Bad Breath (aka Halitosis)
Sure, that fried tuna fish sandwich with garlic and onion might have tasted good at lunch, but your post-lunch associates are not enjoying the cornucopia of smells you produce with every word you speak. Fortunately, there are some super foods that can help get rid of bad breath.
Twelve Foods That Get Rid of Bad Breath:
1. Herbs such as Parsley, Mint, Tarragon, and Basil. Usually, parsley is included as a garnish on dishes at many restaurants. There are plenty of other herbs that can work as well. Dr. Christine Gerbstadt a national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association recommends using coriander, spearmint, tarragon, eucalyptus, rosemary and cardamom. Basically, you should aim to find any herb with a strong pleasant smell that can mask your really bad breath. Experiment a bit and find the one that works the best for you.
2. Green Tea. In a recent study trying to find foods that reduce bad breath, the researchers concluded that “green tea was very effective in reducing oral malodor temporarily because of its disinfectant and deodorant activities.” In fact, the study found that many other foods used to get rid of bad breath simply covered up the bad smell. Green tea, however was able to reduce the concentration of volatile sulfur compounds (one of the major causes of bad breath) while other foods couldn’t. The only other substance in the study that could reduce the volatile sulfur compounds was toothpaste.
3. Lemons can reduce bad breath. They have such a strong, pleasant odor that they are able to mask your bad breath. Lemons are easy to come across in restaurants — you can simply order a water with a lemon wedge. Squeezing the lemon in your water may be the safest way to use the lemon to mask bad breath because the strong acid lemons contain can slowly eat away at your enamel.
4. Sugar Free Mints and Candy will be able to mask bad breath by increasing your saliva production. That extra saliva running through your mouth will be able to remove bad breath-causing substances from your teeth.
5. Crisp Fruits and Vegetables such as apples, celery, and carrots are great at stimulating the flow of your saliva also. This will help wash away offending substances that cling to your teeth. Also, the rough, fibrous texture of fruits and vegetables can also have a cleaning action on your teeth.
6. Yogurt can act to prevent bad breath. It won’t work immediately, but if you eat a single-serving cup of plain yogurt without any sugar added every day, you will be able to reduce the levels of hydrogen sulfide in your mouth.
7. Berries, Melons, and Citrus Fruits that are rich in vitamin C will be able to scare away much of the bacteria in your mouth that are a source of your bad breath by creating an environment in which the bacteria do not want to live. As an added bonus, vitamin C is also great at preventing gingivitis and improving your gingival health.
8. Anise, Cardamom, Coriander, Mint Sprigs, and Fennel Seeds are all very potent, spicy, pleasant smelling, natural ways to cover up your bad breath.
9. Cinnamon Sticks contain an essential oil that is actually able to kill a certain type of bacteria in your mouth that causes bad breath. Also, the pleasant scent of cinnamon is sure to cover up some of the worst bad breath that you can breathe at it!
10. Chewing gum is great at getting your salivary flow stimulated. Also, it can keep your teeth clean. Don’t get chewing gum that has sugar in it, such as Chiclets, as that will just end up magnifying your bad breath by feeding your oral bacteria. Try to find chewing gum that uses sugar alcohols, such as xylitol and sorbitol as a sweetener. As an added bonus, these sugar alcohols can help to reduce plaque levels and keep your teeth healthy!
11. Hazelnuts if they are slowly chewed and eaten can help alleviate bad breath.
12. Chlorophyll, isn’t exactly a food, but as a supplement it works to decrease bad breath since chlorophyll is a natural deodorizer. You can find liquid chlorophyll or chlorophyll tablets at your local pharmacy or drugstore.
Tongue Cleaning
Another way to alleviate bad breathe is to clean the tongue. Check out the info on our website about Tongue Cleaners under the Oral Hygiene Section.
Conclusion
Use these 12 foods to help your breath smell fresh all day long. By doing so, you’ll not only be improving your breath, but you’ll be doing a big favor to those around you that have to breathe in what you breathe out.