It happens to me way too often. “It’s healthy because it’s natural”. “This is labelled as natural.” “This is made from all natural ingredients so it’s fine.”
DUDE. STOP.
I regularly have the conversation in my dental surgery – in fact more and more than I ever used to now – with patients about whether they or their children use a fluoride toothpaste. I’d say for 75% of my patients, it’s a resounding yes. But there are a minority (ever growing) who answer with the following responses:
“No, I’m trying to avoid chemicals.”
“No, I use an all natural toothpaste.”
“No, I’ve read it’s unsafe.”
Now this is not an article designed to persuade you to use fluoride in your toothpaste, that is completely up to you. In fact, it’s completely up to you to choose how you live your life, but when you make these choices, just at least take some time to A) consider the reasoning and whether it’s actual science and does it even make sense and B) be flexible and open to changing your mind – evidence changes in science all the time and we have to be willing to acknowledge this and change with it.
When someone tells me they’re not using a fluoride toothpaste, it means they’re immediately at greater risk of dental decay, but of course, what most dentists won’t tell you, is that the only reason we have to use fluoride in the first place, is because of the diet we eat. Ultimately, regardless of fluoride, if you didn’t eat anything containing sugars or carbohydrates that could be digested by the bacteria that live on your teeth into the acids that result in cavities, then you wouldn’t ever have to worry about needing a filling! Marvellous news! Except it’s unrealistic in our modern lifestyles to contemplate this as a lifestyle and of course we need carbohydrates to survive, so we can never get this risk down to zero. And of course, there are always exceptions, like those with developmental dental defects etc. Nevertheless, the next conversation we’re going to have when you tell me about your fluoride free toothpaste, is what you’re putting in your mouth.
Now I’d love to ever actually meet someone who proudly tells me they object to fluoride for a valid reason, then also says that unprocessed foods make up 90% or more of their diet and that ultra processed foods are a rare treat, while they also follow a gut-driven three meals a day with almost no snacks ever. But I’ve just never met that person. Honestly? They’re usually eating ultra processed snacks labelled as “healthy” who use the long names of flavourings instead of the industry standard E numbers (which are, incidentally, just names for added flavourings in case you’re wondering, therefore not seeing them written on a packet doesn’t mean there aren’t any in there, it means the manufacturer just has them labelled differently…). They’ll tell me they only snack on fruit and snack bars made of oats, oat milk and many other ultra processed foods.
It’s really frustrating for me to have to sit there and explain that “natural” being written on a PACKET, is ironic…
An apple doesn’t have to tell you it’s natural. You recognise it. If something has to tell you on a packet it’s “natural”, then it probably isn’t. And the term is completely unregulated, so we take it at face value without considering what this actually means – does it even mean anything?? We also forget that it’s not just ingredients that matter in our food, but how they’re prepared and packaged for us and how we choose to eat them that makes the difference.
What’s more, are chemicals really that bad? Well I’d say there’s no conclusive evidence either way but I for one sure feel better when I’m eating as naturally as possible and enjoying home cooked meals over the pre-packaged snacks that so many of us live off more and more now. But for something like a toothpaste, that you’re going to spit out, which could protect you from the inevitable lifestyle choices you’re going to make, it’s probably less important.
And what does “chemical” even mean? I mean at a basic level, all our food is made up of “chemicals” and all that metabolism and digestion is, is a series of chemical reactions – you’re basically a walking chemistry set! So there’s no clear cut definition of this.
Proclaiming to me that the reason you’ve made a choice is “because it’s more natural”, needs to be a carefully thought out comment. I totally agree that the best dietary choices for our health are those made on consuming unprocessed foods and avoiding unnecessary processing; this has been shown time and time again to reduce obesity rates and improve health metrics, but to argue something is better because it is natural, needs to actually mean just that. If it’s in a packet, it isn’t natural, so you better be prepared to realise that!
So what am I saying? Don’t be so black and white. Don’t be swayed by shitty marketing. Don’t believe everything food companies tell you, or indeed the internet tells you. Heck, go and research the stuff I’ve talked about in this blog! But overall, don’t get hooked and fixated and think that anything related to food and nutrition is ever “simple”. I can make it easy to understand and gradually change your lifestyle in a way that doesn’t seem complex, but don’t ever think that following one word down one rabbit hole is going to suddenly revolutionise your health and your life. It won’t. And it makes you sound like a dick.