Dental Health: How to Combat Bad Breath

Oral hygiene and the fresh breath associated with it are part of healthy, daily habits. Over time, poor dental care will cause mouth odor. Of course, the foods we eat contribute to bad breath, too. However, bad breath may be a symptom of a health condition of a side effect of a medication

Dental hygiene refers to the practice of keeping the mouth, teeth, and gums clean and healthy to prevent disease. Dental hygiene and oral health are often taken for granted but are essential parts of our everyday lives.

Bad breath in particular can be embarrassing and in some cases may even cause anxiety. It’s no wonder that store shelves are overflowing with gum, mints, mouthwashes, and other products designed to fight bad breath. But, many of these products are only temporary measures because they don’t address the cause of the problem.

Certain foods, health conditions and habits are among the causes of bad breath. In many cases, you can improve bad breath with consistent proper dental hygiene. If simple self-care techniques don’t solve the problem, see your dentist or physician to be sure a more serious condition isn’t causing your bad breath.

Most bad breath starts in your mouth and there are many possible causes. First we must consider what you put in your mouth. The breakdown of food particles in and around your teeth can increase bacteria and cause a foul odor. Eating certain foods, such as onions or garlic, also can cause bad breath. Smoking causes its own unpleasant mouth odor. Smokers and oral tobacco users are also more likely to have gum disease, another source of bad breath.

We also have to be aware of how we take care of our mouth. If you don’t brush and floss daily, food particles remain in your mouth, causing bad breath. A colorless, sticky film of bacteria, also known as plaque, will begin to form on your teeth. If not brushed away, plaque can irritate your gums and eventually form plaque-filled pockets between your teeth and gums.

Some ways to combat bad breath include:

• brush after meals
• floss before bedtime
• gargle and rinse with mouthwash regularly
• chew sugar-free gum
• stay hydrated
• seek regular dental care

The best way to treat bad breath is to take the steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen in the first place. Brush and floss regularly and take care of your mouth!

National Root Beer Float Day

A nice glass of refreshing root beer with rich vanilla ice cream, it doesn’t get much better than that! On August 6th, National Root Beer Float Day tells us to float a scoop of vanilla ice cream in an ice-cold mug of frothy root beer.

Also known as the “Black Cow”, the root beer float got its start in Colorado in a mining camp. Frank J. Wisner of Cripple Creek, CO gets the credit for creating the first “Black Cow” way back in August of 1893. Rumor has it that one night as he was contemplating his mountain soda business, he looked out the window and thought the full moon looked like a scoop of vanilla ice cream. He ran home and added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to his favorite soda from his childhood, root beer, and the rest was history.

Gather up some root beer and ice cream and mix up the perfect root beer float. Enjoy a root beer float over lunch or dinner either at your favorite restaurant or make it yourself at home!

Follow this recipe to enjoy the perfect sweet treat: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/root_beer_float/

National Chocolate Chip Day!

Today, August 4th, is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! People old and young enjoy chocolate chip cookies! It can remind older people of their childhoods when their mothers would bake chocolate chip cookies or would eat a chocolate chip cookie found in a school lunchbox. There are so many styles of chocolate chip cookies and flavors, like hard or soft chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie ice cream, or chocolate chip cookie ‘butter’ spread!

Chocolate chip cookies are a classic American dessert and now a popular cookie all over the world, but did you know that they were invented right here in Massachusetts? In 1938, Ruth Graves Wakefield owned the popular restaurant ‘Toll House Inn’ in Whitman, MA. She planned on making regular chocolate cookies but got the great idea of throwing in chunks of a chocolate bar into it. Much to her surprise, the chocolate did not mix well with the cookie and instead, it filled up with tasty chunks of chocolate.

Locally the cookies were very popular, but they reached widespread status was during WWII. Soldiers from Massachusetts who were stationed overseas shared the cookies they received in care packages from back home with soldiers from other parts of the United States. Soon, hundreds of soldiers were writing home asking their families to send them some Toll House cookies, and Wakefield was soon inundated with letters from around the world requesting her recipe. Thus began the nationwide craze for the chocolate chip cookie. Soon, this spread all over the world, and now people everywhere enjoy chocolate chip cookies!

