5 Foods That Fight Bad Breath

Bad breath [Halitosis] can result from poor dental health habits and may be a sign of other health problems. Bad breath can also be made worse by the types of foods you eat and other unhealthy lifestyle habits.

But did you know that certain foods can keep your mouth fresh? Try these yummy remedies for bad breath

Good oral hygiene, of course, is still the best way to keep your breath sweet. But some kinds of food and drink can actually fight bad breath. Go ahead and grab one of these five choices to freshen your breath between meals.

1. Cheese (and yogurt)

A small piece of cheese can neutralize the dietary acids that are stuck in your mouth after every meal which are responsible for bad breath. So once you are done with a meal, eat a small piece of cheese

A serving of unsweetened yogurt can also help. A small Japanese study found that volunteers with halitosis who ate yogurt twice a day had reduced levels of hydrogen sulfide, a compound that can cause bad breath.

Consuming half a cup of plain yogurt, twice a day can lower mouth levels of hydrogen sulphide (yes that rotten egg smell). Plus, the vitamin D boost you get from dairy food like yoghurt diminishes unhealthy bacteria creating an unpleasant environment for bacteria growth. If you need to sweeten, xylitol is an excellent alternative to freshen breath and help reduce cavities too.

2. Crunchy Foods

Soft and sticky foods that are most likely to be trapped on your teeth, leading to a build-up bacteria eventually causing bad odours. Foods like apples, carrots, and celery that will scrub your teeth, as you eat, stripping way the left over bits of food, are a great choice to prevent bad breath.

3. Tea

The polyphenols or compounds in black tea may help your breath in two ways:

• First, they prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause foul breath.
• Second, they decrease the bacteria’s production of stinky byproducts. 

Black tea has also been shown to help prevent tooth decay; so all in all, this steaming beverage makes for a good mouth freshener! One thing to beware: too much caffeine can dry out your mouth. Since that can also do a number on your breath, keep your tea intake to a moderate level, or go for decaf.

4. Sugarless candies and gum

Sugar-free candy/gum that causes an increased saliva flow in your mouth is more likely to reduce odor. The mint flavor can mask the bad breath while the cinnamon may stop it at the very source. Plant essential oils that are often used for flavouring cinnamon gums and candies, known as cinnamic aldehyde, also reduce odour-causing bacteria.

5. Water

A dry mouth can make your breath pretty unbearable. Most odor-causing bacteria are anaerobic, meaning they thrive in a dry mouth. Therefore, drinking water helps flush out food particles and bacteria stuck in your mouth. Drinking water also promotes the production of saliva, which acts as a cleansing agent.

Source: besthealthmag