What you eat can have a huge impact on your overall health, and that is the reason why you can resolve many health related issues by tweaking your diet. Dealing with bad breath is not easy, but you can go for some great foods to get good results. You can certainly use a stick of gum to help treat your bad breath, but that is going to be a temporary cure only. Let's find out what else can help in this regard.

Foods That Eliminate Bad Breath

The kind of food you eat can improve or aggravate bad breath issue, and that is why you should be careful about your food choices. Here are some foods that can help resolve the issue.

1. Tea

You can deal with bad breath by drinking unsweetened green or black tea. Tea may help because it contains antioxidants called polyphenols. These antioxidants work against odor-causing bacteria and help eliminate bad breath. Green tea is usually a better option because it is rich in those polyphenols. These polyphenols are also effective against sulfur compounds.

2. Yogurt

Just a 6oz cup of unsweetened yogurt a day can help eliminate hydrogen sulfide from your mouth and treat bad breath. The benefits come from the fact that yogurt contains active cultures such as streptococcus thermophilus and lactobacillus bulgaricus. These good bacterial help outnumber bad bacteria in your gut and improve digestion. With better digestion, you are less likely to deal with bad breath. Yogurt can also help prevent accumulation of plaque, which is also going to help treat bad breath.

3. A Cinnamon Stick

Looking for foods that eliminate bad breath? Cinnamon contains essential oil that kills odor-causing bacteria in your mouth. While you may find it difficult to munch on a cinnamon stick, it can really help treat your bad breath. You may also benefit from min or cinnamon gum, but be sure to opt for a gum that contains xylitol because it helps freshen up your breath.

4. Increase Your Intake of Water

Drinking more water will prevent dry mouth, which in turn will help keep bacteria from growing in your mouth. Moreover, you will be able to get rid of any food particles in your mouth that provide bacteria with food to grow. Increased intake of water also promotes the production of saliva, which help keep your mouth clean.

5. Cheese and Milk Alternatives

If you have cheese in your diet, you are likely to deal with bad breath more often. Your body breaks down cheese to get amino acids that can cause sulfur-like smell. The same thing happens when you drink milk. It happens because cheese is rich in the amino acid Methionine, whereas milk contains a good amount of the amino acid Cysteine. When broken down, these amino acids produce sulfur-like smell that contributes to bad breath. Therefore, it is important to look for good cheese and milk alternatives. Oat milk or rice milk are a couple of good options. You may also benefit from the A2 range of milks.

6. Apples

Some studies have found that including apple in your diet can help reduce bad breath, especially when you eat it with garlic. In other words, you should consider eating an apple after consuming a garlic-heavy meal to prevent bad breath. Apples contain specific polyphenols that break down the sulfur compounds and prevent bad breath.

7. Berries

Berries are also among the foods that eliminate bad breath. The same holds true for melons, citrus fruits, and other foods packed with vitamin C. That is mainly because vitamin C also works as an antioxidant and prevents odor-causing bacteria from growing in your mouth. Regular consumption of berries may also help prevent gum disease. You should also increase your intake of vitamin C if you are worried about gingivitis, which is always a contributing factor to halitosis.

8. Eat More Raw Foods

In order to treat halitosis, you should consider including more raw food in your diet. It means you should be eating more celery, carrots, and other crunchy fruits and veggies. Go for organic produce to provide your body with loads of fiber, which is going to help fight against bad breath. Eating raw food may also help remove the plaque buildup and reduce bad breath. 

9. Include Herbs in Your Diet

You need to include herbs in your diet to maintain your overall health. Sometimes, bad breath is the result of yeast overgrowth, a buildup of heavy metals, or other toxins in the body. Including herbs in your diet will help flush these toxins from your body. A good option is stinging nettle. You can take it raw or brew a cup of stinging nettle tea. It improves blood circulation, purifies your blood, and takes toxins out of your system. It also facilitates the process of eliminating uric acid from your body, which may also help eliminate bad breath.

10. Supplement with Zinc

Along with eating certain foods that eliminate bad breath, you should also consider increasing your intake of zinc. You can do it by taking a zinc supplement. Zinc is essential for maintaining a bacteria-free mouth, which is why many mouthwash products now also contain zinc as an active ingredient. Zinc has antimicrobial properties and also works to neutralize harmful germs. Along with taking a zinc supplement, you can also eat foods like cacao, gourd seeds, pumpkin seeds, and organ meats to increase your intake of zinc.