The Dental Diet: The Surprising Link between Your Teeth, Real Food, and Life-Changing Natural Health

by Steven Lin

Overview

Now in paperback: A unique exploration of how dental health connects to holistic health, with a 40-day meal plan and long-lasting dietary guidelines that are easily integrable into everyday life.

Teeth are often considered the marker of health, attractiveness, success, and even happiness. Yet our approach to dental care has been fearful, costly, and segregated from other parts of the body. We've long known that oral health echoes our overall well-being. But what if we were to flip the paradigm? What if we thought about dental health as the foundation for our physical health?
Dr. Steven Lin, an experienced dentist and the world's leading dental nutritionist, has forged a new scientific outlook to reshape our perception of dental disease. Through ancestral medicine, epigenetics, and an examination of the oral and gut microbiome, Dr. Lin has developed food-based principles for a holistic health approach that is literally top-down. Merging dental and nutritional science, Dr. Lin lays out the dietary program that prevents painful cavities and dental treatment, and gives you the resources to raise kids who develop naturally straight teeth. His 40-day meal plan is complete with the Dental Diet food pyramid, exercises for the mouth, recipes, and cooking techniques to help you easily and successfully implement these techniques in your everyday life.
Since our mouth is the gatekeeper of our entire body, keeping our oral microbiome balanced is essential for creating and maintaining a healthy and wholesome self. The tools to improve overall wellness levels and reverse disease are closer than we think—in our markets, in our pantries, and, most frequently, in our mouths.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401953171
Publisher:	Hay House Inc.
Publication date:	01/09/2018
Pages:	344
Sales rank:	105,407
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Dr. Steven Lin is a board-accredited dentist, speaker, and author. Frustrated by the dental profession's limited approach to applying treatments without addressing the cause of disease, Dr. Lin merged anthropological, physiological, and nutritional science with oral health to integrate effective prevention strategies into his dental practice. A passionate health educator, Dr. Lin engages in a wide variety of community and institutional programs to grow awareness of preventative lifestyles. He is the dental expert for I Quit Sugar, the online platform of best-selling author Sarah Wilson. Dr. Lin's speaking and training programs have been delivered all over the world.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction 1

Part I The Truth in Your Teeth

Chapter 1 Why Your Mouth Matters 11

Chapter 2 The Modern Diet's Missing Pieces 17

Chapter 3 The Ancient Wisdom in Our Teeth 31

Chapter 4 The Mystery of the Missing Vitamin 61

Chapter 5 The Language of Bacteria 81

Chapter 6 It's Not Genetic 107

Part II How Modern Food Has Destroyed Our Health

Chapter 7 Why the Food on Your Plate Is Making You Sick 129

Chapter 8 From Low-Fat to Cholesterol 149

Part III Dental Nutrition-How to Eat for a Healthy Mouth, Body, and Mind

Chapter 9 Eating to Make Your Dental Checkup a Breeze 171

Chapter 10 The Dental Diet Model and Food Pyramid 193

Chapter 11 The 40-Day Dental Diet Meal Plan 225

Conclusion 279

References 283

Index 305

Acknowledgments 319

About the Author 321

Editorial Reviews

"Dental health is almost a forgotten topic when we think about our overall health, but what if the health of our teeth and gums could alert us to problems like diabetes and Alzheimer’s? Dr. Lin makes a powerful case for not only paying more attention to our dental health, but he makes the case that what is healthy for the mouth, is healthy for our whole being."
— Robb Wolf, New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired to Eat

"The future of medicine is interconnected in every way. The oral-systemic link is an obvious example of this greater trend, and I am thrilled to see dentists like Dr. Steven Lin leading the way in showing why we must work together to change the trajectory of healthcare worldwide."
— James Maskell, founder of Evolution of Medicine and author of The Evolution of Medicine

"The Dental Diet is an incredible resource. Grounded in new understandings of the critical importance of the oral microbiome to overall health, Dr. Lin leads the way with a unique action-based food plan that is a must-read for anyone wanting to enhance oral health and well-being."
— Mark Burhenne, DDS, author of The 8-Hour Sleep Paradox

"Dr. Lin is a complete breath of fresh air in the Lifestyle Medicine community. I’ve personally learned an enormous amount from his work, and I’m thrilled to see that he is creating a book to make this more available to the public. The dental-body connection is fascinating and completes a missing link for many people worldwide. The Dental Diet is a must for every patient and medical practitioner to read and understand for better overall health."
— Rupy Aujla, M.D., author of The Doctor’s Kitchen

"As an orthodontist that tries to help kids grow up with straight teeth, I know we have to go back to the basics: breathing, posture, sleep, and nutrition. From the moment of the first suckle, what we eat and how we eat it is critical to the final outcome of the face, airway, jaws, and teeth. Dr. Lin’s prescription is just what the doctor should be ordering."
— Barry Raphael, DMD, founder of The Raphael Center for Integrative Orthodontics

"Crooked teeth are a sign of a deeper underlying problem. Dr. Lin’s book provides a much needed look into the profound impact diet has on dental health. It also provides key strategies for parents to ensure their children have a diet that will support optimal dental and whole body health."
— Dr. Michael Ruscio, researcher, health enthusiast, and host of Dr. Ruscio Radio

"Dr. Lin’s revolutionary leadership in nutrition and dentistry connected so many dots during our interview, we are thrilled his important better health recommendations are now widely accessible in The Dental Diet!"
— Ashley Koff R.D. and Robyn O’Brien, co-hosts of Take Out with Ashley & Robyn

"Dr. Lin’s work is timely and addresses an important, upcoming field which few have ventured into thus far. Nutritional epigenetics captures the age-old saying of ‘you are what you eat,’ but he backs up this concept with up-to-date scientific evidence. I strongly recommend this book to students, doctors, dentists, and researchers in nutrition, dietetics, and obesity, as well as other healthcare professionals."
— Professor Dave Singh, DDSC, Ph.D., DMD, president of Vivos BioTechnologies, Inc.

"As an orthodontist, long ago, I saw the limitations of simply straightening teeth to improve a patient’s smile.  Over the last few decades, I have witnessed a paradigm shift in the focus of the dental industry through both speaking internationally and training thousands of dentists in the importance of functional airway dentistry. I believe the next step is for the profession to further integrate preventative steps, which is being led by Dr. Lin’s nutrition program to address the malocclusion epidemic."
— Dr. Derek Mahony, specialist orthodontist at Full Face Orthodontics

From the Publisher