Date Archives October 2015

Move Aside, Turkey: 5 Sides that Steal the Show

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Move Aside, Turkey: 5 Sides that Steal the Show

Whether it’s ham, hens, or good ol’ fashioned turkey, meat shines as the holiday table showstopper.

Not this year! Meat, step aside for sides. It’s time for these dishes to take center stage.

Here is our definitive ranking of traditional dishes — all featuring tooth-healthy twists for a festive feast. Warning: Nostalgia will occur.

5. Green Bean Casserole

image via ifoodreal.com

Side to Serve: Clean Green Bean Casserole with Parmesan Crumb Topping

Star Quality: The creamy classic gets a clean makeover with this lip-smackin’ casserole. Crunchy veggies like green beans increase saliva flow and gently scrub teeth. Plus, they’re full of fiber, low in calories, and high in nutrients.

4. Mac and Cheese

image via healthyfoodforliving.com

Side to Serve: Sweet Potato and Brie Mac & Cheese

Star Quality: It doesn’t get much more festive than these 2 holiday favorites! Sorry turkey. It’s not you, it’s Brie. Brie is good for your dental health and contains probiotics – beneficial bacteria that can help your immune and digestive systems.

3. Cranberry Relish

image via feedyourskull.com

Side to Serve: Cranberry-Orange Relish

Star Quality: Recent research found evidence that cranberries contain compounds that may disrupt the plaque formation process. However, these rosy wonders do contain sugar — remember to brush after relishing in your homemade relish.

2. Mashed Potatoes

image via steamykitchen.com

Side to Serve: Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Star Quality: Do the mashed potatoes right this year. This recipe uses cauliflower instead of potatoes (you won’t be able to taste the difference). This kitchen chameleon is tasteless, so it easily takes the place of its high-calorie counterparts.

1. Stuffing

image via myrecipes.com

Side to Serve: Wild Rice Stuffing with Toasted Pecans

Star Quality: This particular recipe is packed with protein, thanks to the toasted pecans. And if you’re worried about your carb count, try this version that will leave you breadless.

Do you agree with our rankings? Tell us your favorite holiday sides!

Better off Friends: 3 Ways to Break Up with Your Sugar Addiction

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We all crave sugar. But there are ways to cut ties with this sweet addiction.

No matter how hard we try, we just can’t seem to quit the sweet stuff. In fact, the average American consumes more than 126 grams of sugar per day, making the U.S. the most sugar-obsessed country in the world.

It’s common knowledge that too much sugar can affect your weight, liver, brain, and teeth. So why can’t we quit you, sugar? There’s more to sugar than its sinfully sweet taste.

When your brain experiences sugar, it’s love at first bite. That spark is due to dopamine — also known as the “reward chemical.” Sugar fuels dopamine, which causes your brain to light up and literally crave more.

You don’t have to shut sugar out of your life completely. It is important, however, to regulate your intake.

Soften the blow with 3 smart sugar strategies:

• You can do so much better…read the ingredients.

Take extra time at the grocery store to read product labels. Unfortunately, sugar doesn’t go by one name. There are 56 different names for the sweet stuff! Use this list at your next supermarket stop.

It’s important to remember nearly all foods contain some sort of sugar — even ones that don’t taste sweet. When in doubt, consume fruits and veggies containing natural sugar. Added sugars don’t deserve you.

• Everything happens for a reason…including sugar cravings.

Think before you eat. When’s the last time you drank water? A dip in energy often signals dehydration. And dehydration causes you to think you need to eat when all you really need is H2O. So before you reach for a sugary snack, let your thirst tell your hunger, “It’s not you, it’s me.”

• See what else is out there…explore sugar alternatives.

Artificial sweeteners are in pre-packaged foods and can be used at home too. Unlike sugar, they can help with weight control and won’t contribute to tooth decay and cavities.

If you want to take the natural route, agave is a step in the right direction. It has a lower glycemic index than sugar, making it a healthier option. Find a sugar alternative that works for you.

Challenge yourself! Cut ties with excessive sugar consumption and you’ll be better off in the long run.

We want to hear your sugar strategies — How do you control your cravings?

Get Ready to Rock and Enroll: 5 Ways to Prepare for Open Enrollment

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Open enrollment is here! Here are 5 coverage questions you should be asking yourself:

Open enrollment.

It’s the term buzzing around your HR department this time of year. But what does it mean? And how does it affect you as an employee?

Open enrollment provides employees the opportunity to select different benefits for the upcoming year (or new benefits, if you’re enrolling for the first time).

Now is the time to consider your current coverage, financial situation, personal needs, as well as the needs of your dependents.

To prepare, here are 5 questions you need to ask yourself this open enrollment period:

1. What’s included in my current coverage?

Re-visit your current coverage. Does your plan cover the number of times you see a doctor or dentist? Does the plan offer prescription drug coverage to suit your needs? Does it make sense with your current budget? Have there been changes to employer-sponsored benefits or allocations?

2. What kind of coverage will I need for the upcoming year?

A lot can change in a year, and you’ll need to consider what the future may hold. Will your family experience a dynamic change? Do you have a health condition that may require more attention? Do you desire coverage for specific services, such as vision?

