For people wearing braces, they not only have to deal with jaw pain and muscle soreness but also worry about choosing a suitable menu. Understanding these pressures, in today’s Cooking Tips section, we introduce a 7-Day Menu for Braces-Friendly Eating as well as How to prepare meals for people wearing braces.
Principles of building a menu for people with braces
When wearing braces, it is important to choose soft, liquid, less crumbly, easy to chew and swallow foods when building a menu, while still providing adequate nutrition for the body. Below are some suitable foods for people wearing braces:
- For people with braces, it is necessary to include soft, liquid, less crumbly foods in the daily menu while ensuring complete nutritional content.
- Enjoy dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, as they contain a lot of vitamin D, which is good for oral health.
- Soft, fluffy foods like bread, cereals, soft-cooked rice are also good choices for easy consumption.
- If you want to eat meat, it is recommended to chop it finely and prepare it as porridge or soup for easy consumption.
- In addition, vegetables, fruits, ice cream, and milk are also recommended foods for people with braces.
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On the contrary, it is necessary to avoid hard, crunchy, sticky, excessively hot, or cold foods, as they can make eating difficult, cause damage to the mouth, or affect the braces adjustment process. Below are some foods to avoid when building a braces-friendly menu:
- People with braces often experience discomfort and pain in the jaw area, so it is necessary to limit excessively hot or cold foods to avoid a freezing sensation.
- Foods with a chewy and sticky texture should also be limited, for example, sticky rice cakes, glutinous rice, sticky rice,… and also avoid foods that are too crunchy like fried dishes.
- Furthermore, avoid using foods that are too large or too hard to prevent the need for excessive chewing or difficulty in chewing.
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7-Day Menu for Braces-Friendly Eating
Menu 1
Chicken soup, yogurt, banana
- To reduce pain and soreness in the jaw and gums when wearing braces, a soft and smooth chicken soup is a good choice for easy enjoyment.
- The chicken soup contains shredded chicken meat, combined with corn, shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms,… providing a delicious flavor without worrying about the food being too hard.
- In addition, super smooth yogurt provides a slightly sour and sweet taste that will make you fall in love.
- If you are worried about not being able to fill your stomach, you can end the meal with a few sweet and soft bananas.
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Menu 2
Sweet potato and mung bean porridge, ripe papaya
- The next menu will captivate people with braces. That is the appearance of sweet potato and mung bean porridge!
- In addition to chicken porridge, duck porridge,… this attractive and novel porridge dish is extremely enticing! The porridge is cooked until soft, easy to enjoy, and flavorful. A bit chewy, fatty texture makes this porridge even more nutritious.
- And of course, the menu cannot be without a dessert. Welcome the appearance of ripe papaya! Papaya with a mild aroma, not too sweet, soft and cool, is truly enticing.
Menu 3
Steamed egg with honey, minced red pumpkin soup, yogurt
Let’s wait and see what enticing dish awaits everyone in Menu 3! First of all, let’s start with the steamed egg with honey!
- Steamed egg is a familiar dish for Japanese cuisine enthusiasts. With the new version of steamed egg with honey, it will surely not disappoint anyone.
- The eggs are soft and creamy, combined with delicious natural honey and a slightly fatty flavor from condensed milk. The menu doesn’t stop there, next is the hot and flavorful minced red pumpkin soup that is hard to resist.
Finally, yogurt will be the dessert to end today’s menu, with a slightly sour and sweet taste on the tip of the tongue.
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Menu 4
Minced meat and vegetable porridge, orange sponge cake
The minced meat is cooked until smooth, mixed with a moderately thick and smooth porridge, with the combination of carrots, potatoes, shiitake mushrooms,… creating a wonderful light dish!
The highlight of today’s menu is the beautiful orange sponge cake, not dry, and carrying a gentle fragrance of orange. Although simple, this dish has created an attractive and appealing menu.
Menu 5
Shrimp and mushroom carrot porridge, cheese flan
To save more time, let’s move on to the shrimp, mushroom, and carrot porridge!
This simple porridge dish has been transformed into many new and attractive “versions”. Today’s porridge is no exception, as each grain of porridge blends with sweet shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and soft carrots.
With such a delicious porridge, the dessert is equally impressive, followed by the “everyone’s favorite” cheese flan. The smooth flan, combined with a creamy texture that is not overwhelming, is truly wonderful!
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Menu 6
Soft rice, braised pork belly (braised until tender), soup with minced pork and lard
- The braised pork belly has been simmered to enjoy with a hot, soft, and sticky bowl of white rice, very suitable for people wearing braces.
- The braised pork belly is not dry or tough at all, but on the contrary, it is very flavorful and tender, easy to eat! So, you don’t need to worry or hesitate anymore!
In particular, the soup with minced pork and lard will make Menu 6 even more complete. The purple-colored lard soup with chewy minced meat is hot and eye-catching, who wouldn’t love it!
Menu 7
Soft rice, steamed meat and egg, vegetable soup with meatballs (softly stewed), dragon fruit
Finally, concluding the 7-day menu plan with the appearance of the steamed meat and egg bowl to enjoy with a bowl of white rice.
The fluffy egg, faintly aromatic, combined with tender meat, is nothing short of wonderful.
Furthermore, the vegetable soup with meatballs is waiting for everyone! The soft stewed meatballs combined with various vegetables create a memorable sweet and savory broth.
To complete the meal, dragon fruit will be the dessert that will make everyone feel full immediately!
How to prepare meals for people wearing braces?
How to prepare meals for people wearing braces? When preparing meals for people wearing braces, you need to keep in mind the following principles:
- Choose soft, liquid, and less crumbly ingredients such as minced meat, meatballs, fish, shrimp, eggs, stewed vegetables, soup, porridge, noodles, pho, bread, pastries, yogurt, soft fruits…
- Cook the ingredients thoroughly, especially meat, fish, shrimp, and eggs, to make them easy to chew and digest.
- Season lightly, not too salty, sweet, sour, spicy, or flavorful to avoid irritating the mouth and teeth.
- Cut small, finely chop, or grind the ingredients for easy eating and to avoid getting caught in the braces.
Dietary considerations for people wearing braces
What Dietary considerations for people wearing braces should we make? When wearing braces, it is important not only to plan a safe and suitable 7-day menu for those wearing braces but also to be mindful of eating and drinking to avoid damaging the mouth or causing damage to the braces and wires. Here are some dietary tips for people wearing braces:”
- Eat slowly, gently, avoid biting or chewing food too forcefully.
- Take small bites, do not bite off large pieces of food, especially hard or crunchy foods.
- Chew evenly on both sides of your jaw, not just on one side, to prevent imbalance in chewing force.
- Ensure you are getting all the necessary nutrients, do not skip meals, and avoid overeating or being too hungry.
- Drink enough water, avoid colored, sugary, or carbonated drinks to prevent tooth discoloration and cavities.
- After eating, rinse your mouth with warm water or salt water to clean any food stuck on your teeth and braces.
Conclusion
This article has provided a 7-day meal plan for people wearing braces and some general tips, but please remember these are just general guidelines. Always follow the specific instructions from your orthodontist to ensure a smooth and effective braces-wearing process.
