Most parents try to get their children to eat snacks and lunches that are good for their bodies - including their teeth. But it isn't always easy. Many youngsters crave the sugary or starchy junk food they see on TV commercials and in magazine advertisements. And that can spell disaster for good dental health.

"There's so much peer pressure, even when it comes to lunches," says Geraldine Gennari, mother of two boys in elementary school. "Most days my sons will eat the apples or other fruit I pack for lunch, but what they really want is what the other kids are eating." And for the most part, other kids are eating snacks and lunches loaded with carbohydrates. So what's a parent to do?

"While it's impossible for parents to continually monitor what their children eat and drink, it is important that they make their children aware of the fact that what they choose to eat and drink affects their overall health, including their teeth and gums," says Sandra Burkett, D.D.S., instructor in clinical dentistry at the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery.

To help children make sensible food choices, Dr. Burkett recommends that parents:

• Keep only healthy and nutritious foods in the house.
• Restrict high-sugar foods to meal times.
• Make water readily available all day.

Dr. Burkett admits that it is not always easy to get children to eat a balanced diet, but she urges parents not to give up. "The food and beverages a child consumes can have a direct impact on his or her oral health and can affect how quickly the child develops tooth decay," she says. "As a result, it is important that parents stand firm in their 'eat healthy' message and assure their children that the food they are providing is what is best to promote strong and healthy bodies and teeth."

So what foods are safe for a child's teeth? Experts agree that a child needs foods from all the major food groups in order to grow properly and stay healthy. But too many carbohydrates, like starches and sugars, can harm the teeth.

When starches and sugars dominate a child's diet, the risk of tooth decay goes way up. That's because some bacteria in the mouth use starches and sugars as food. These bacteria produce acid that is strong enough to dissolve the tooth's enamel.

While most people know that carbohydrates like cookies, candy and cake contain sugar, some foods aren't so obvious. For instance, milk contains a sugar called lactose. Even foods that don't taste very sweet, such as peanut butter, contain sugar.

And sugary carbohydrates aren't the only culprits. Snacks like pretzels and potato chips can cause as much tooth decay as candy and cookies. It all boils down to how long the carbohydrates are allowed to remain on the teeth.

"How often your child eats can be just as important as the type of food (sweet or sticky) he or she eats when it comes to tooth decay," Dr. Burkett says. "If your child snacks throughout the day on foods high in carbohydrates, including sipping on juice or soft drinks, the bacteria are able to produce acid almost constantly, increasing the child's chances of developing dental decay and cavities."

Here are more tips for keeping your child's teeth, and body, strong and healthy:

• Offer lots of fruits and vegetables — Fruit and raw vegetables can help to clean the teeth by increasing the amount of saliva produced in the mouth. Choose ones that contain a lot of water, such as pears, melon, celery and cucumbers.



• Serve cheese for lunch or as a snack — Cheese, especially cheddar, Monterey Jack and Swiss, triggers the flow of saliva, which helps wash food particles away from teeth.



• Avoid sticky, chewy, gooey foods — Foods such as fruit leather, raisins, caramel, honey, molasses and syrup stick to the teeth, making it hard for saliva to wash them away. If your children eat sticky foods, have them brush their teeth right after they're done.



• Serve sugary treats with meals, not as snacks — If you're going to give your child candy or anything sweet, serve it for dessert right after a meal. During a meal, the amount of saliva in the mouth increases, making it easier to wash food away from teeth. Most children also drink at a meal, which helps with food removal.



• Give as few snacks as possible — Each time your child eats a sugary or starchy food, bacteria in the mouth gobble it up, creating a destructive acid. This acid eats away at tooth enamel for about 30 minutes before it becomes inactive. The more times a child snacks, the more often the acid is allowed to work on the teeth.



• Stay away from sugary foods that linger on the teeth — Foods that stay in the mouth for a long time, such as lollipops, hard candy, cough drops and gum, give teeth a sugar bath. Sugary soft drinks do the same thing. The longer the sugar is allowed to remain on the teeth, the more damage is done.



• Give milk or water instead of juice or soda — Most juices and sodas are loaded with sugar. Although milk also contains a sugar called lactose, it is more nutritionally sound than its sugary counterparts. When you do give your child juice, dilute it with water first.



• Use fluoride and brush, brush, brush — The best way to prevent cavities is to use fluoride in a toothpaste or mouthwash every day. Fluoride actually seeps inside the tooth to reverse early decay. Brushing and flossing remove food particles and plaque bacteria, which form acids close to the teeth. At the very least, everyone should brush their teeth twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste. Brush right after meals and snacks too, if possible.