As you know, I’ve teamed up with Ziploc to encourage Americans to eat more fresh. If you are a regular reader – you’ll notice, I’m already looking for ways to put a healthy spin on my family’s favorites. Earlier this year, Ziploc Brand partnered with best-selling author and TV personality Rachael Ray for the FreshOver Project, which includes the Ziploc Fresh Eating Survey – a city-by-city snapshot of food-related choices across America with insight into a metro area’s “freshness” ranking.

The Ziploc Fresh Eating Survey gives an interesting look into the most and least fresh cities across America. The top 10 “freshest cities” have residents who seek out and eat the freshest food options available, through farmer’s markets and gardening habits. The least fresh cities are where residents face obstacles to eating fresh, such as a high prevalence of fast food options and a lack of fresh food resources.

Do some of the cities surprise you, like Boston, D.C. and Minneapolis? Me, too! Plus, I was surprised not to see Denver in the top 20 let alone the top 10, so I did a little digging.

(GIVEAWAY INFO AT THE END OF THE POST!)

A closer look at the data

I wanted to compare one of the high ranking cities, Boston, with my closest metro area, Denver, which came in at No. 31. Considering that Colorado is one of the healthiest and “skinniest” states in the U.S.in my opinion, I was surprised it was so low in the freshness rankings.

Survey – What time of day are you most likely to make poor or unhealthy food choices?

Denver-Aurora, Colo.
Breakfast: 10.3 percent
Lunch: 20.7 percent
Afternoon: 25.9 percent
Dinner: 10.3 percent
Late night: 32.8 percent

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H.
Breakfast: 10.7 percent
Lunch: 12.5 percent
Afternoon: 33.9 percent
Dinner: 14.3 percent
Late night: 28.6 percent

Amount of Farmers markets, CSAs and fast food establishments per city

Denver-Aurora, Colo. – rate per 100,000
Farmers Markets: 1.20
CSAs: 0.73
Fast Food estab: 52.4

Denver-Aurora, Colo. – total number
Farmers Markets: 31
CSAs: 19
Fast Food estab: 1355

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H. – rate per 100,000
Farmers Markets: 2.35
CSAs: 2.15
Fast Food estab: 62.0

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H. – total number
Farmers Markets: 107
CSAs: 98
Fast Food estab: 2822

Survey – How often do you eat foods containing fresh fruits and vegetables?

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H.
Rarely: 5.3 percent
1-2 days weekly: 8.8 percent
3-4 days weekly: 10.5 percent
5-6 days weekly: 8.8 percent
Every day: 66.7 percent

Denver-Aurora, Colo.
Rarely: 3.4 percent
1-2 days weekly: 15.3 percent
3-4 days weekly: 11.9 percent
5-6 days weekly: 11.9 percent
Every day: 57.6 percent

Percent of residents with a garden

Denver-Aurora, Colo. - 21.1 percent

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H. - 26.8 percent

I’m looking for more ways to incorporate fresh ingredients into my family’s meals.

Denver-Aurora, Colo.
Strongly agree: 59.6 percent
Somewhat agree: 26.9 percent
Neither agree nor disagree: 9.6 percent
Somewhat disagree: 1.9 percent
Strongly disagree: 1.9 percent

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H.
Strongly agree: 56.6 percent
Somewhat agree: 34.0 percent
Neither agree nor disagree: 7.5 percent
Somewhat disagree: 0.0 percent
Strongly disagree: 1.9 percent

I feel like a good parent when my family eats fresh food

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. – N.H.
81.1 percent: Strongly agree
10.8 percent: Somewhat agree
8.1 percent: Neither agree nor disagree
0.0 percent: Somewhat disagree
0.0 percent: Strongly disagree

Denver-Aurora, Colo.
80.0 percent: Strongly agree
11.1 percent: Somewhat agree
6.7 percent: Neither agree nor disagree
0.0 percent: Somewhat disagree
2.2 percent: Strongly disagree

Some quick conclusions

In Ziploc’s analysis, the categories were assigned the following weights, indicating the relative importance of each category:

• Greater weight – Fruit and vegetable servings and percent with a vegetable garden
• Medium weight – Farmers markets
• Lesser weight – Eats fresh fruits and vegetables, wants to use more fresh ingredients, presence of CSAs, and presence of fast food establishments

Boston’s and Denver’s numbers were fairly close except for How often do you eat foods containing fresh fruits and vegetables? According to the survey, Boston eats more vegetables. I guess all the tomatoes served in Boston’s North End and the potatoes in the clam chowder count for something, right? (I’m being sarcastic. Well, a little.)

