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These Popular Foods to Fight Bad Breath

Bad breath or halitosis is an embarrassing condition affecting one fourth of the world’s population. There are foods to fight bad breath naturally. Bad breath can be caused by poor oral hygiene, dental diseases, dental cavities, poor diet, dentures, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and certain medical conditions such as ulcers, sinusitus, intestinal issues. But there are foods that can hep fight bad breath naturally.

If you suffer from halitosis, it is important that you find the cause for your own health and for those around you. A visit to a dentist or healthcare provider is recommended. Once you know the cause of your problem, you can then tackle the problem and ideally find relief through natural remedies. But first, let us learn more about bad breath.

What Causes Bad Breath?

As we know, bad breath has a number of possible causes. It may also be intermittent (on and off). For these reasons it can sometimes be difficult to address. Following are the main causes of bad breath or halitosis:

  • Poor oral hygiene.
  • Smoking
  • Dental cavities and other oral diseases
  • Foods such as onions, garlic and alcohol
  • Improperly cleaned dentures
  • Avoid dry mouth. Stimulate the flow of saliva
  • Respiratory tract infections
  • Digestion problems such as belching, heartburn and lactose intolerance This natural ingredient could help your digestion also.
  • Physiological issues
  • Medicines such as sulfur medications
  • Fasting that leads to fat breakdown
  • Stress, depression and anxiety
  • Medical conditions such as liver disease and uncontrolled diabetes

Some types of halitosis such as those caused by food items, fasting, menstruation and uncontrolled medical conditions such as diabetes will normally stop once the agent causing the problem either gets out of the body, the condition has been addressed or the body reverts to its ordinary status.

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Symptoms of Bad Breath

While the most well known symptom of bad breath is the foul smell of the breath, closer observation will reveal other possible signs. These could include plaque on teeth, stained teeth, swollen or bleeding gums, tongue and mouth dryness, stuffy nose, sore throat, whitish tongue, lymph node swellings and smelly belching.  This ingredient may surprise you with its many benefits.

Fight Bad Breath with Home Remedies

Personal hygiene can easily be improved with simple home remedies and is important for the maintenance of fresh breath.

  • Brush your teeth and clean your tongue after every meal.
  • Brush your tongue
  • Floss daily
  • If you smoke, consider quitting, but meanwhile clean your mouth after smoking. Use mouthfuls of cold water throughout the day to clean your mouth by swishing and spitting out. Water dissolves some of the acids and other materials causing the foul smell.
  • Replace your toothbrush after every 2 – 3 months
  • If you wear dentures, clean them and sleep without them to reduce bacterial buildup in your mouth.
  • Add baking powder to your daily routine. Baking powder is alkaline and provides an unfavorable environment for bacteria to live or grow thereby reducing foul smell produced by the bacteria. Place some baking powder on your tooth brush and use it in place of your regular toothpaste. 
  • Baking soda mouth wash. Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water to make your own mouth wash.
  • Salt water rinse. One teaspoon salt in water and swish in your mouth.

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Foods to fight bad breath naturally

These Popular Foods to Fight Bad Breath

  • Drink lots of water (at least 8 glasses) throughout the day to keep your body hydrated and your digestive system healthy. Water also helps to cleanse your body by carrying toxins from the blood stream and cleaning the gut. This reduces the foul smells caused by toxins within the digestive and circulatory systems.
  • Eat Fiber-rich foods such as vegetables and fibrous fruits help to remove food particles within your mouth. They also improve digestion, provide surface for growth of friendly bacteria and absorb toxins in the gut for excretion. This reduces digestion disorders and gas in the stomach.
  • Fruits such as citrus provide vitamins A and C as well as antioxidants which support good oral health and reduce inflammation. Citrus also stimulates saliva production and kills bacteria that cause bad breath.

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  • Drink green or black tea to benefit from the antioxidant properties that reduce inflammation and reduce bad breath.
  • Eat Probiotic foods such as kefir, sauerkraut and natural yogurt. They provide good bacteria which are necessary for good digestion, reduction of harmful bacteria that produce foul gases in the mouth and gut, and for improved immunity. Swishing the probiotics in your mouth before swallowing will improve the numbers of good bacteria as opposed to bad bacteria within the mouth.
  • Apple cider vinegar. Gargle a mouthful of apple cider vinegar for 10 – 15 seconds then spit it out. Repeat this treatment two times a day.
  • Coconut oil is an effective treatment for bad breath when used in a process called oil pulling involving swishing one tablespoon of coconut oil for 5 – 20 minutes before spitting it out.  

Herbs: More Popular Foods to Fight Bad Breath

Herbs have been in use for treatment of various diseases for thousands of years. Here are some popular herbs to help fight bad breath naturally. Add them to your smoothies and daily cooking for improved breath and enjoy the many other medicinal qualities.

  • Citrus Rind. Wash the rind of a lemon or orange and chew a piece for a minute or two to stimulate increased saliva production leading to reduction of bad breath. You will feel a burst of flavor and it will stimulate your senses. Also produces a fresh scent.
  • Cloves and Fennel. Chewing a few clove buds or fennel seeds for one or two minutes gets rid of bad breath. They are also rich in antiseptic qualities to fight halitosis causing bacteria.
  • Parsley, Basil, Cilantro. Chew on a sprig of fresh parsley to neutralize the bad mouth odors.

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  • Peppermint Oil. Peppermint is used in many toothpastes and mouthwashes because of its deodorizing properties. Use one to three drops of peppermint essential oil daily to freshen your breath and kill halitosis. Consider growing peppermint in your garden and add to your daily water.
  • Tea Tree Oil. Many studies conducted on tea tree oil have shown that it has toxic effects on harmful bacteria including Solobacterium moorei and Candida, which are associated with bad breath. Use one or two drops daily to freshen your mouth.
  • Sage. Sage kills bacteria responsible for halitosis including streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans. Use one or two drops daily. Alternatively use fresh sage and add to water.
  • Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus oil is used in the treatment of many conditions. For halitosis, use two or three drops in your mouth rinse to keep bad breath away.
  • Cardamom. Cardamom has a fresh smelling flavor that works perfectly to stop bad breath. Chew on a few seeds one to three times daily.

These are all well known and easy to find ingredients to help fight bad breath.

Dr. Patrick Quillin

Dr. Patrick Quillin, PhD,RD,CNS is an internationally recognized expert in the area of nutrition and health. He has 30 years experience as a clinical nutritionist, of which 10 years were spent as the Vice President for a leading cancer hospital system where he worked with thousands of cancer patients in a hospital setting. He is a Best Selling Author with 18 books which have sold over 2,000,000 copies and also a Keynote Speaker.