Did you eat a particularly garlicky slice of pizza at lunch? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that breath mint or piece of gum isn’t going to cut it. In fact, even if you brush your teeth and gargle with mouthwash, you’re merely covering up the foul stench of your last meal.
Bad breath is caused as methyl mercaptan gas builds up in the mouth. This occurs until food is fully digested. Dry mouth and food bacteria are also culprits of bad breath. However, the good news is that you can blast the foul odor, just by eating right.
Here are 12 foods that banish bad breath…
1. Water
A dry mouth full of food particles is a haven for foul breath bacteria are anaerobic, but drinking water cleanses them out!
2. Apples
An apple a day will banish foul breath if you eat an apple after that garlicky pizza or pasta dish.
3. Green Tea
Yet another health benefit of green tea—it contains polyphenols (a type of antioxidant) that prevents the growth of bad breath bacteria.
4. Cherries
Red and juicy cherries are more than just delicious following dinner by blasting methyl mercaptan odors that are emitted from bad breath bacteria.
5. Parsley
Banish stinky garlic breath garlic with a few sprigs of parsley, which contains polyphenols that break down the sulfur compounds that grow in your mouth after a particularly garlicky meal.
6. Whole Milk
Studies have linked the fat and water in whole milk with flushing out the odor-causing effects of a garlicky meal.
7. Spinach
Studies credit the polyphenols in spinach to annihilating smelly sulfur compounds in foods like garlic and onions.
8. Lettuce
Studies show that lettuce also reduces the foul smell of methyl mercaptan, a gas that builds up in the mouth as food is digested.
9. Spearmint
Leafy greens that contain high amounts of chlorophyll—such as mint, coriander, tarragon, eucalyptus, rosemary, and cardamom—work effectively as natural breath fresheners.
0. Yogurt with Probiotics
The powerful bad breath fighters in yogurt are due to the active cultures—Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus—which prevent the build-up of odor-causing hydrogen sulfide in your mouth.
11. Citrus Fruits
Oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes with high vitamin C content make the mouth adverse to bacterial growth.
12. Basil
Don’t worry about skipping the garlic and onions if you’ve got basil on hand! It’s rich in garlic-breath-fighting benefits of polyphenols, particularly if consumed during the same meal…garlic pesto sauces anyone?