Still, results would be very different if they used the Boulder/Denver metro area instead of Aurora/Denver. The results would have been “fresher” as we all know how vegetarian and vegan friendly Boulder, Colo. is. Boulderites love their community gardens, locally sourced food, farmer’s markets, organic produce, and healthy grocery stores, for sure!

Win a Ziploc FreshOver Goodie Bag (value $130)!

Recently several of the FreshOver Insider 5 bloggers attended a FreshOver event in New York with Rachael Ray. (You can watch a video recap here.) I’m giving away another Ziploc prize pack complete with a cooking wok, garlic press and other cooking utensils, a bottle of Terra Medi Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a box of Ziploc Perfect Portions bags, a Ziploc VersaGlass container, and assorted other products in a Baggu bag.

How to enter to win a Ziploc FreshOver Event Good Bag (value $130):

1. In the comments below, tell me your favorite way to make a meal fresh (adding vegetables or fruits, etc.).
2. Sign up for This Mama Cooks! Review’s RSS feed for ONE additional entry.
3. Sign up for my enewsletter for ONE additional entry.
4. Spread the word about this giveaway by submitting a link to this post on Twitter for ONE additional entry. You must leave a link to your tweet in your comment so I can check.
5. Follow @amnichols on Twitter for ONE additional entry.

If you have done any of these additional activities you MUST come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!

Giveaway starts on May 10, 2012 at noon PST and ends on May 17, 2012 at 5 p.m. PST

Click here for the Ziploc Giveaway Official Rules

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Disclosure: I have partnered with Ziploc^® and am being compensated for my posts. However, my opinions on the product are my own.

Results from the Ziploc Fresh Eating Survey-Denver vs. Boston {Win a FreshOver Goodie Bag} #freshover is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

When I ask people why they aren’t eating healthy foods, usually the first thing I hear is that it’s too expensive to do. That’s why I’m hosting a Twitter chat about Eating Healthy on a Budget on Thursday, May 17 at 8 PM MT with experts from LiveWell Colorado.

We’ll be sharing:

• Myths and facts about eating healthier
• Tips for making better choices at the supermarket
• Money-saving hints for family meals
• Budget-friendly recipe suggestions to put these new ideas into practice

Join the chat by following the hashtag #HealthyCO and make sure to follow @amnichols (that’s me!) and @LIveWellCO.

RSVP for the #HealthyCO chat and get a free entrée from Qdoba!

If you RSVP here in advance (and provide your mailing address) you’ll receive a Qdoba Rewards Card with one free entrée from the #HealthyCO Twitter Chat sponsor, Qdoba Mexican Grill.

We’ll also be giving away healthy prizes, such as yoga mats, courtesy of LiveWell Colorado, to those participating in the chat. Hope to see you there!

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Disclosure: As a chat host, I’m compensated for my time and efforts on LiveWell Colorado’s behalf.

Learn how to eat healthy on a budget at the LiveWell Colorado Twitter chat on May 17 #HealthyCO is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Today’s guest post is from Chynna Laird, author of White Elephants, her memoir published by Eagle Wings Press. You can also find her at White Elephants: A Blog About Bipolar and Mood Disorders, Mental Illness and Survival. As part of her  virtual book tour with WOW – Women on Writing, I’ve asked her to share with you her experiences with helping kids deal with stress and anxiety

Teaching young people how to cope with stress

Stress is an ugly thing. We all know it can literally eat you alive if you let it. Adult have access to a plethora of resources to help manage stress ranging from natural to medicinal, but what about our young people? What’s available to them?

