Creative Commons image by Ashley Webb
Trying to find good information about losing weight these days is like trying to navigate a minefield. It’s littered with traps like fad diets and overly ambitious exercise routines that may work in the short time, but can set you up for poor health and weight that begins creeping back up almost as soon as you finish dropping it. The best weight loss tips are healthy for your body over the long haul, and will even improve your dental health. Check out a few tips that will leave you feeling healthy and just might help brighten your smile!
Don’t Ditch Dairy
Proponents of fast fix diets are quick to tell you to cut the dairy out of your diet, but you really don’t need to. Choosing low-fat dairy is actually great for a sensible weight loss plan. The calcium in the reduced fat cheese, yogurt, and milk can actually aid weight loss in the midriff area, a major concern for many people.
Dairy also has a beneficial effect on another important part of your body – your teeth. Cheese in particular helps neutralize acids that wear away at your teeth, which makes a piece or two of cheese a smart way to end a meal. Keep in mind that your mouth is actually the front line of your digestive system, and the better you’re able to chew your food, the less trouble you’ll have digesting it, and the healthier you’ll be. What’s good for your teeth is good for your diet goals.
Get Plenty of Sleep
If you’re burning the candle at both ends trying to keep up with a job, a family, a life of your own, and a fitness regime, something has to give. All of the work that you’re doing to try to get your body in shape can be undone by an overwhelming sleep deficit. When you don’t sleep enough, you feel hungrier and have less energy to exercise.
Sleep is also an important part of maintaining your overall health. Lack of sleep increases your risk for depression, high blood pressure, and a host of other problems. In addition, people who aren’t getting enough sleep might be more likely to grind their teeth, which can cause sensitivity to hot and cold and damage to fillings.
Drink More Water
You’ve probably heard all of your life that you’re supposed to drink eight ounces of water a day, but do you do it? How often do you grab a soda, a cup of coffee, or a glass of juice instead of water when you’re thirsty? These may be liquids, but they don’t hydrate you the way that water does. The result is that you end up mistaking thirst for hunger, and you eat more than you should. Actually drinking all that water every day is a very effective appetite control.
Not only will water help you on your weight loss journey, more water can only improve your dental health. Sipping water frequently will help keep plaque levels under control between brushings, and it will help rinse away sugars and other food debris.
The best diet tips are the simplest ones. Eat nutritious food that looks, tastes, and smells good. By following these tips, you can improve your dental health while you whittle your waistline.
