‘Try for 5’ this National Nutrition Week 15 – 21 October 2017
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) is taking the opportunity to support National Nutrition Week (15 – 21 October 2017) as vegetables are not only nutritious, they are good for teeth too.
The #NNW2017 theme Try for 5, encourages Australians to increase their vegetable consumption to the recommended five serves per day.
“Australians don’t realise that eating vegetables, alongside dairy foods such as milk and cheese, can help improve oral health”, Chairman of the ADA’s Oral Health Committee, Professor David Manton said.
“Vegetables provide our bodies with important vitamins and minerals, disease-fighting antioxidants and gut-healthy fibre we all need to function and lead healthy lives. Veggies can help prevent tooth decay, fight plaque and also help your breath stay fresh.
“Tooth friendly vegetables that encourage chewing, such as celery, carrots and other crunchy veggies do not contribute to tooth decay or acid erosion of teeth. In fact, these vegetables stimulate the flow of saliva and can actually clean tooth surfaces, and provide a natural shine to your teeth. Saliva also helps neutralise the acid present in other foods and helps loosen food stuck on and between your teeth, reducing decay risk” said Professor Manton.
“All Australians should use National Nutrition Week to ‘try for 5’ serves of vegetables each day. We believe this is a very achievable goal, considering that most Australians eat three meals-a-day.
“Swapping that sugary treat with carrot sticks or celery sticks for either morning or afternoon tea will be a small change that can make a big difference,” Professor Manton concluded.
For more information on National Nutrition Week, visit www.pickrightfeelbright.com or www.nutritionaustralia.org.
National Nutrition Week is Nutrition Australia’s annual healthy eating awareness campaign that has been running for over 20 years. National Nutrition Week always coincides with the United Nations’ World Food Day, which takes place on 16 October.