Another Famous Vegetarian, Leonardo Da Vinci, understood that bracefaces could still be happy...Braces. Oh my gosh-- I got braces.
Ewwww. I'm sucking on food like a two year old. My teeth hurt just keeping my mouth closed, making eating most of my healthy foods is impossible: those satisfyingly crunchy granola cereals tear up my roots, lettuce and broccoli get stuck in every crevice of my mouth, and stay there until I go in and pry it out with all kinds of torturous-looking devices. The things that are comfortable to consume, I have found, are chocolate, ice cream, and sorbet... not the most slimming options out there.
Being that so many teenagers have braces, and that we get said braces tightened about once every few weeks, and that our teeth are sensitive for about a week afterward, having feasible options for what could turn out to be the equivalent of around two sore months of our lives is central. So what can we eat that isn't pure guilt?
No need to break your teeth over it-- There are still plenty of good options. In these three long days since the alien spaceship Destroyer landed in my mouth, I have found tons of ways to rename the shining menace. What did I tell you were my favorite things to eat with braces? Oh, right, chocolate and ice cream. Yummy. Also, fatty; So I rethought how to get that delicious cocoa cold and creamy taste. I figured: "Hey! That's exactly what a frappucino is! If I get it light, then the guilt is gone!" Yeah- good thinking on my part, except for the fact that my drink tasted a little like wet cardboard, even with the 50 cents extra for coffee and caramel flavor. But the idea still had promise. When I got home, I hit the freezer. My body was screaming for more of what I just had, but with more punch, more satisfaction. My solution: iced coffee. I didn't need a blender; just some instant decaf coffee, a few ice cubes, a little chocolate flavor, and rice milk, which itself adds just the right touch of sweetness. I shook it all up and... Wow! It was really satisfying. I got everything I wanted, and my teeth were completely fine. It also, I have to add, kept me hydrated. It is true, yes, that coffee does dehydrate you a bit (it's a natural diuretic), but when most of it is just water, that really isn't a problem. If you don't believe me, read what Lawrence Armstrong, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Connecticut, has to say about it in his review "Caffeine, Body Fluid-Electrolyte Imbalance, and Exercise Performance."
Of course, smoothies are also an option, as are vegetable- based drinks like V8. But (brace)face it: most of the time, you're not in the mood for that grossly bold tomato base, and you want to actually chomp, really eat food. What I have found hurts least when I want to munch on something solid is soft fruit. I'm not saying rotten fruit-- ripe fruit. Tender strawberries pack a lot of flavor in a little bite; so do apricots and pears (if you cut them into bite-size pieces). These foods also tend to stay out of your braces, or at least come out easily enough with a swish of water. Not only do they fill you up with lots of water, they also have a lot of fiber. Give those a try and see how much pain you avoid by sticking to foods you can actually chew comfortably! More suggestions to come, as I spend more time chowing down with two sets of teeth :)
Ewwww. I'm sucking on food like a two year old. My teeth hurt just keeping my mouth closed, making eating most of my healthy foods is impossible: those satisfyingly crunchy granola cereals tear up my roots, lettuce and broccoli get stuck in every crevice of my mouth, and stay there until I go in and pry it out with all kinds of torturous-looking devices. The things that are comfortable to consume, I have found, are chocolate, ice cream, and sorbet... not the most slimming options out there.
Being that so many teenagers have braces, and that we get said braces tightened about once every few weeks, and that our teeth are sensitive for about a week afterward, having feasible options for what could turn out to be the equivalent of around two sore months of our lives is central. So what can we eat that isn't pure guilt?
No need to break your teeth over it-- There are still plenty of good options. In these three long days since the alien spaceship Destroyer landed in my mouth, I have found tons of ways to rename the shining menace. What did I tell you were my favorite things to eat with braces? Oh, right, chocolate and ice cream. Yummy. Also, fatty; So I rethought how to get that delicious cocoa cold and creamy taste. I figured: "Hey! That's exactly what a frappucino is! If I get it light, then the guilt is gone!" Yeah- good thinking on my part, except for the fact that my drink tasted a little like wet cardboard, even with the 50 cents extra for coffee and caramel flavor. But the idea still had promise. When I got home, I hit the freezer. My body was screaming for more of what I just had, but with more punch, more satisfaction. My solution: iced coffee. I didn't need a blender; just some instant decaf coffee, a few ice cubes, a little chocolate flavor, and rice milk, which itself adds just the right touch of sweetness. I shook it all up and... Wow! It was really satisfying. I got everything I wanted, and my teeth were completely fine. It also, I have to add, kept me hydrated. It is true, yes, that coffee does dehydrate you a bit (it's a natural diuretic), but when most of it is just water, that really isn't a problem. If you don't believe me, read what Lawrence Armstrong, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Connecticut, has to say about it in his review "Caffeine, Body Fluid-Electrolyte Imbalance, and Exercise Performance."
Of course, smoothies are also an option, as are vegetable- based drinks like V8. But (brace)face it: most of the time, you're not in the mood for that grossly bold tomato base, and you want to actually chomp, really eat food. What I have found hurts least when I want to munch on something solid is soft fruit. I'm not saying rotten fruit-- ripe fruit. Tender strawberries pack a lot of flavor in a little bite; so do apricots and pears (if you cut them into bite-size pieces). These foods also tend to stay out of your braces, or at least come out easily enough with a swish of water. Not only do they fill you up with lots of water, they also have a lot of fiber. Give those a try and see how much pain you avoid by sticking to foods you can actually chew comfortably! More suggestions to come, as I spend more time chowing down with two sets of teeth :)
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