When I was younger, I not only had to deal with a parent who had tremendous mental health issues, but she wasn’t getting treatment for it. She chose more maladaptive ways of coping with her bipolar (drinking and prescription and over-the-counter drugs). Life in our house was often scary and always unpredictable. Even on “good” days I wasn’t sure if I would come home to a happy mom, an out-of-control mom, or if she’d even be there. I also had a younger brother I felt I had to protect and take care of. And on top of all of that, I had regular kid stuff to worry about at school. I was a ball of anxiety and very unhealthy.

The worst part in our situation was that we had people who had an idea what was going on but that wouldn’t take us completely out of the situation. I guess others felt that, somehow, my brother and I would give our mother the strength to ‘snap out of it’. Obviously that didn’t happen.

When a child grows up in a chaotic, unpredictable environment like that, it incredibly stressful and unhealthy. Oftentimes these kids aren’t sleeping properly, unable to concentrate, most likely have digestive and other health issues and anxious. The probably have tremendous trust issues and aren’t able to communicate effectively. The most important fact people should understand is that despite anything these kids are going through, there is an unspoken loyalty, or fear of ‘ratting someone out’ that often interferes with them talking to adults even if they have the words.

If things are bad enough, children should really be removed from such an environment into the arms of another loving family member or nurturing person(s) until things are better, if possible. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen soon enough, if at all as in my case. Regardless, we need to help these children learn effective coping mechanisms so they can be brought back to a healthy place. A child who never learns to cope with his stress properly will grow into a very anxious adult.

As someone who deals with anxiety on a daily basis, and who has two children with sensory issues that cause severe anxiety, I have learned a lot about helping kids with anxiety and stress. Here are a few things you can try:

Use your words. This is a tough one to teach but so important. Often kids act out their anxiety or stress, usually on someone closest to them. Children must learn they need to use words, not actions, to communicate their stressor (what’s causing the stress) so that they can figure out what they need to reduce or eliminate the stress.

Name that feeling. No matter how old a child is she needs to learn to attach a label to a feeling. Oftentimes, it’s how the feelings/emotions make their bodies feel that causes the stress or anxiety, not the stressor alone. So if you teach the child to name that feeling (eg: “I feel angry.” “I feel disappointed.” “I feel jealous,” etc.), it won’t get as big and neither will the reaction.

Recognize how the feeling/stressor affects the body. Once the words are there and the feeling is labeled, the child can learn to understand how those feelings affect their bodies. “When I feel mad, my stomach hurts.” What’s happening is the child is learning to become tuned into how their bodies react to stress. Once that recognition is there, they’re more receptive to what they need to do to calm down.

Match the coping strategy to the reaction. This step can take a bit of trial and error but, eventually, the child will learn to figure out what to reach for in a given situation. Bear in mind that each child is different and so the tools/strategies used will also be different. My oldest daughter, for example, needs a tremendous amount of weight to feel calm while my son needs to hide away for a bit. Whether the need to be wrapped in a big, heavy blanket or rocked and sung to or go out an punch a boxing bag, teach them to learn: “When I feel ________ and that makes me __________, I need to ____________ to feel better.” Once a child can get to that point, they’re on their way.

I’m not saying the process is going to be an easy one, especially for children who have lived in extraordinary circumstances. For children who have been abused, neglected or who have had to deal with other trauma, there will be a trust factor that will need to be established as well. But having a genuinely loving, caring adult around who keeps trying will eventually break down the tough exterior these kids build up. Trust me, I’ve been there.

The other things I can add to what I’ve suggested above are educating yourself on what the child is going through. Understand his or her situation in general as well as their specific experiences, because it will be different in each case. And remember they are a child first who just happens to be going through a rough time.

The end result will be that you’re helping these kids define their own path rather than being defined by their situation or traumatic experience. And that’s one of the best gifts you can give them.

Top picture courtesy of © Pepperbox | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos.

Teaching young people how to cope with stress is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

I’m just a few weeks away from finishing up my initial Invisalign teeth straightening treatment. I’m very happy with the results I’ve gotten using Invisalign, except for a couple of teeth on the bottom front of my smile. I don’t believe that the teeth will straightened out and fit into place in the next three weeks, so I’ll be working with my orthodontist to fine tune things. Dr. Goings had told me that we’d go through this period, but until I see him in a couple of weeks, I won’t know how long it’ll take.

