I have braces, and I am trying to get to a healthy weight. I
read about eating 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day. But I
can't eat apples and things like that. What do I eat to still
eat healthy? Having braces is a great time to make healthy
changes in your diet. That's because people who wear braces need
to avoid certain foods — and many of these are less-than-healthy
foods like candy, gummies, corn chips, and other hard snack
foods. (Your dentist has probably already told you to pass on
these!) Of course, as you point out, some fruits and veggies
fall into the "hard foods" category. But that doesn't mean you
can't eat them — it just requires a little preparation. Try
cutting apples (and other hard fruits like pears) into small
pieces or thin wedges. Or go for unsweetened applesauce or
canned fruits in their own juice. The same goes for veggies —
you can cut foods like raw carrots into small slivers. Cooking
crunchy vegetables also can make them easier to eat. If any food
seems too difficult to eat, cut