3. Will my current plan change?

This is a key detail to get from your employer and/or benefit provider. Your current plan may not be offered in the upcoming year. Ensure that there are no coverage surprises come January 1st.

4. What other options is my employer providing?

Assess additional plan options and determine if and how they’ll better meet your needs.

5. Will my physician and dentist still be in-network if my plan changes?

If you have a regular doctor and/or dentist, check if they’ll still be in-network. Remember — It’s usually more cost effective to see an in-network provider. If they’re not, determine if you’re open to finding a new provider.

Still have questions about open enrollment? Don’t hesitate to speak with your employer or HR department. You can also ask your question(s) below.

Your health and insurance coverage matter!

Leftover Candy Conundrum: What to Do with Extra Halloween Candy

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Once the costumes are tucked away and the trick-or-treaters are in bed, there always seems to be something scary left behind… Piles of candy.

Don’t turn your leftover candy into holiday candy hoarding! There’s plenty you can do with the leftover holiday candy that doesn’t involve chocolate-covered stomach aches. Here’s our advice for how to use every last piece. Our fav? Donate to a charity near you!

1. Bake these Leftover Holiday Candy Recipes

Halloween treats and teeth aren’t exactly BFFs. However, it’s ok to indulge -just make sure to always brush after! Grab your apron and your kiddos’ leftover chocolate — it’s time to whip up a decadent dessert!

Why chocolate? Not only is chocolate delicious, it’s one of the least harmful sweets for your teeth. It can be eaten easily and dissolves quickly in the mouth, which decreases the amount of time that the sugar stays in contact with teeth.

If your taste buds crave coconut, make some chocolate mounds cookies. Are you a self-diagnosed chocoholic? Try these chocolate bar-filled cupcakes or these double chocolate bars!

2. Create with Leftover Holiday Candy

After you celebrate Halloween, it’s time to go from monsters to masterpieces! Make a candy mosaic or edible jewelry. Any candy with a colored coating makes the perfect medium. Dip pieces into small bowls of water and then swirl on paper. Trust us — the memories are worth the mess!

3. Donate Leftover Halloween Candy

Get a head start on holiday decorations! Your household candy can bring a smile to someone nearby or halfway across the world.

Many charities encourage donations of any kind, including candy! Donate candy to a local shelter or soup kitchen. Find a charity near you.

Sweeten a soldier’s day. Encourage your kids to write letters and send candy care packages to troops. Visit Operation Gratitude or Operation Shoebox for more information.

4. Educate with Leftover Holiday Candy

Trick or teach? Both! Use treats to teach and kids won’t even notice they’re learning!

Younger kids can practice patterns, counting, and colors. Encourage little ones to sort candy by color or shape — the possibilities are endless! More experienced trick-or-treaters can brush up on their math skills. Get started with this candy math worksheet .

 

Which ideas are you most excited to try? After the fun and games are complete, always remember to have your kids brush and floss before bed.

Editor’s Note: Content updated October 2018.

Go Pack Go and Help us Sack Plaque!

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As proud fans of the green and gold, we are happy to give you an extra reason to cheer on the Green Bay Packers this season. Through a sponsorship with the Packers Radio Network, for every Packers sack, Delta Dental will donate $100 to the Seal-A-Smile program to help sack plaque in Wisconsin schools.

The Wisconsin Seal-A-Smile program is a collaborative effort between Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Oral Health Program, and Delta Dental of Wisconsin. It provides school-based dental sealants to at-risk children throughout the state.

Sealants are a protective coating placed on tooth surfaces most likely to get cavities. Best of all, they can help reduce cavity rates by up to 70%.

So the next time Clay Matthews or Julius Peppers break through the line, cheer them on to help reduce children’s cavities.

If you’re out of the house or away from a TV at game time, make sure to listen to the Packers on the Packers Radio Network.

Tune in all over the state on these stations:

  • Eau Claire – WBIZ AM 1400; WBIZ FM 100.7
  • LaCrosse – WKTY AM 580
  • Milwaukee – WTMJ AM 620
  • Madison – WIBA AM 1310; WIBA FM 101.5
  • Stevens Point – WSAU FM 99.9
  • Wausau – WSAU AM 550

Go Pack Go!

Protecting Generations of Smiles: A Look at Seal-A-Smile

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We’re proud to be involved with Seal-A-Smile! Learn what it’s all about:

Tooth decay is an epidemic among children living in low-income households, due to a lack of accessible dental care and poor nutrition. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 60% of all U.S. children will have a cavity by age 5. And tooth decay is nearly 100% preventable.

We have made it our mission to improve oral health and wellness across the state.

That’s why we’re proud to be a part of the Wisconsin Seal-A-Smile program, a collaborative effort between Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Oral Health Program. Seal-A-Smile provides school-based dental sealants to children statewide. The program targets schools with greater numbers of at-risk children.

Sealants are a thin plastic coating that dentists and dental hygienists apply to the chewing surfaces of back teeth. Sealants provide an extra shield of protection on surfaces that are most likely to get cavities. Their application is simple, but the results are powerful. According to Oral Health America, 75% of sealed teeth remain cavity-free.

During the 2014-15 school year, Seal-A-Smile sealed and protected the smiles of more than 25,000 children living in Wisconsin, ensuring healthier smiles for generations to come.