Not sure if you are eating healthy or that your diet is a winner?  There are many warning signs your body is telling you that the diet you are following isn’t the right choice.  Here are 20 signs that INDICATE you need to change or improve your diet.  If you have chosen to eat the wrong things it can end up causing weight gain and even damage the health of your mouth and the entire body.  Time to get serious with what you eat.

20 WARNING SIGNS YOU ARE NOT EATING HEALTHY

1. When you go to the dentist for a cleaning, they are always scraping off lots of tartar. Certain carbs and sugar feed the bad bacteria in your mouth and this leads to lots of tartar buildup.  Since being on the Paleo diet my tartar has drastically reduced so that now my cleanings are so much easier.
2. You always get cavities-a high carb diet and sugar cause cavities. If you don’t feed the bacteria, you won’t get cavities.  Simple as that.
3. Your gums bleed-bleeding gums indicate a low-grade infection. Same issue as with cavities. DON’T FEED THE BACTERIA.
4. You have bad mask breath-If you notice when you are wearing your mask that you don’t like what you’re smelling! Then cut out sugar, floss after every meal and go see your dentist.  It should not stink.
5. You have splotches or color changes on your tongue-if your tongue changes color something is going on. It could be related to your diet, but it could be other much more serious concerns such as cancer.
6. You have erosion on your teeth. The enamel of teeth is ultra-hard.  It actually burns up my diamond drill bits.  If your enamel is eroding away it could be from a very acidic diet, indigestion or grinding your teeth.  Definitely go see your dentist before it’s too late.
7. Scrapes in your mouth or cuts on your skin don’t heal – Whether you cut your lip shaving, nick your gums with your stiff toothbrush or cut your finger chopping veggies, eating healthy can optimize your time needed to heal. Protein and vitamin C both play a vital role in wound healing.
8. You often have ulcers in your mouth-ulcers in the mouth can be from eating a lot of spicy acidic foods, poor dental hygiene, biting your tongue, stress or from a vitamin B deficiency. Often times a simple change in diet can improve this condition.
9. You often get dark stains on your teeth-stains or dark colored teeth can be from smoking, stain causing food and drink, teeth dying and some medications. Consult your dentist.
10. You snack or binge eat all the time on junk food. Are you constantly downing a bag of chips, cookies or consume the entire carton of ice cream?  This is a signal from your brain that it’s time to clean up and feed your body what it needs.  With a proper diet your craving usually goes away in 4-8 weeks.
11. You often feel tired and run down. This is a signal that your body is not getting enough of what it needs to survive and feel good.  Often it can be from not eating enough protein.
12. You have stomach issues, indigestion and heartburn frequently-Lack of fiber (recommended 28-30 grams per day) can cause constipation or diarrhea. Lots of corn products and diary products can cause pain and discomfort.  I read recently that 67% of packaged products had some form or corn and, in my case, I have a sensitivity to dairy.  If I have cheese and crackers (dairy and corn) I will have a chest pain the next day.
13. You have headaches frequently-about 90 % of headaches on the temples are from clenching your teeth. Headaches in other parts of the head can be from multiple causes but the wrong foods can be one cause.  Also not eating enough food can cause daily headaches as well.  Do you need a night guard for your grinding?
14. If you are having facial break outs (zits) or suddenly start getting more wrinkles- Skin issues are frequently a result of inflammation, which can occur if you are following a diet that’s low in fat and high in carbohydrates. Once in the body, all carbohydrates turn to sugar, a nutrient that causes inflammation. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies and consuming too few fatty acids or too much sugar can also wreak havoc on your skin.  Also, dehydration from not drinking enough water can cause skin issues.
15. Your doctor told you that you are PRE DIABETIC-In many cases you can prevent Type II diabetes from developing just by changing your diet. I have several patients that changed to the PALEO DIET and their prediabetes went away (A1c dropped from 7.1 to 5.7).  Many doctors will prescribe Metformin to help lower your A1c, but that drug has lots of side effects and the FDA just moved to take it off the market as they found it might be causing cancer.  I personally would rather change my diet than take drugs if possible.
16. Your blood pressure is high-In my case after being on the PALEO DIET for 3 months I checked my blood pressure and it had dropped from 120/80 to 110/65. It is still in that range after 2 years of PALEO DIET.
17. You dream of drive through fast foods-this is probably a sign that you are not giving your body the nutrients it needs. A simple way to keep cravings at bay is to add a couple of tablespoons of healthy fat (Olive oil, nuts, avocados etc.) to your meal plan.  Healthy fats tend to level blood sugar levels and ward off many cravings including SUGAR.  This may also help to prevent developing type II Diabetes.
18. You eat processed or prepackaged foods all the time. As far as I’m concerned, I will probably never eat another processed or packaged meal.  If you read the ingredients there are all kinds of chemicals that you can’t pronounce along with tons of salt and sugar.  Did you know that many processed foods contain soap? In my opinion, all of those additives are really not a good combination.
19. You are always getting sick-in many cases a lack of quality protein weakens your immune system. Protein is needed to keep your immune system running properly and if you don’t get enough protein then it is difficult for your body to fight off bacterial and viral infections.  You might find that you experience more frequent colds and illness.  Change your diet and hopefully avoid a lot of sickness.
20. Your BMI is 25 or more-your BMI (Body Mass Index) is just a number, but if your BMI is between 18-25 you are considered normal or healthy. In my case as soon as my BMI got under 25 a lot of things in my body started to improve such as no more snoring, no sleep apnea, no CPAP, arthritis got better, A1c got better etc.  Go to this website and calculate your BMI  https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

SUMMARY-In my opinion, just like changing oil in your car, it is crucial that everyone come in for a cleaning and checkup at least twice a year.   Meantime, we can all eat a little healthier and if we eat foods that help to prevent tooth decay and gum disease, what do we have to lose? THE PALEO DIET has been an awesome improvement in oral health and in many cases systemic health, so I follow it religiously.  If I can help you with anything, please let me know.

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“THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH”.  BRUSH AND FLOSS TWICE DAILY, AVOID SUGAR FOR 2020 AND SEE YOUR DENTIST AND PHYSICIAN ON A REGULAR BASIS.  I think it is safer to go to the dentist than it is to go the grocery store or any of the big stores.