8 Foods That Can Cause Bad Breath
1. TEA AND COFFEE
Some foods dehydrate the mouth which feeds the bacteria that causes bad breath. Unfortunately, it might be hard to completely avoid these foods – they can all be part of a healthy diet and many also add flavour to food. A diet that is perfect for your breath might not do much for the taste buds.
Tea and coffee both serve to dry out the mouth, reducing saliva, and they also have a strong, lingering smell in their own right. In Britain we drink 165 million cups of tea a day, enough to fill about 20 Olympic swimming pools!
Eradicating both from your diet would reduce the risk of bad breath, but the cull might not do much for your morning routine. Follow your morning cuppa with a glass of water – helping to rinse the mouth and also replenish moisture levels.
2. Alcohol
Drinks that cause the worst smells are those high in sulphites – enter alcohol. Alcohol has a noticeable dehydrating effect, creating the perfect environment for bad bacteria to linger and thrive.
As with tea and coffee, drinking water can be beneficial, so too limiting alcohol intake where possible.
3. GARLIC
Garlic does so much to make food taste better, adding depth of flavour to curries, pasta sauces and more; and yet it also is a constant cause of bad breath.
The smells from garlic linger and so it can impact breath long after you’ve eaten any meal it was contained within – indeed, garlic lingers to the extent that it can enter the bloodstream and exit through the lungs, which is why people sometimes have the feeling they are tasting garlic days after eating.
4. Protein
By now you might be sensing that an Italian meal of Spaghetti Bolognese, washed down with coffee and wine is a bad choice for breath…
Protein doesn’t necessarily have a smell itself, but it can lead to processes that create bad breath.
If you have too much protein and a high proportion of protein relative to fat and carbohydrate, the body will use this protein for energy. The body’s way of using protein for fuel is called ketosis and the bi-product, ketones, have a pungent smell that cannot be masked by brushing or flossing.
Depending on other dietary needs, it might not be practical or healthy to reduce your protein intake – certainly you should not prioritise breath over other aspects of health.
Increasing your water intake can help remedy the impact of a diet high in protein.
5. ONIONS
Onions are high in sulphurous compounds, when these compounds enter the bloodstream they lead to bad breath that comes from both the mouth and the lungs, this is why rigorous efforts to clean the mouth sometimes only tackle half the problem.
6. CANNED FISH
Fish from a can might be a quick and easy lunch, but it is a meal choice that will most likely lead to bad breath.
Whilst in the can, the fish begins to oxidise and this creates the odour; this a smell that then clings to the mouth long after that lunch time snack.
7. Sugar
Sugar is the perfect fuel for bad breath causing bacteria. Those looking to tackle bad breath often chew gum as a way to keep the mouth moist – this only works if the gum is sugar free; otherwise you’re simply feeding the bacteria!
8. ACIDIC FOODS
Fruits and vegetables that are highly acidic also create an environment those harmful bacteria love to exploit – this includes sauerkraut, tomatoes, blueberries and grapes.
Fruit and veg are essential to a healthy diet, and yet when these contain acid they can wreak havoc on oral health.
This highlights a key problem, the diet that is perfect for the mouth might not be perfect for overall health – it would be lacking in certain food stuffs and not delivering the balanced diet required.
