Drs. Bloom & Wygodski

Healthy Fats - Healthy Mouths

Are all fats created equally? Absolutely not. During the low-fat diet craze, fat became vilified as unhealthy but some fats are actually nutritionally beneficial to your bodily health and your dental health.

These healthy natural fats fight inflammation in the body. Inflammation is associated with periodontitis (advanced gum disease) as well as strokes and even diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

The key is to add healthy natural fats into a balanced low-carb diet. Good sources of healthy fats include:

• Fish like salmon, trout, mackerel and herring
• Oils including flax seed, olive and coconut oils
• Foods such as avocado, butter and cream
• Nuts and butters such as peanut butter, walnuts, almonds and pistachios

As with anything, moderation is the key to maintaining good health. Your body needs some fat to maintain its health, but don’t go overboard adding healthy fats into your diet. Science tells us to swap margarine for real butter, eat fish once or twice a week, add a handful of walnuts to your yogurt or spread a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter on an apple as an afternoon snack for the healthy fats.

If you already have periodontitis, continue your rigorous treatment program to keep your periodontitis under control as well as enhancing your treatment with the addition of some healthy fat consumption.