You might have to stop telling children that apples are 'nature's toothbrush'. Just one of the munchy fruits may now contain the equivalent of as many as four teaspoons of sugar, as sweeter varieties of apples are becoming popular. The British Dental Association is now recommending only eating apples or drinking fruit juices at mealtimes, and then washing the mouth out with water, because of the high natural sugar content. Teeth should not be brushed for half an hour after eating an apple in case the tooth enamel softened by their acidity gets stripped off, the BDA warns. You could steer clear of the sweeter varieties of the fruit when you go shopping, but even the healthy vitamin C in apples declines over the weeks they now spend in storage before they reach the supermarket shelves.
You might have to stop telling children that apples are 'nature's toothbrush'. Just one of the munchy fruits may now contain the equivalent of as many as four teaspoons of sugar, as sweeter varieties of apples are becoming popular. The British Dental Association is now recommending only eating apples or drinking fruit juices at mealtimes, and then washing the mouth out with water, because of the high natural sugar content. Teeth should not be brushed for half an hour after eating an apple in case the tooth enamel softened by their acidity gets stripped off, the BDA warns. You could steer clear of the sweeter varieties of the fruit when you go shopping, but even the healthy vitamin C in apples declines over the weeks they now spend in storage before they reach the supermarket shelves.
