How to Prevent Tooth Decay part 4: Foods

What Do I ACTUALLY Feed My KIDS???

In the last 3 articles, I have gone into the theory of the Dentinal Fluid flow and how this prevents cavities. See the previous 3 articles (1 , 2 and 3)for the details. The Dentinal Fluid Flow could be the missing link for those of us who swear we are feeding our kids a healthy diet and they STILL have several cavities. It happened to me with my first, and I want to prevent you and your child from going through the same horrible, cavity-filling, and re-filling-leading-to-dentist-phobia nightmare that I we went through with my son.

In this article I will cover the foods NOT to eat and include some techniques to make not-so-healthy foods healthier. In the bonus article which you can find in my Toolkit, we will go into detail about what foods to add to your diet of the missing nutrients needed to Heal Cavities.

Let’s recap the 4 keys components to preventing and HEALING cavities:

~ Having sufficient fat soluble vitamins in our diets (vitamins A, D, E, K2)
~ Having WAY more minerals in our diet
~ The consumption of too many foods high in phytic acid
~ Eating too much sugar in all forms

SUGAR
Starting at the top of the list, and the easiest concept for most of us to grasp is:  we need to remove 95% of all added sugar and sweet foods, at least for a few months.

What does this mean?

1)   Obviously; sugar- candy, gummy fruit snacks, cookies, cake, juice (all kinds, even fresh squeezed), soda, chocolate, sugary yogurt, any snack with more than 5 grams of sugar per serving.

2)  Dried fruit; large amounts of honey, canned fruit, fruit cups, fruit leather

BUT there is also a SIGNIFICANT source of sugar in:
3)  Cereal; (we’ll be removing most grains anyway, for the sugar and  phytic acid- though there will be a couple, whole grains you can prepare at home— boxed cereal however is out.)
processed crackers, snacks, cookies, pretzels ( all made from processed grains that contain phytic acid and spike blood sugar— I will provide some recipes for healthy alternatives)
4) Grains- PHYTIC ACID
Remove is food high in phytic acid. We need to greatly reduce the amount of phytic acid in foods. The foods below should be avoided. Later, I explain how you can properly prepare grains, seeds, and nuts in order to lower the anti-nutrient content in these foods.
So, Avoid:

cereal grains
bread- except for sprouted grains
crackers
wheat products (unless properly prepared: sprouted, fermented, soured)
excessive amounts of nuts, unless soaked, and dehydrated

Sprouting, soaking, souring and fermenting

In an ideal world, in order to heal severe cavities, the cereal grains would all need to be avoided 80-90% of the time. However, there are ways that traditional people have been preparing these foods for hundreds of years that reduce the anti-nutrient components to almost zero. Sprouting, soaking, souring and fermenting the grains is how this is done. Below are some sample recipes.

You can purchase a sour dough bread starter here.  I made this one and learned 2 lessons: have patients and use organic white flour only.

Sample recipe:

SOAKED OATMEAL RECIPE from nourishedkitchen.com

Idea for serving: We like to serve these oats with seeds, nuts, dried fruit and yogurt or dairy kefir.

Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1-2 Tbsp Raw Cider Vinegar, Whey, Yogurt, Lemon Juice or Kefir
1 Cup Whole Milk
Pinch of Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
¼ Cup Nuts and Seeds
¼ Cup Raisins

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak rolled oats, seeds and nuts overnight in enough water to cover – adding lemon juice, kefir, whey, yogurt or cider vinegar to the water.
In the morning, drain oats and rinse them well.
Add milk to a pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Immediately turn down heat and add remaining ingredients.
Stir frequently and continue to simmer until oatmeal has thickened to your liking.
Serve with yogurt, kefir and natural sweetener of your choice.

SOURDOUGH STARTER RECIPE (a note on making sourdough bread from Katania: Use organic white flour only.  Don’t get fancy with fancy Red Fife Flour or other: it will not be light and fluffy enough!  This is not an easy process, but worth giving a try!)

