Bad breath can be the stuff of nightmares. Everyone at some point of time in their life has suffered from awful bad breath. It is a cause of great embarrassment and distress for many. Hence, it is important to understand what can cause bad breath and what can be done about it.
Bad breath, aka Halitosis, is a condition that causes smelly, unpleasant odor coming from the mouth. There are several causes of bad breath, some even being a sign of a worse medical condition festering in the body.
It can be due to something you’ve eaten, or it can be due to the formation of bacteria in the mouth. Sulfur compounds that get released due to the breakdown of food in the mouth can also result in smelly odor coming out of the mouth.
Foods that Causes Bad Breath
1. Fried Foods
2. Sticky Foods
3. Sweetened Beverages
4. Sugar
Other Chronic Bad Breath Causes
1. Poor Diet
2. Tooth Decay
3. Older Age
4. Chronic Dry Mouth
5. Gum disease
6. Smoking and Tobacco use
7. Untreated dental caries
8. Bacteria in the mouth
9. Trapped food in the mouth
Now there are many ways to keeps your mouth from smelling bad. Washing your mouth after every meal, brushing twice a day, or chewing on a gum or mouth freshener can all provide relief from bad breath. However, in chronic cases of bad breath, this can all be only temporary solutions to the problems.
Plus, most mouthwashes and chewing gums contain alcohol, artificial sweeteners, dyes, and other ingredients that can cause other severe conditions to develop in the body.
Thankfully, those aren’t the only options available to address the urgent case of bad breath. There are some very effective natural remedies that you can try to help with bad breath.
So let’s look at some of the most effective natural remedies to cure bad breath.
1. Eat High Protein – High Fiber Food
Too much consumption of sugar, grains, white bread, and even whole wheat products can be a major contributor to bad breath. Hence, having a diet that is low in sugar and high in protein and fiber-rich food is one way to eliminate the risk of ever developing bad breath.
Sugar containing food can cause bacteria to thrive and increase in the mouth. This can result in a variety of infections to grow in the mouth, thus causing bad breath. So it is essential to reduce sugar-rich food if you ever want to get rid of bad breath.
Eat food that contains healthy fats or alkalizing properties instead to kill the bacteria developing in the mouth.
2. Eat Healthy Fats
Healthy saturated fats can work wonderfully in promoting not only gut health but also filter out the effects of sugar and refined grains in causing bad breath in the mouth. Healthy fats like nuts, avocado, olive oil, virgin coconut oil, eggs, cheeses, etc. are good sources of healthy fats that can help in your cause.
Coconut oil specifically contains antimicrobial fatty acids that promote both dental and gut health. Please note; if you have liver or gall bladder condition, do consult your doctor before consuming saturated fats like coconut oil, since it can be too hard to digest.
3. Use Essential Oils
Using essential oils like peppermint oils can help reduce the chances of bad breath. Studies have shown that rinsing the mouth with peppermint oil can eliminate Halitosis causing bacteria from the mouth. Peppermint oil can also be used as an ingredient in your own homemade probiotic toothpaste that can also contain baking soda and coconut oil. Only a single drop of peppermint oil on your tongue is enough to freshen your mouth.
4. Parsley
Parsley is another effective treatment for Halitosis. One of the reasons parsley works so wonderfully is because of its alkaline- like properties. One study has shown that using an alkalizing combination of raw apples, mint, parsley, and spinach worked well in increasing enzyme activities in the body, and naturally oxidizing and deodorizing bad bacteria in the mouth.
Parsley and other green plants like it have chlorophyll that helps neutralize the effect of bad breath and acts as a natural deodorizer.
You can consume parsley with green tea for great results. You can also boil mint, cloves, and parsley sprigs, cool, and strain the mixture to make an effective mouthwash to be used daily.
5. Lemon
Lemon plays an important role in fighting bad bacteria in the mouth. Lemon juice, in particular, has phytochemical, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties that not only kill bacteria and fungus but also reduce inflammation of the mouth.
You can squeeze a lemon into a glass of water and enjoy the benefits of lemon water in fighting Halitosis. Lemon juice is specifically important in fighting bad breath caused by sugary and fast foods. You can drink lemon juice or simply gargle with it.
6. Water
Water and its simple benefits to life are endless and warrant its own dedicated article. We have already mentioned a dry mouth as being one of the primary causes of bad breath. A dry mouth is basically a breeding ground for bacteria to thrive and grow.
Drink at least eight-ounce glasses of water per day to keep the mouth from staying dry. The solution is pretty simple and should be followed by everyone, especially those whose profession requires them to talk a lot.
The Bottom Line
Bad breath is a source of humiliation for a lot of people. But, the solution is pretty simple. For health-conscious people trying to keep outside toxins from entering the body, the above mentioned natural remedies are a great way of maintaining very good oral hygiene.
Stay away from sugar-rich, or grain-filled diet and choose high protein/high fiber food instead. This will also result in weight loss and other health benefits apart from good-smelling breath.
Remember, the solutions are fairly simple; one only needs to follow them to achieve the desired results.
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