Bad breath not only affects our health, but also affects our social interactions, making others reluctant to get close to you or talk to you. According to traditional Chinese medicine, bad breath is often caused by excessive heat in the stomach and intestines, or heat accumulation in the lungs and large intestine. This is caused by the invasion of pathogenic heat in the stomach. So what foods are good for bad breath? Below, I will introduce some foods that can help eliminate bad breath.
Causes of Bad Breath
1. Dieting
This reason may surprise you. When we are dieting to lose weight or unable to eat due to illness, the function of our salivary glands decreases. Women may experience hormonal imbalances during their menstrual cycle, leading to reduced saliva production. This creates a favorable environment for anaerobic bacteria to grow, resulting in bad breath.
2. Infection
This usually occurs in adolescent females during puberty. When ovarian function is insufficient and hormone levels are low, the resistance of oral tissues decreases, making it easier for bacteria to infect and cause bad breath. This is something we should pay attention to.
3. Diseases
This refers to diseases such as peptic ulcers, chronic gastritis, functional dyspepsia, etc. These diseases may lead to bad breath. H. pylori infection in gastric diseases is also associated with a higher incidence of bad breath compared to non-infected individuals. After successful treatment, the symptoms will significantly improve. Therefore, we should not overlook bad breath caused by H. pylori infection and seek timely treatment.
4. Unhealthy habits
Smoking, alcohol consumption, drinking coffee, and regularly consuming spicy foods such as onions, garlic, and leeks can lead to bad breath. People who have a preference for foods with strong odors like stinky tofu and fermented eggs also have a higher incidence of bad breath.
Foods for Bad Breath
1. Celery
Celery can effectively neutralize bad odor in the mouth and remove oral odor caused by smoking. If celery is not available, cilantro, mint, mugwort, and cardamom can be used as substitutes. To achieve the best results, these foods should be chewed or steeped like tea. They not only eliminate oral odor, but also aid in digestion.
2. Tea
Tea has a bitter taste and a cooling nature, with the effects of quenching thirst, refreshing the mind, aiding digestion, and relieving agitation. Gargling with strong tea or chewing tea leaves can help eliminate bad breath caused by consuming garlic, mutton, and other foods with strong odors. Take a pinch of tea leaves, put them in the mouth, chew slowly, and swallow after the saliva dissolves the tea leaves. This method has excellent therapeutic effects.
3. Yogurt
Yogurt is made by fermenting pure milk and retains all the nutritional components of fresh milk. During the fermentation process, lactic acid bacteria produce various vitamins essential for the body, such as vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12. Recent studies have shown that drinking yogurt daily can reduce the content of hydrogen sulfide in the mouth, which is the main culprit of bad breath. Drinking yogurt on time can also prevent the growth of harmful bacteria in the mouth, which can cause gum disease or dental plaque. However, only natural yogurt has this effect, and yogurt with added sugar does not have the same effect.
4. Mint
Mint leaves contain monoterpenes compounds, which can circulate through the blood to the lungs and freshen breath. After consuming a heavy meal, drinking a cup of unsweetened mint tea can help reduce greasiness and relieve bloating. If you are troubled by the smell of onions and garlic in your mouth and are afraid to talk, it is recommended to chew 2-3 fresh mint leaves, as it helps to eliminate the odor.
5. Millet
Millet has high nutritional value and is rich in protein, fat, and vitamins. It is not only edible but also used in medicine for its heat-clearing, thirst-quenching, nourishing yin, strengthening the spleen and kidneys, benefiting the intestines, promoting urination, and treating diarrhea. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the foundation of human health lies in essence, energy, and spirit. Essence is the source of life, energy is the source of life, and spirit is the light of life. Essence, energy, and spirit each have their own functions and influence each other. Traditional Chinese health preservation mainly focuses on regulating essence, energy, and spirit. Research has found that healthy grain food such as millet can reduce the growth of oral bacteria.
6. Honey
Mix one spoonful of honey with a small cup of warm water and drink it on an empty stomach every morning. Honey has the effect of moisturizing the intestines, promoting bowel movements, and eliminating decay. It is quite effective in treating bad breath caused by constipation.
7. Kelp
Kelp is a highly nutritious vegetable with certain medicinal value. It contains abundant mineral elements such as iodine, and it also contains highly effective substances for eliminating odor. Its deodorizing effect is three times that of existing bad breath inhibitors. Therefore, eating kelp regularly can help eliminate bad breath for people suffering from it.
8. Lemon
Lemons are acidic in nature and slightly bitter in taste. They have the effects of producing saliva, quenching thirst, and relieving heat. Adding some mint leaves and fresh lemon juice to a cup of boiling water and drinking it can help eliminate bad breath.
9. Hawthorn
Hawthorn is a unique tree species in China. It has the effects of lowering blood lipids and blood pressure, strengthening the heart, and preventing arrhythmia. It is also a good medicine for invigorating the spleen, stimulating appetite, promoting digestion, and resolving food stagnation. It has a good therapeutic effect on symptoms such as fullness in the chest and abdomen, hernia, blood stasis, and amenorrhea. The flavonoid compound rutin in hawthorn is a drug with strong anti-cancer effects. Its extract has a certain effect on inhibiting the growth, proliferation, and invasion and metastasis of cancer cells in the body. Hawthorn also has the function of dispersing stasis, resolving accumulation, clearing the stomach, and removing oral acid odor. Take 30 hawthorn fruits, simmer them slowly, add a small amount of rock sugar, and drink one small bowl each time.
10. Grapefruit
Grapefruit is very rich in nutritional value. It contains a large number of nutrients, including protein, organic acids, various vitamins, and essential minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and sodium. It is especially suitable for consumption in autumn, as it not only replenishes nutrition but also helps fight dryness. Grapefruit can also eliminate the odor after drinking alcohol. It can treat poor appetite, bland taste, remove gastric discomfort, and detoxify alcohol. Take fresh grapefruit, peel it, chew it finely, and swallow it slowly. This can eliminate the odor in the mouth after drinking alcohol and has the effect of aiding digestion, nourishing the spleen, and removing odor.