Taking the southern route

My biggest concern now is that I’m moving in less than four weeks to Athens, Georgia and will be looking for a new orthodontist. Like so many of you, I’ll be learning how to pick an orthodontist from scratch since Dr. Goings was assigned to me by Invisalign as part of the process of working with the company.

I’ve checked the Invisalign website and found an Invisalign Premier Preferred Provider and an Invisalign Preferred Provider right in Athens. I’ve already checked out their websites and both offices look terrific and the orthodontists outstanding.

Since Nathan will probably start Invisalign next year and Lucie will need braces in a few years, I’ll be making an appointment for the three of us the first week we’re in Georgia. That way the orthodontist I choose can keep an eye on both kids’ dental development to see if anything needs to be done before they get braces, like having teeth pulled. (Nathan’s already had several teeth pulled on the advice of Dr. Goings and our previous orthodontist.)

The continuing journey

While I’m finishing up my Invisalign treatment, my kids will be starting their own teeth straightening journeys soon. I’m so thankful that as a member of the Invisalign Teen Mom Advisory Board, I was able to try out Invisalign before my kids will. The process to getting a gorgeous smile has been easy and fairly painless. I bet the rest of my family will think so, too.

Are you considering starting your own journey to straighter teeth with Invisalign? If so, comment below. I’d love to hear your story or answer any questions you may have!

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Disclosure: I’m a member of the Invisalign Teen Mom Advisory Board. I’m receiving complimentary treatment from Invisalign, but all opinions and experiences expressed are my own.

Finishing up the journey to an amazing smile #invisalignMAB is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

A few weeks ago I told you about the Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Test Drive Program and how they provided me with a supply of Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control products, including:

• Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste
• Crest Pro-Health Clinical Rinse
• Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Pro-Flex Toothbrush
• Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Protection Floss (Glide)

As you can see from the picture above that I took this morning, I’m freshly out of Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste. This happened a bit quicker than I thought it would because I found out that my son, Nathan, had been using it, too. Yesterday, my daughter, Lucie, told me she was using my Crest Pro-Health Clinical Rinse. And while we were traveling, I noticed that my husband, Paul, had a small tube of Crest Pro-Health toothpaste in his bag along with his always present Glide floss. (He’s religious about his flossing.) I also enjoyed using the Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Pro-Flex Toothbrush and took it with me on my last two trips, too, instead of leaving it at home.

It’s pretty obvious from the products’ popularity with my family that we all thought the toothpaste and the mouthwash tasted great and that we swear by Glide dental floss. My son asked me this morning if I was going to buy more Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste, so I’m convinced that my whole family is hooked on the Crest Pro-Health Clinical Line.

Helps keep plaque from coming back

My biggest surprise was the change in the amount of plaque in my mouth. Since I wear Invisalign aligners 22+ hours a day, I have brush them and my teeth often as the plaque quickly builds up on both surfaces. However, since I’ve been using the Crest Pro-Health Clinical Line, the plaque build up on my aligners is almost nonexistent! I’ve been pretty amazed by it and it’s made wearing Invisalign aligners much easier and less of a hassle.

Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control toothpaste claims to help keep plaque from coming back, and in my experience this is a true statement. It certainly helps you enjoy a fresher feeling mouth, too. I’ll definitely be using these products from here on out.

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Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Crest and Oral-B and received product samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central Consulting sent me a promotional gift to thank me for taking the time to participate

Finishing up the Crest and Oral-B test drive #CrestSponsored is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Doctors recommend that we have at least 8 hours of sleep per day for good health. On the average, most of us sleep between 6 to 10 hours which means that we spend 1/3 of our lives in bed. Because of that, many back problems can then be closely related to the condition of the mattress that we sleep on.

If you experience back pain as a cause of medical condition, or even just because of a long and tiring day at work, it is important that you know how to choose the right mattress for you to alleviate and totally prevent any back pain. We need at least 8 hours of sleep per day as it is during this time that our body, spine and muscles can take some rest to recuperate from all the day's activities to be rejuvenated for yet another busy day. If during this time, the body and spine is not getting the essential support that it needs from the mattress, the body will work double time to adapt to the mattress thus can cause back pain.

