5 Things Every Dentist Needs to Know About Nutrition

Episode #277 with Dr. Uche Odiatu

Dentists are experts on teeth. But how many are experts in nutrition? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu to remind you that nutrition is a vital part of your practice. With over 15 years of professional knowledge in various areas of health and fitness, Dr. Odiatu will teach you the best practices on how dentists can stay fit while in practice. Not only will you be in better health, but your patients will be more willing to learn about nutrition and overall wellness. To hear about the five things every dentist needs to know about nutrition, tune in to Episode 277 of The Best Practices Show! 

Main Takeaways:

Understand the foundational principles of nutrition.

Calories are misunderstood. You don't have to give up everything.

Intermittent fasting is good for the human body.

Teeth are vital for chewing. Chewing better means absorbing food better.

Good nutrition habits should be effortless, doable, and sustainable.

People have different nutritional needs. 

Get in shape yourself before talking to patients about nutrition and overall health.

Quotes:

“See all of [the patient], not just their hormonal system, not just their gingiva, not just their mind. Integrate the knowledge and you can really get patients better.” (03:43—03:52)

“One of the most important aspects of what the mouth does is masticate. So, if we don't understand the common threads and the foundational principles of nutrition, we are just basically fixing stuff and going, ‘Good luck with the nutrition. Good luck with the diet.’ And they're going downhill, because the number-one inflammatory source in our lives is eating inflammatory foods, eating food that doesn't serve us well.” (05:24—05:49)

“It’s almost impossible to be healthy if you're eating fast food all day, not eating vegetables, not drinking water, and drinking alcohol daily to excess.” (07:14—07:25)

“The better quality your food, the more your caloric intake will be regulated on its own. So, the first step of this is, understand calories and how we’re being misled into thinking we all have to eat less. Meanwhile, you eat better, eating less will happen automatically because your body will stop searching for nutrition.” (10:30—10:49)

“It’s not any one meal that makes people fat or unhealthy; it’s meals eaten every day for a decade that make you unhealthy.” (11:32—11:40)

“Any time the body is not eating, the body is healing.” (21:53—21:55)

“We know enough to talk nutrition, but we always think it’s outside our scope of practice.” (23:29—23:32)

“We try to explain to patients about nutrition and overall health, and we ourselves have a hip that hurts. We have reflux. We have a fading memory . . . I would say you can't take a patient on a journey that you haven't been on. So, get in shape first.” (26:32—26:48)

“Teeth are much more than looking great in your headshot. It’s about digestion and absorbing food better. And whoever absorbs food better is going to have less inflammation, longer life, better mental clarity, flatter stomach, possibly have a six-pack, and more hormonal balance, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, growth hormone. Hormonal balance needs ideal foods being brought in.” (29:38—30:01)

“Anything that makes nutrition more complicated, patients drift away from . . . Anything that’s complicated is not sustainable.” (34:01—34:33)

“The number-one mistake is cutting calories to get healthy. Cutting calories has no place in 2021.” (40:19—40:24)

“Nutrition, fitness, health, inflammation, ergonomics — it should be effortless, doable, and daily.” (46:23—46:30)

Snippets:

Dr. Odiatu’s background. (02:47—04:03)

Why nutrition is an...