Bad breath is an instant turn-off for anyone, especially if you want to make first impressions. Although it may be easy to turn to candy and mouth wash in order to dispel bad breath, nature has several bad-breath fighters right at her side, and it comes in the form of food!
Read on to find out more about the five foods that will help you prevent bad breath.
Why do you have bad breath?
Before we talk about food and bad breath, it’s important to understand why you have bad breath in the first place. Smelly food such as garlic is not the reason why you have bad breath, although it may aggravate the situation.
It’s the bacteria found in your mouth that causes bad breath – and brushing alone cannot make them go away. After every meal, it’s important to brush and floss in order to get rid of food particles and dead cells in your mouth so that the bacteria won’t have anything to feast on.
Food #1: Herbs
The use of herbs is not limited to making your food smell and taste wonderful – they can also make your mouth smell good!
You can choose from a wide array of herbs such as coriander, tarragon, rosemary, eucalyptus and spearmint to help you alleviate bad breath. You can steep them in tea or even chew on them, or make use of the mint palate cleanser that most restaurants provide.
Aside from helping you cleanse your palate and relieve you of your bad breath, it can also aid your digestion.
Food #2: Crunchy fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are of huge help when fighting halitosis, but crunchy vegetables and fruits such as apples, celery and carrots provide more benefits than others. One of the causes of bad breath is plaque build-ups, which build up without regular cleaning from your dentist.
Eating crunchy fruits and vegetables increase the saliva production, which keeps the mouth constantly rinsed out, thus reducing the build up of plaque and bad breath.
Food #3: Citrusy fruits
Citrus, which is highly acidic, helps you banish bacteria that bring bad breath with them. Eat fruits that are high in Vitamin C such as oranges, berries, lemons, melons and even chili peppers. Eating food high in Vitamin C creates a hostile environment which does not allow bacteria to live and multiply in your mouth, thus giving you lesser chances of developing gingivitis and gum disease.
However, you should ensure that Vitamin C doesn’t give you a gastrointestinal upset, since a bad stomach may also aggravate the symptoms of bad breath due to the rising acid from your stomach.
Food #4: Vitamin D
Vitamin D fights mouth bacteria. Eating food rich in Vitamin D, such as milk, eggs and salmon are needed in your fight against bad breath. One of the strongest ways that you can effectively fight bad breath is to eat yogurt, because the active yogurt culture competes with the bacteria that you have in your mouth.
Yogurt also has calcium, which leads to better, stronger teeth and gums, giving the bacteria lesser advantages. Pick yogurts that contain strains of streptococci and lactobacilli.
Food #5: Water
Water is the best way of getting rid of bad breath. Instead of using rinses, try using water to swish and gargle. As stated above, food particles stuck in the mouth after eating is one of the causes of bad breath, along with having a dry mouth.
Drinking lots of water not only flushes away food particles and toxins, it also keeps your saliva production going and acts as the best cleansing agent for your mouth.
Cover photo: vanitycream.com
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