One of the most beneficial foods for bones and teeth is one that fewer households are putting into their refrigerators, partly due to the extremely high price of food. A gallon of milk used to be affordable and plentiful in U.S. households, but recent rises in transportation costs and the price of the corn upon which most cattle graze has made it more difficult for families to continue keeping their refrigerators stocked with gallons of milk. The highest sustained gasoline prices in the nation’s history doesn’t improve the situation, either. And that means more children and adults are experiencing problems with their teeth due to a decrease in calcium and in increase in the intake of sodas and other soft drinks.
Teeth Need Calcium to Stay Strong
Calcium is what makes bones and teeth rigid and strong, and that means drinking a lot of milk to take in the calcium people need. Unfortunately, milk intake in the United States in 2011 hit its lowest point in 30 years despite the population rising by more than 50 million over the same time span. Milk once only was challenged by water as the top drink in the United States. Now, it is only the fourth most drunk liquid behind carbonated soft drinks at the top spot, bottled water at number two and beer at number three. On average, people each drink about 45 gallons of soft drinks, 28 gallons of bottled water and 21 gallons of beer versus only about 20 gallons of milk, according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. In 1970, people on average drank nearly 30 gallons of milk.
More Soda and Less Milk Is Bad
The proliferation of soft drinks across the nation has resulted in a lot of ongoing dental work for dentists. When parents let their children drink sodas instead of milk, they not only are allowing their children to take in sugary substances with little to no redeeming dietary value while also allowing them to leach away calcium from their teeth and bones. That adds up to poor dental health over time.