Bad breath? 5 foods to avoid and 5 to prevent it
Index
So your breath stinks. But it’s not just a curry or garlic prawns that will leave your friends ducking for cover in the middle of a conversation. A number of foods can contribute to bad breath, or halitosis, but keeping your teeth and mouth clean is also important, as it’s the bacteria in your mouth that’s more likely the contributor to ongoing bad breath.
5 Bad breath offenders
1. Garlic and onion. They’re notoriously smelly, but garlic in particular contains sulfur compounds, which get into the bloodstream as they’re digested and get released via the lungs and the skin. That smelly garlic is literally coming out of your pores! Apples or milk have been known to minimise the concentration of chemicals that give garlic its bad odour.
2. Tuna: When your colleague opens that can of tuna for his salad, the tuna stink-machine is ON. Apparently that overly fishy smell occurs when seafood starts to oxidise, which is a common result of canning processes. Eat tuna that’s packed in extra virgin olive oil as some suggest it’s the least smelly canned variety.
3. Low-carb diets: they’re all the rage but dietitian Lisa Middleton says you’re in a state of ‘ketosis’ (when the body switches from carbohydrates to stored fats for energy) when eating extremely low-carb. This creates ketoacidosis, leading to ketones in saliva, which may result in bad breath.
4. Kombucha: whether this faddish fermented drink sticks around or not, it’s a no-brainer that this stuff causes bad breath. The acrid nature of the drink gets its especially pungent stink from yeast, sitting around fermenting for months. Jury is still out on whether it’s worthy of its digestive super-status, but if you must have it, then drink it in one sitting and not continually throughout the day.
5. Alcohol & Coffee: Alcohol can cause a dry mouth and reduced saliva production, so bacteria can hang around and go to work on any food remnants, producing bad breath. Stinky coffee breath is also common – but did you know that the milk residue fermenting in your mouth combined with the coffee is the main offender? Stick to black coffee if you’re on a date.
Try our 5 natural bad-breath killers instead:
1. Parsley: Chewing down on parsley or other fresh herbs like mint or basil can help bad breath as the chlorophyll in these plants can neutralise the odours.
2. Raw, crunchy fruit & vegetables: the texture of raw vegetables can help to remove food residues from the mouth. Apples in particular contain pectin, which helps control food odours and promotes saliva production.
3. Water: keeping hydrated will prevent a dry mouth and swishing with water after meals can help to remove food particles, leaving bacteria with nothing to feed on.
4. Sugar-free gum: promotes saliva production and may help remove leftover food particles. Keep it sugar-free as sugar not only causes tooth decay, but can stick to your teeth and flare up the bacteria which causes bad breath.
5. Berries, citrus, melons and other vitamin C-rich foods are important for preventing gum disease and gingivitis, both causes of halitosis. The vitamin C will help protect your mouth from bacteria growth.
Keep up your oral hygiene
Dr Peter Aldritt of the Australian Dental Association says the best strategy to minimise bad breath is to keep your mouth clean by brushing twice per day with a fluoride toothpaste, floss daily, clean your tongue and maintain regular dental check-ups.
Accredited Practising Dietitian Lisa Middleton says that many of the foods that cause bad breath are in fact highly nutritious, so don’t ditch the garlic just yet. Perhaps just consider the timing of when you eat it, and who you will be breathing on!
Chronic bad breath may be a symptom of other medical conditions, so always see your dentist if halitosis is an ongoing problem.