INGREDIENTS
16 ounces flour
3 ounces unsweetened pineapple juice ( or use the sourdough starter here.)
10 ounces filtered or spring water

PREPARATION
Make seed culture: Combine 1 ounce of the flour and 2 ounces unsweetened pineapple juice in a large glass or small nonreactive bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. Bubbles should appear after 24 to 36 hours. After 48 hours, add 1 ounce flour and remaining pineapple juice, stirring to incorporate. Re-cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, stirring with a wet spoon twice a day. When it is foamy, in 1 to 4 days, combine 2 ounces flour and 1 ounce filtered or spring water in a medium nonreactive bowl. Add seed culture, stirring to incorporate, and re-cover with plastic wrap. Stir twice a day to aerate.
When mixture has doubled in bulk, in 1 to 2 days, convert it into a starter: Combine 12 ounces flour and 9 ounces filtered or spring water in bowl. Add 4 ounces of seed culture mixture (discard the rest, or use to make a second starter) and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. It should have the consistency of bread dough. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and let rest at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 4 to 8 hours. Knead lightly, then store in container with tight-fitting lid (container must be large enough to let starter triple in bulk). Store in refrigerator.

Tip
Every 5 to 10 days the starter will need to be fed with more flour and water. Follow the directions in step 2 above, substituting starter for seed culture.
THEN YOU USE THIS STARTER IN THE BREAD RECIPE BELOW- IT’S THE EASIEST RECIPE THERE IS!! AND your bread is soured, so PHYTIC ACID is 90% neutralized!!

NO-KNEAD SOURDOUGH BREAD
INGREDIENTS
3 ½ cups/425 grams bread flour
1 teaspoon/6 grams kosher salt
¾ cup/180 grams sourdough starter, “fed”
2 tablespoons/9 grams sesame seeds

PREPARATION
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together 300 grams (about 1 1/4 cups) lukewarm tap water with the sourdough starter, then pour the mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel and leave it to rise overnight, about 10 to 24 hours.
The next day, dust a clean kitchen surface with flour. Scoop out the dough and place it on the surface, then dust with more flour. Gently fold the edges of the dough from the outside in, to form a round loaf. Dust a clean towel with yet more flour and place the dough on it, the seam side down, then cover and allow to double in size, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat oven to between 450 and 550 degrees. Place a covered enamel Dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid into the oven and allow it to heat for 30 minutes or so. Remove the pot from the oven, take off its top, and carefully invert the risen dough into
it, so that the seam side is now facing up. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, then put the top back on the pot and return it to the oven.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, then take the top off the pot and allow it to continue to cook until it is brown and crusty all over, an additional 20 minutes or so. Put the loaf on a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Sprouted Grain Breads are a great option if you are not severely gluten intolerant.  Here are my favorites: Ezekiel and other sprouted grain breads from Food for Life here and here or in the refrigerator section of high end grocery stores. Dave’s Killer Bread even has a version here.

Even Kashi has a sprouted flake cereal if you are in a pinch:  Organic Promise, Sprouted Grains.

NUTS and SEEDS

Unfortunately even nuts contain a significant amount of nutrient blockers, mostly in the skin. They are relatively easy to soak, 8-12 hrs then dehydrate in the oven or dehydrator. See the chart below for directions.

What if I REALLY won’t be SOAKING MY NUTS????

Below you will find a handy chart for how to soak and dehydrate seeds, and nuts.

However, if you REALLY don’t wish to soak your nuts, there are pre-sprouted grains, seeds and nuts on the market. “Better Than Roasted” by Blue Mountain Organics, “GoRaw” and “Living Intentions” , Two Moms Soul Sprouts, Trader Joes, TruRoots and Lundberg are a few brands and can be purchases at local stores.

Check out Healing Cavities Part 4 Bonus article when you join my tribe here at Kataniataylor.com.  In that article I will go into the foods and supplements you need to add to your diet to prevent and heal cavities.

For a personalized program for you and your family, work with me one-on-one. Begin with a free consult and let’s assess your family’s needs and let me put a plan together for your specific needs to take your family’s oral health back!

Other resources:

Tons of Freebies!

Interview with Holistic Dentist Dr. Brad Munninger, Podcast part 1 and part 2 (Functional Orthodonitia)

Healing Cavities Part 1, 2 and 3

Video on Cavity prevention and podcast on Preventing and Healing Cavities

In Health,