Bad breath is something most of us will deal with at some point. As embarrassing as it may be, it’s a reality of life and most of us have had smelly breath at least once in our lives. Whether you drink coffee, skipped flossing or just ate a meal heavy on garlic, bad breath can definitely be off putting to those around you.
The best course of action is to brush and floss after meals and avoid foods and drinks that contribute to halitosis. However, many of us will never give up our coffee or garlic. In that case you may be looking for natural remedies to help fend off embarrassing breath. While mouth washes and gum can help mask halitosis, there are many natural foods and remedies that can help treat and prevent it from the inside.
Foods such as mint, parsley, lemon, cloves, avocado, celery, fennel and cardamom and fenugreek seeds all have natural purifying properties and are quite effective at combating bad breath. Additionally, natural oils such as peppermint and tea tree can be added to your toothpaste to boost freshness or you can simply apply a couple drops on your tongue. Another great way to prevent bad breath is oil pulling with coconut oil. Oil pulling is an ancient, effective remedy for cleaning teeth and removing bacteria from the mouth. Because oil has a negative charge it literally pulls bacteria and impurities from your mouth. Simply swish a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth for 10-2o minutes then spit out in the trash can (not the sink as it can harden and clog the drain).
Another great natural remedy for bad breath are probiotics. Probiotics can be found in cultured dairy such as yogurt and can also be taken via supplement. Probiotics help balance your digestive system and can help fend off bad bacteria in your gut that causes halitosis.
So, next time you have a case of bad breath, instead of masking it with gum (and not solving the root cause), try one of these naturally curing remedies to actually treat the source of the problem.
