Wellness Corner: Fueling excellence—nutrition tips for dental pros

Self-care is a real struggle for dental professionals. From dehydration, inadequate sleep, lack of exercise, and poor diet, we struggle just getting to a bathroom break! When we get a chance to recharge with a meal, we often go for fast, cheap, and tasty food. The subsequent gut bomb and food coma are immediate reminders that what we fuel our body with can be a performance drainer or enhancer.

What if we considered that nutrition is a contributor to case acceptance, effective patient advocacy, quality work, or injury prevention? A healthy diet can do that!

First, let’s define “healthy” and “macros-balanced.” According to the newest FDA standards,¹ to be consistent with the latest nutrition science and federal dietary guidelines, the updated definition of healthy requires that:

• A food must contain a certain amount of food groups such as fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, or dairy.
• A food can’t contain too much saturated fat, sodium, or added sugars.

Macros-balanced refers to the ratio of necessary macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) in each meal to facilitate physiological processes.² Humans need all three macronutrients and a variety of micronutrients (minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants) to do similar, but different tasks. All of it is to maintain energy balance, body composition, and general health.

The big question is how do we make all this happen? Start with rule no. 1: Keep it simple, and apply that to each of the following five nutritional habits that can be used by busy dental professionals to perform optimally.

No. 1: Meal preparation

Ben Franklin said, “When we fail to prepare, we prepare to fail.” This is especially true in nutrition. Imagine spending two hours over the weekend to avoid planning, shopping, and cooking for an hour every night. It can be as simple as overnight oats with chia seeds topped with fruit or grilled chicken, sweet potato, and seasoned broccoli. By having meals prepared, the temptation to jump into the fast-food line for an extra 1,500 calories of ultra-processed foodlike substances significantly decreases. In addition to saving time, calories, and our health, we can expect to save money. Having lunch ready to eat at work can be a dental professional’s saving grace on those days when the patient before lunch takes longer and suddenly your lunch break gets cut in half.

No. 2: Think about structure

One of the hardest nutritional tasks for us is getting enough protein. According to one study, only 45%–50% of women and 58%–69% of men over age 50 consume enough protein to maintain physical functioning and grip strength for longevity.³ Ask yourself: “Does this meal have protein, fats, and carbs?” On average, adult meals should have around 45% carbs, 25% protein, and 30% fat.⁴ Start with some of each, and then fine-tune the amounts when structure is less daunting. At first, it can be tricky, because while food such as nuts may contain protein, for example, the body processes them as fat due to a lack of at least one of the nine essential amino acids of a complete protein. Quinoa is another. It’s a micronutrient-dense grain (carb) that has all nine essential amino acids that make up a complete protein, but not enough in total to be processed by the body as a protein. When in doubt, ask your favorite search engine, “Is (food) processed by the body as a protein, carb, or fat?” Remember, keep it simple!

No. 3: Smart, simple snacking

Quick and healthy snack options (such as nuts, yogurt, or fruit) that provide sustained energy without causing a sugar crash are great options for a quick bite between patients. One strategy is to grab a drink of water after the first hour, a snack after the second, back to water after the third. Consider the snacks to be small, such as 10–15 almonds, a 3 oz. yogurt, or a banana that can be eaten quickly and washed down with a large gulp of water. Ideally choose something that doesn’t require preparation.

No. 4: Hydration tips

Dental professionals are not part camel and would do well to remember this. A dehydrated brain gets headaches while decreasing mental acuity. Dehydrated muscles cramp and lose mobility. Dehydrated tendons/ligaments are injury-prone from lost elasticity. Dehydrated bones lose density, become brittle, and increase joint pain. All that said, our productivity decreases significantly when we are dehydrated due to feeling increased fatigue.⁵ Find a place where a capped water bottle can be stored with easy access, perhaps at or near the front desk or on a shelf/cubby on an adjacent wall, so that before a patient is escorted to the back office, you can get a quick sip. Make “getting a drink of water” an acceptable part of the office culture.

No. 5: Mindful eating

Variety is not only the spice of life, but it’s also good for getting a variety of micronutrient vitamins and minerals to support cell functioning, preservation, and replication processes, so changing up the menu every week supports more than prevention of food boredom. Keep in mind that not all food is created equal. Consider lean proteins such as chicken or fish, healthy fats such as avocado or nuts, and fresh produce or whole grains such as rice or quinoa to maintain energy levels throughout the day. Also remember that low- or no-processed foods, which have fewer additives and preservatives such as sodium and sugar or other chemicals, can be used for esthetics and longevity. Last, get out of the office for meals, when possible, to exhale the work of the morning and get a mental refresh to promote clarity while recharging the body’s battery. Eating in a commiseration station disguised as a breakroom can create an emotional response, which often stimulates cortisol release and hinders the digestive enzyme secretion necessary for digestion. If you work in Drama Central, it may be better to eat in the peace and quiet of your car!

At the end of the day, our most important instrument (our body) does its best work when properly hydrated and fed. Start where you are and give yourself grace when you stumble now and then. Self-care is a lifelong journey.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Clinical Insights newsletter, a publication of the Endeavor Business Media Dental Group. Read more articles and subscribe.

References

1. Products that will now qualify for “healthy” under the final rule. Use of the term healthy on food labeling. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Updated December 20, 2024. Accessed December 26, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/use-term-healthy-food-labeling
2. Espinosa-Salas S, Gonzalez-Arias M. Nutrition: Macronutrient Intake, Imbalances, and Interventions. In: StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing; 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594226/
3. Krok-Schoen JL, Archdeacon Price A, Luo M, Kelly OJ, Taylor CA. Low dietary protein intakes and associated dietary patterns and functional limitations in an aging population: a NHANES analysis. J Nutr Health Aging.2019;23(4):338-347. doi:10.1007/s12603-019-1174-1
4. Ryan-Harshman M, Aldoori W. New dietary reference intakes for macronutrients and fibre. Can Fam Physician. 2006;52(2):177-179.
5. NHS National Health Service (UK). Reviewed November 14, 2022. Accessed December 26, 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/