10 Best Foods To Fight Bad Breath
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
What are the best foods to fight bad breath and how to prevent?
Have you ever had a hard time talking or breathing due to the bad breath smell from your mouth?
In fact, many of us worry about bad breath. No wonder, nobody wants to talk to people with bad breath. It can be difficult to maintain a conversation if you have severe bad breath, sometimes.
Bad breath, also called halitosis, often occurs from lungs, bronchial tubes, sore throat, nasal cavity, or oral cavity.
Recently, it is essential to wear masks because of COVID-19. As you wear a mask for a long time, many people feel a strange smell in the mask while breathing alone. Bad breath is not just caused by one factor, so let’s have a look at the main causes.
Causes Of Bad Breath
It is known that the causes of bad breath are diverse, and not limited to the oral cavity.
1. Intraoral diseases
2. Unclean oral environment
3. Odor caused by smoking
4. Saliva reduction
Among them, saliva reduction is known to occur as saliva gradually decreases with age.
But in most cases, bad breath comes from bad habits. Improper teeth brushing, smoking or drinking, and even eating habits directly relate to bad breath.
Then how to get rid of bad breath? We just need to change our habits, right? You just need to quit smoking, stop drinking, and eat food that doesn’t cause any smell. The problem is that it’s not that easy to get rid of all of our old habits.
The easiest and best way to remove odors from your mouth is removing them with food. There are many foods that help fighting bad breath.
So today, we’re going to learn about 10 foods that get rid of bad breath.
1. Parsley
Indeed, parsley has an excellent effect on removing bad breath deriving from food such as garlic. Parsley gets rid of oral bacteria. Parsley is usually used as a finishing touch in dishes. But from today, try eating parsley as a side dish or just eating more of it in general!
2. Cucumber
Cucumber is certainly a good vegetable to fight bad breath. It has a lot of moisture, so it helps prevent dry mouth, its fibre dislodges the food between your teeth, and polyphenol eliminates bacteria that cause bad breath. Cucumber is also a good food for weight loss because it tastes fresh and is low calorie.
3. Plain Yogurt
Probiotics yogurt is a great help in oral health and removing bad breath. By all means, probiotics in yogurt control bacteria that cause bad breath. Note that you should consume plain yogurt without adding sugar.
4. Grapefruit
Grapefruit is rich in vitamin C that prevents bacteria from reproducing in your mouth. In addition, the rich citric acid stimulates the salivary glands and increases salivation to help fight bad breath. After eating grapefruit, you can feel a subtle fruitful scent in your mouth.
5. Apple
Apples are good fruits to get rid of bad breath. Rough fibre removes food left between teeth, and abundant polyphenol removes odor-causing bacteria. Thus, it’s good to put an apple in your bag on your way to work and eat it for breakfast or as a snack.
6. Strawberry
Strawberries decrease bad breath as they contain lots of water and vitamin C, making it hard for bad breath-causing bacteria to survive in your mouth. Accordingly, eating strawberries as a dessert helps with bad breath.
7. Cinnamon
Surprisingly, cinnamon is one of the most used foods for oral health and bad breath removal. Cinnamon is rich in polyphenols, which is good for oral health and removing odor-causing bacteria. Cinnamon also has a strong scent, so drinking a glass of cinnamon tea after meals can go a long way for your breath.
8. Herb Tea
Herb tea containing peppermint, mint, cilantro, rosemary, and/or spearmint is effective on bad breath. In particular, peppermint tea and spearmint tea are so good at removing bad breath that they also became popular ingredients for renowned bad-breath fighting chewing gums.
9. Green Tea
Coffee causes bad breath, but green tea reduces bad breath. The polyphenol in green tea is good in preventing cavities and bad breath. Of course, green tea is a superfood with a very long list of pros, but also remember that it can be your potent ally in the war on bad breath.
10. Water
Water is essential for bad breath removal. Use it to wash your mouth clean to remove the cause of bad breath and prevent your mouth from drying. It also helps digestion and overall metabolism, while obviously being fundamental for human life. Fruits and vegetables mentioned above must go through a preparation process, but water has the advantage of being ready to drink anytime, anywhere. It is recommended to drink 8 cups of water a day for adults.
If you’re worried about bad breath, it’s a good idea to swap a few of your daily coffee cups for green tea or herbal tea. Moreover, a better way is to put water in a portable bottle and drink it through the day.
But what’s more important is the habit of keeping your mouth clean. Let’s have a look at some ways to maintain your oral hygiene.
1. Use Toothbrush And Floss
Brushing teeth the wrong way is one of the most common causes of bad breath. Therefore, it is necessary to remove food between teeth by using a toothbrush and flossing after eating. Also, it is recommended to wipe your tongue with an appropriate toothbrush to properly cleanse it.
2. Use Mouth Wash
You can use toothbrushes and floss, but you can also use mouth wash to remove bad breath. It’s good to use mouth wash after brushing your teeth to remove leftover food from your mouth and fight bacteria all over your oral cavity, not only the teeth.
3. Dental Treatment
Certainly, it is necessary to visit the dentist for consultation and treatment as problems with damaged teeth or cavities usually cause bad breath.
Given these points, say goodbye to bad breath with these 10 foods and good habits for your dental health!
