Your Breath

Helpful advice from the DLM Blog:

8 Foods That Will Hide Your Bad Breath

Posted: 06 Feb 2010 06:03 AM PST

There’s nothing worse than having bad breath and not knowing about it!

There are certain foods that are guaranteed to cause bad breath. Most people are quite aware that eating foods such as curry, garlic, onions or coffee before a meeting or function might be the kiss of death when it comes to social etiquette.

You can try chewing gum, but you’ll have to chew for a long time because until that bad-breath-causing-food clears from your system (which can take up to 24 hours), you’ll be stuck with that bad breath. That’s unless you know which foods you can eat to mask the problem.

When it comes to finding a relief to bad breath, these 8 foods will help:

1. Parsley
   This might seem like a decoration more than anything else, but if you are eating a dish that is loaded with garlic and see that it’s been decorated with parsley, you might want to chew on it at the end of your meal to cleanse your palate. If you have basil leaves those will also help and chewing on strings of rosemary will also help.


2. Spices that pack a crunch
   A few exotic spices have been known to help alleviate bad breath. You might want to consider carrying a small packet filled with cardamom, coriander (aka cilantro) and fennel seeds. These spices will you get rid of your bad breath quickly and they will leave your month feeling fresh.


3. Berries
   Berries are not only amazing antioxidants that will help you age better, but they will also help freshen your breath!


4. Oranges
   Oranges are not only ideal for your morning breakfast or as a snack, they are amazing at refreshing your breath because the vitamin C helps deter bad breath. So next time you have a meal chock full of garlic, try to eat an orange a few hours after you’ve digested!


5. Lemons
   Lemons are great at neutralizing garlic odor on your hands and they also do wonders at killing your bad breath as well. If you are going to drink sparkling water, why not add a slice of lemon to help deal with your bad breath.


6. Apples
   Think of apples as a natural toothbrush for your mouth. You see when you chew an apple it produces quite a bit of saliva production and the combination with the high fiber content of apples will help cleanse your mouth.


7. Mint
   This list would not be complete without adding mint! Nothing freshens your mouth like mint and that’s one reason why mint-flavored gum is so popular!


8. Cinnamon sticks
   Chewing on cinnamon sticks will release essential oils that will help kill the bacteria that cause bad breath very quickly!

If you have a buddy that occasionally makes you eyes water while he's talking to you, share this on Facebook and help the guy out!

Written on 2/6/2010 by Krizia. Krizia (aka MissK) is an international author of an acclaimed food guide. Her approach to healthy eating is about keeping it simple, approachable and REAL! In June 2009, two months after launching Eat Smart Age Smart, Krizia was awarded with the nomination of ‘Top 200 Health Blogger’ in the Healthy Eating category by Well Sphere.

Photo Credit: Jeff Karpala