton) Will Actually Love
For most kids, summer if a fun carefree time filled with swimming, day camp, sleeping in, staying up a little later and getting time to relax away from the school year. But summer is also filled with sugary foods that may damage your child’s teeth…and yours, too! At Bauer Dentistry & Orthodontics, we believe that preventative care is key, so here are some fun, summer and tooth friendly foods that your kids will love and your dentist in Wheaton will approve of!
- Grapesicles – Grapes are already naturally sweet snacks for kids, but freezing them turns them into a tasty, icy treat that kids can’t resist. Grapes provide vitamins and minerals that strengthen your teeth. To make grapesicles, you’ll need seedless grapes, paper towels, wax paper, a cookie sheet, a bowl and some water. Remember, it’s important to use seedless grapes, because grape seeds are inedible.
Fill your bowl with water and place your grapes in the bowl. Let them soak for about ten minutes. Agitate them with your fingers, to get any dirt or wax off of your fruit. Dry the fruit with the paper towels. Line your cookie sheet with wax paper and place the fruit onto the sheet, making sure they don’t touch. For extra sweetness, you can sprinkle them with stevia or Splenda at this point. Put the fruit in the freezer for 4-5 hours. After they’re sufficiently frozen, they’re ready to eat. You can also save them for later or store any leftovers in a sealed bag or container. But you may not have any; these grapesicles get eaten up fast!
You can experiment with other juicy fruits, like berries, pomegranate seeds, orange slices, watermelon and cantaloupe.
- Frozen Smoothies – Frozen smoothies have all of the benefits of eating fruits and veggies, with the creamy deliciousness of a milkshake. Not only are whole fruits and veggies good for digestion and provide tooth strengthening nutrients, but the yogurt reduces the mouth acids that often corrode teeth.
The key is to freeze everything you plan to blend; this gives your smoothies the chilly, crystalized goodness of a shake. You will need a blender (hand blenders work, too), ice cube trays, wax paper, a cookie sheet, a knife, a cutting board, unsweetened yogurt (vegan, vegetarian or dairy), fruits and veggies that blend well with sweeter flavors. We suggest a mix of low-fat yogurt, bananas, berries, carrots, and cucumbers. First pour your yogurt into the ice cube trays and put them in the freezer. Next wash and peel your veggies and fruit. Make sure to peel your carrots and cucumbers especially; this will make for a smoother smoothie. Cut your fruit no larger than one inch by one inch, this will help them to blend easier. Line your cookie sheet with wax paper and place the fruit onto the sheet. Make sure the fruits and veggies don’t touch. Freeze the fruit and yogurt for about 5 hours.
This is the fun part! Grab your blender or hand blender and pour some un-frozen yogurt into the bottom of the container. This will make sure your smoothie blends well. Then, load up your blender or container half full with your yogurt cubes and cut fruits and veggies. Blend and enjoy!! You can add Splenda or stevia if your smoothie is too tart. You can also have a ready supply of smoothie fixings by storing the frozen veggies and fruit in a sealed bag or container.
Experiment with different fruit, veggie and yogurt combinations; you can even have a smoothie tasting, to determine family’s favorites!
- Healthy Orange Dreamsicles – Summer isn’t summer without orange creamsicles, but store bought creamsicles are full of sugar and preservatives that are not only bad for your teeth, but bad for your overall health. These delicious treats are called “dreamsicles” because they’re a dream come true–they have all of the goodness of whole oranges and yogurt, but taste like the real thing! They also provide vitamin C and calcium, which strengthens teeth and bones.
You will need oranges, vanilla yogurt, Splenda or stevia (optional to taste), a blender and ice-pop molds. If you don’t have ice-pop molds, you can use plastic cups, a muffin tin and wooden craft sticks or straws. To prepare, you would place the cups into the indentations in the pan, then stick the straws or sticks into the cups. If you use craft sticks, make sure they are food safe.
Peel and quarter your oranges. Place them, along with your yogurt, into your blender. Blend until smooth. Taste your mixture and add stevia or Splenda as needed. Pour the mixture into ice-pop molds or into your cups. Make sure all handles are placed firmly in the mixture and freeze for at least 6 hours. When frozen, run lukewarm water over the mold or the cup to loosen your dreamsicle and enjoy!
Experiment with other flavors such as lemon, lime or mango. Add raspberries to your mixture for an added kick of sweetness and flavor.
Bauer Dentistry & Orthodontics Believes That Summer Can Be Fun And Tooth Friendly
Your Bauer dentist in Wheaton knows that summer treats can be delicious and healthy for your teeth and body. Contact Bauer Dentistry for more tips on keeping your summer fun and your teeth healthy. Make the appointment to speak to your family dentist in Wheaton about keeping maintaining the health of your teeth in any season.