Why Some Foods May be a Natural Cure for Bad Breath

If you’re one of the many thousands of people who suffer from chronic bad breath on a regular basis, chances are you’ve likely tried lots of those conventional so-called bad breath remedies in an attempt to cure your halitosis problem.

However, despite what they might say in their sales hype, you may have already discovered for yourself that many of these products unfortunately fail to live up to their claims.

In fact, this might well be the very reason for the increase in popularity in recent years of more unusual bad breath treatments and solutions, such as herbal preparations and home concoctions. More and more people are now turning their back on traditional oral hygiene products in favor of more unusual methods.

And a quick trawl online through various bad breath support forums would seem to suggest that some people are indeed experiencing success using less conventional methods of treatment.

It’s easy to understand the appeal of finding a really good natural cure for bad breath. For a start, it means you’re not subecting your body to any harsh chemicals or medications which may prove to be habit-forming at a later date.

And they’re also often much cheaper than many expensive over-the-counter-products, the costs of which can soon mount up when you have to keep using them on a regular basis just to keep your smelly breath at bay.

One particular way in which some people are attempting to cure bad breath naturally is through the use of foods.

Generally speaking, there are 3 main categories of foods which some people suggest can help to eliminate halitosis. These are:

1. Fiber-rich crunchy fruit and vegetables – eating crunchy fruit and veggies such as apples, carrots and celery can help to stimulate the production of saliva in your mouth. This is especially important from a bad breath point of view as a dry mouth is one of the factors that can cause your mouth to smell.

You may not be aware, but the number one cause of bad breath is bacteria that you have in your mouth. When aggravated, these bacteria can multiply in excessive numbers and it’s this that frequently leads to bad breath.

And one of the things that these bacteria absolutely love is a dry environment. Therefore, keeping your mouth moist is one of the ways you can keep these bacteria in check.

For the same reason, it’s also important to make sure you keep yourself adequately hydrated by drinking plenty of plain water every day. Many health experts recommend that you should consume about 8 glasses a day for optimum health benefits.

2. Foods high in vitamin C – berries and citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits which contain high levels of vitamin C may help to prevent the development of gingivitis and gum disease, another two things which can contribute to halitosis.

And as an extra bonus, as well as helping to minimize any rotten stenchs coming from your mouth, vitamin C is also a very powerful antioxidant and can help to protect the cells of your body from the damaging effects of harmful free radicals.

3. Yoghurt containing live cultures – a recent dental study found that eating a serving of yoghurt with active cultures every day can help to reduce the amount of odor-causing sulphur dioxide in a person’s mouth.

Lower incidences of gum diease and plaque build up were also reported among the study’s participants.

Well, the jury might still out on whether these foods can with absolute certainty help to cure bad breath. But if you’ve already tried conventional treatments in the past without success, then you might well want to give them a go.

After all, you’ve really got nothing to lose – except your bad breath, that is!