On National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, celebrate by baking and eating the cookies! In addition to eating them, bake your own chocolate chip cookies. You can even add your own spin and add white or dark chocolate chips, nuts, M&M’s, or more!

National Watermelon Day Part 2

Health benefits of watermelons continued! The only thing we love more than all of the positive healthy aspects of watermelon, is eating it in creative ways! Check out this fun tutorial for how to make a watermelon basket at home!

Contains Compounds that May Help Prevent Cancer:

There is evidence that the lycopene found in watermelon is associated with lower risk of cancer of the digestive system. Studies indicate that lycopene can reduce cancer risk by lowering insulin-like growth factor (IGF), a protein involved in cell division. High IGF levels are linked to cancer. Also, cucurbitacin E is being studied for its ability to inhibit tumor growth.

Improve Heart Health:

The antioxidant lycopene that is found in watermelon may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps to prevent oxidative damage to cholesterol.

Choose Watermelon to Prevent Heart Attacks:

According to studies, lycopene may help reduce stiffness and thickness of artery walls. Watermelon also contains citrulline, an amino acid that may increase nitric oxide levels in the body. Nitric oxide helps your blood vessels expand, which lowers blood pressure. Both of these antioxidants found in watermelon working together helps promote heart health!

Lowers Inflammation and Oxidative Stress:

As we know, inflammation is a key driver of many chronic diseases. Watermelon may help lower inflammation and oxidative damage, as it’s rich in the anti-inflammatory antioxidants lycopene and vitamin C. In addition, the antioxidant lycopene may also benefit brain health. For example, it may help delay the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Important for Eye Health:

Lycopene is found in several parts of the eye where it helps protect against oxidative damage and inflammation. It may also prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is a common eye problem that can cause blindness in older adults. Lycopene’s role as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound may help prevent AMD from developing and getting worse.

Helps Relieve Muscle Soreness:

Watermelon juice has some potential as a recovery beverage after exercise. Citrulline may be partially responsible for its effect of easing muscle soreness.

Good for Skin and Hair:

Two vitamins in watermelon — A and C — are important for skin and hair health. Vitamin C helps your body make collagen, a protein that keeps your skin supple and your hair strong. Vitamin A is also important for healthy skin since it helps create and repair skin cells. Without enough vitamin A, your skin can look dry and flaky. Both lycopene and beta-carotene may also help protect your skin from sunburn. We KNEW there was a special reason behind eating watermelon during the summer!

Awesome Avocados!

At Private Home Care, avocados hold a special place in our pantry because they are a great choice for older adults! In addition to many nutritional benefits, they are easy to eat, which is ideal for those who may have difficulties swallowing. Sometimes older adults have digestive issues due to medications, and the high levels of fiber found in avocados helps with healthy digestion.

Avocados also aid with weight gain for seniors and can be incorporated into many different types of foods, including salads, smoothies, on toast, and more! Avocados are a wonderfully versatile food, and can be used to savory or sweet dishes, or be eaten as is!

Avocados are a superfood and have many health benefits! More reasons why we love avocados:

Filled with nutrients:

Vitamin K: 26% of the daily value (DV)

Folate: 20% of the DV

Vitamin C: 17% of the DV

Potassium: 14% of the DV

Vitamin B5: 14% of the DV

Vitamin B6: 13% of the DV

Vitamin E: 10% of the DV

Avocados also contain small amounts of magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorous and vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin).

Avocados have more potassium than bananas! Potassium is important for supporting healthy blood pressure levels!

Plenty of good-for-you fats: The majority of the fat in avocado is oleic acid — a monounsaturated fatty acid that is also the major component of olive oil. Oleic acid has been associated with reduced inflammation and shown to have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer.

Loaded with fiber: Avocados have higher levels of fiber, which benefits digestion and can contribute to weight loss, reduce blood sugar spikes and is strongly linked to a lower risk of many diseases.

Lowers cholesterol: Eating avocado can improve heart disease risk factors like total, “bad” LDL and “good” HDL cholesterol, as well as blood triglycerides.

Avocados are high in antioxidants, including lutein and zeaxanthin. These nutrients are very important for eye health and lower your risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.

May help prevent cancer: Some test-tube studies have shown that nutrients in avocados may have benefits in preventing prostate cancer and lowering side effects of chemotherapy.