Most people believe that a firm mattress is the solution to prevent any back pain But this is not always the case as the firmness and support of mattress can vary from person to person and can be affected by a lot of factors like weight and height of the person who will use the mattress. Heavier and taller people will require more support so they will not sink in to the mattress thus getting their needed support, as compared to medium sized person.

To guide you in choosing the support and firmness of your mattress, consider this general rule:

• Firmer mattress is recommended for people weighing 90 kilos and above
• Medium mattress is best for people who weighs between 55 to 90 kilos
• Softer mattress is for individuals who weighs less than 55 kilos or for children

With this in mind, it will now be easy for you to find the right mattress that will give your body the right amount of support while you sleep.

If you are ready to shop for your bedroom furniture and mattress, you can check out TheRoomPlace.com bedroom and mattress selection.

TheRoomPlace.com is an online shop which offers different mattresses from different manufacturer like Englander, Medallion, and Simmons. The mattresses from their site are available in different sizes, firmness and price, so you will surely find the right mattress that matches your body weight and comfort preferences.

Sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress has a significant effect on the quality and quantity of sleep that one will get. The more comfortable you are with your mattress, the more you will help your body to recuperate while you sleep and thus can help avoid back pain.

This post brought to you by our friends at TheRoomPlace.com.

Back trouble is a pain! is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Since undergoing Invisalign teeth straightening treatment, I’ve been obsessed with that fresh feeling you get after visiting the dentist. Since I wear aligners 22 hours out of the day, I’m so bothered by “yuck mouth” that I’ve woken up in the middle of the night just to brush my teeth! I also go through toothpaste and toothbrushes like crazy since I’m always brushing my teeth.

That’s why I’m working with Mom Central on the Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Test Drive Program. They’ve provided me with a supply of Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control products, including:

• Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste
• Crest Pro-Health Clinical Rinse (not shown above)
• Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Pro-Flex Toothbrush
• Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Protection Floss (Glide)

Now, I’m a fan of Oral-B dental products and love, love, love their Glide floss. It’s the only brand I buy. It’s my husband’s preferred brand, too, so I buy the bulk pack at Costco so we always have Glide floss on hand. However, I’ve never liked the taste of Crest since I was little kid. However, I’m willing to give Crest Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste a try to see if the trade off of taste for that “just visited the dentist” feeling is worth it.

I’ll be using Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control products (at least) twice daily for six to eight weeks. And I’ll be posting a review to let you know how I liked the products and if I’ve seen any changes in my oral health.  Hope you’ll stop by to read about my experiences in a few weeks!

Pro-Health Clinical Olympic Games Sweepstakes

While I’m test driving Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control products, why don’t you check out their Pro-Health Clinical Olympic Games Sweepstakes for a chance to win trip to the London 2012 Olympic Games?  To enter the sweepstakes visit crestoralbclinical.com/olympicgamessweeps. You’ll also have a chance to enter into a weekly drawing to receive the full product line of Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control products. The sweepstakes begins on March 15th and runs through May 31st.

What are your favorite toothpaste, floss, mouthwash and toothbrush brands?

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Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Crest and Oral-B and received product samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central Consulting sent me a promotional gift to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Getting that just visited the dentist feeling with Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

CafeWell helps you live a healthier lifestyle is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

As the mother of two preemies, I’m very aware of respiratory syncytial virus, more commonly know as RSV. Luckily for my family, neither Nathan nor Lucie contracted RSV. That’s probably because they were born towards the end of RSV season (Nathan in February and Lucie in March). Also, since Nathan was born seven weeks early and weighed only four pounds when we took him home, we were told not to go anywhere with him for nearly two months and to limit visitors.

What is RSV?

We lucked out, but I do know of several friend’s children – all full term babies – who got RSV.  So what is RSV anyway?

RSV is also extremely common and spreads very easily. RSV can live on household surfaces like doorknobs and bedding for several hours. It can also be spread through touching, hugging and kissing. That’s why almost 100% of children contract RSV by their second birthday. With older children, you probably don’t even know they have RSV because it’s so similar to the cold or flu. However, in very young babies – especially preemies – RSV can lead to a serious respiratory infection.

Symptoms of serious RSV infection include: persistent coughing or wheezing; rapid, difficult, or gasping breaths; blue color on the lips, mouth, or under the fingernails; high fever; extreme fatigue; and difficulty feeding. Parents should contact a medical professional immediately upon signs of these symptoms.

