Syrup, sugar, and sprinkles spring to mind as Shrove Tuesday approaches, but this day of indulgence can be seriously detrimental to oral health. The excessive sugar in popular pancake toppings erode teeth enamel and can lead to cavities, yellow teeth, and bad breath.
For those still going strong with their New Year diets, the team of dental experts at teeth whitening brand White Glo, have put together a guide on the pancake toppers to save your waistline and your teeth from sugar overload, whilst still enjoying all the tempting treats on offer.
Swapping lemon and sugar for fresh fruit and cinnamon will not only reduce the inevitable insulin spike but cutting the acid from the lemon will decrease damage to the tooth enamel. The experts recommend choosing berries for the least likely chance of acid damage.
Chocolate spread is another of the UK’s favourite toppings of choice, but Nutella contains 8.6g of sugar per portion and the highly addictive combination of palm oil and sugar makes portion control unlikely.
Replace the spread for raw cacao nibs to satisfy the sweet cravings, without the added sugar. However, if a drizzle of chocolate can’t be resisted, opt for Tiptree chocolate spread for slightly less of the sweet stuff at 7.1g of sugar per portion.
While honey and maple syrup are natural sugars, they still soften the teeth enamel. Rowse honey contains 12.2g and Clarke’s maple syrup has only slightly less at 10.6g per portion. The experts recommend opting for a natural protein-packed peanut butter like Whole Earth’s version, for just 0.5g of sugar.
