# Foods for Straight Teeth & Easy Breathing

> Our teeth [...] evolved over hundreds of millions of years to be incredibly
> strong and to align precisely for efficient chewing. [...] Our dental
> disorders largely stem from a shift in the oral environment caused by the
> introduction of softer, more sugary foods than the ones our ancestors
> typically ate.
>
> -- [Peter S. Ungar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Ungar)

My face is asymmetrical, narrow, and awkward. My chin will likely never make a
grand debut. I wore braces (twice). My parents paid a guy to surgically remove
my wisdom teeth. I am plagued by cavities, bruxism, chronic fatigue, sleep
apnea, and depression.

Many smart folks
([and incels?](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/20/magazine/teeth-mewing-incels.html))
believe that soft foods messed up my face. I'm just a dude on the internet; here
are some links:
[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malocclusion#Crowding_of_teeth),
[video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbzT00Cyq-g),
[book](https://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Physical-Degeneration-Weston-Price/dp/0916764206/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.asfMbfpuz2he8dB8nzDHgZR0WC4j4aq-CXlKiObS0Duorx4ghUwapGCTLQadxwdp7TTFH2nUhd8OxHu5sYNkapqscjZQMvFLGP0BCEfkzqn4vIuYU2oL0-so3amiLktRk0MHz1Xzuddsn7i8UYdXr6K-PF6DFK7ALJiSPrskGHKcnhnmMI0UNaAK9jWYpKMCLL5LxqxWErqro2AWNsxj7w.VSWQiyelViM4Mq4rwYgWuo27SQsCFDCe_Pu5FMuUyhg&dib_tag=se&keywords=nutrition+and+physical+degeneration+Weston+price&qid=1712750894&sr=8-1)/[pdf](https://www.ecoboerderij-dehaan.nl/images/Tekstbestanden/Nutrition_and_Physical_Degeneration_-_Dr_Weston_A_Price_1939.pdf),
[book](https://bookshop.org/p/books/breath-the-new-science-of-a-lost-art-james-nestor/14206323?ean=9780735213616)/[pdf](https://becomethebestversionofyourself.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Breath-The-New-Science-of-a-Lost-Art-by-James-Nestor-z-lib.org_.pdf),
[book](https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691160535/evolutions-bite),
[paper](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7498344/),
[paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004724840400051X?via%3Dihub),
[paper](https://boris.unibe.ch/115382/1/9-1-15.pdf), etc.

With my daughter, we had much success with
[baby-led feeding](https://bookshop.org/p/books/baby-led-feeding-a-natural-way-to-raise-happy-independent-eaters-jenna-helwig/7085282?ean=9780544963405).
As she grows, we plan on feeding her the following foods for healthy myofacial
development:

- **Dried produce:** apple chips, banana chips, dried apricots, dates, mango
  chips, dried berries, dried melons slices, fruit leather,
  [stuff like this](https://nuts.com/driedfruit/)
- **Raw produce:** broccoli/cauliflower, edimame, carrots, cabbage (quarter of a
  head), apples, jicama, radishes, celery
- **Jerky:** beef jerky, fish jerky, mushroom jerky
- **Local meats:** steaks, rotisserie chicken, turkey legs
- **Crusts:** hard sourdough rolls, weapons-grade baguettes
- **Seeds/Nuts:** almonds, macademia nuts, pumpkin seeds, chestnuts, brazil
  nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds

Maintaining an endless stream of nutritious food is difficult. Here's my general
strategy:

1. As your budget allows, focus your grocery list on (1)
   [protein-rich](/protein-or-candy) foods and (2) foods that were common before
   ~1600CE (see list above). Avoid anything with
   [a nutrition label](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrition_facts_label),
   especially foods targeted at babies/kids.
2. Prefer organic produce for little ones;
   [pesticides impede brain development](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4247335/),
   but appear to have negligible effects on adults. By selling
   direct-to-consumer, local farmers' markets often sell pesticide-free produce
   at very affordable prices.
3. If possible, set up automatic grocery delivery to avoid in-store temptations.
4. Wash/prepare your produce (skip berries) as soon as you bring them home from
   the market. Be lazy -- never slice or skin anything that doesn't require it.
5. Store-bought snacks are dowsed in sugar and preservatives. Buy a dehydrator.
   Dry ~75% of all your meats and produce. Remember that fresh year-round
   produce is a contemporary phenomenon -- preservation was the norm. It's also
   [very tasty](https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/recipes/dehydrating/).
6. Your dehydrator should always be running. It takes ~5 minutes to slice up
   stuff with
   [a mandoline](https://www.amazon.com/Benriner-VEGETABLE-SLICER-Size-Off-White/dp/B000LCP6EW/ref=sr_1_6)
   or
   [rotary slicer](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B7MC25CN/ref=ewc_pr_img_2?smid=A2IELTZEMJWL4&psc=1)
   and throw it on a tray. Get a
   [cheap cleaver machine](https://www.amazon.com/Koconic-Stainless-Cleavers-Machine-Cooking/dp/B0BX4888RZ/ref=sr_1_10)
   for big stuff.
7. Most dried foods will last years if vacuum-sealed with
   [a magic $10 device](https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Accessory-Compatible-FoodSaver-Attachment/dp/B0B3G8Y4HT/ref=sr_1_19).
   They'll last indefinitely in the freezer.
8. If your new food is too "boring", build a collection of
   oils/dips/butters/jams/spices to experiment with.

Additional things to consider:

- It's okay to leave stems/leaves on produce! Removing celery/carrot/strawberry
  "tops" is not worth the work. The stems/leaves are usually edible and easy to
  pry off with teeth/hands.
- Our daughter will chew on pretty much anything while we're
  [rucking](/ruck-kids). The easiest way to buy an hour of quiet is to throw her
  in a carrier with a piece of jerky while doing dishes/yardwork/etc.
- There is [some evidence](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3470182/) that
  chewing [resinous gum](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mastic+resin) for 2h/day
  might be a good supplement for children.
- Our daughter refuses to eat lots of foods. Don't force it! Try "trail mixes"
  and other experiments.
- [Prepare enough protein](/protein-or-candy), even if it means eating soft
  foods like lentils and beans. Adults need 0.8g/kg/day (~60g). Toddlers need
  1.2g/kg/day (~13g).
- Ordering matters _a lot_ when feeding children. It's impossible to convince
  kids to eat raw cabbage after strawberry chips.
- Don't stress and do your best! Everybody else is winging it, too.