RSV season begins in November and lasts through March for most parts of North America. Serious RSV infection is the leading cause of infant hospitalization, responsible for more than 125,000 hospitalizations and up to 500 infant deaths each year.

Preventing RSV

The best thing parents can do to check out rsvprotection.com for tips on preventing RSV such as washing hands, toys, and bedding frequently. It’s also important you and your child avoid crowds and cigarette smoke.

In addition, parents should also educate friends and family who come to visit and ask them to:

• Postpone a visit if they feel that they may be getting sick, have recently been ill or been exposed to an illness.
• Wash their hands frequently! They should was or sanitize their hands upon entering the home and especially prior to holding the baby.
• Leave their toddlers at home, especially during the winter months. Young children, especially if they attend day care or preschool, often carry germs and viruses, like RSV, that are easily spread.
• Make sure that their clothes are clean and they haven’t smoked or been around smokers recently. Smoke can be very dangerous for underdeveloped lungs.

If they make a fuss, send them to rsvprotection.com and tell them this advice is what your pediatrician recommended.

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Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and received promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Keeping preemies safe from RSV is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

It’s been a stressful few weeks for me and my family due to a home sale and move. While things are finally calming down, I was surprised how much I suffered physically due to the stress and lack of sleep. My skin broke out and I’m sure everything I ate went straight to my thighs. But I was surprised what happened to my mouth. I developed a canker sore on the back of my tongue. It was so painful that I had to stop wearing my Invisalign aligners for two days since the bottom aligner was constantly rubbing against it.

Luckily for me, the canker sore went away on its own after a few days of healthy eating and a a couple of nights of decent sleep. But it got me thinking about how stress can affect your oral health.

Canker sores

There are a lot of misconceptions about canker sores. First, they are NOT the same as cold sores, though cold sores can also appear due to stress. Instead, a canker sore is a type of ulcer inside the mouth, on the gum, on the tongue, or even in the upper throat. They are NOT contagious, unlike cold sores which are. If you have a large canker sore or a few of them, you may also experience fever and swollen lymph nodes.

At least 10% of the population gets canker sores, and women are more often affected than men. About 30-40% of people with recurrent canker sores have family members who also get canker sores. That’s true of my family, and my daughter seems to have one most of the time, poor thing.

No one knows why people get canker sores. For me, I get them when I’m emotionally stressed, not getting enough sleep, or am getting sick. Some people get them as a reaction to spicy or acidic foods. If you have an autoimmune disease, you may be more susceptible to getting canker sores. Sometimes braces or dentures can cause them, too.

Treating canker sores

There are many products on the market that treat canker sores or help relieve the pain. I find it helpful to dip a cotton swab into hydrogen peroxide (the kind for first aid, not the kind for coloring your hair) and dabbing the canker sore with the wet swab. The peroxide will bubble on the sore, which may help it start healing. It’s rather nasty tasting, but I find it helps.

Some physicians recommend sucking on zinc gluconate lozenges or using a sage and chamomile mouthwash.  Others recommend using a toothpaste that doesn’t contain sodium lauryl sulfate as it can cause canker sores in some individuals.

Gum disease

According to WebMD, stress caused an increase in dental plaque, bleeding gums, and gingivitis in a study of caregivers of dementia patients who were under a lot of stress. WebMD also cited a study showing that depressed patients have twice the risk of an unfavorable outcome from gum disease treatment compared to those who aren't depressed.

Now, I’m not sure if it was the stress and depression causing oral health issues or if stressed out people were less likely to have the time, desire or energy to brush and floss regularly. However, I can personally attest to a time I was very stressed out at colleege, and my gums started bleeding and receding. My gut feeling is that it’s a combination of factors – not taking care of your oral hygiene and stress affecting your body.

Bottom line: if you can avoid stress, you’ll have a healthier and happier mouth!

How does stress affect your oral health?

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Disclosure: I’m a member of the Invisalign Teen Mom Advisory Board. I’m receiving complimentary treatment from Invisalign, but all opinions and experiences expressed are my own.

How stress affects your oral health is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!