Sugary snacks taste good-but they are not always good for your teeth or your body. The candies, cakes, cookies and other sugary foods that kids love to eat between meals can cause tooth decay. Some sugary foods have a lot of fat in them, too. Did you know that the average American eats about 147 pounds of sugars a year? That’s a big pile of sugar! No wonder the average 17-year old in this country has more than three decayed teeth!

Before you start munching on a snack, ask yourself what’s in the food that you have chosen. Is it loaded with sugar? Read the back of the label to see the amount of sugar contained in the snack. Another choice may be better for your teeth. Gooey or chewy sweets spend more time sticking to the pits and groove surfaces of your teeth. These types of foods will stay in your mouth much longer than foods that you quickly chew and swallow. Damaging acids form in your mouth every time you eat sugary foods. The acids may last up to 20 minutes following your snacking before they are neutralized and are no longer capable of harming your teeth. So, the more times you eat sugary snacks during the day, the more often you feed bacteria the fuel they need to cause decay.

When you are deciding about snacks, think about:

• The number of times a day you eat sugary snacks.
• How long the sugary food stays in your mouth.
• The texture of the sugary food. (Chewy? Sticky?)

Low-fat choices like raw vegetables, fresh fruits, whole-grain crackers or bread are smart choices. Eating the right foods can help protect you from tooth decay and other diseases.