RIO Fitness Chicago® Exercise & Nutrition Blog

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Eat these foods if you have a hot date this weekend and don't want your breath to karate kick your date away:
1) LEMONS. Suck on a lemon wedge, or nibble on the rind because the citrus will kill the odor.

2) PARSLEY/GREEN GARNISHES. If you ordered pasta with garlic or a burger with onions a few sprigs of parsley might come on the side of the plate. Chewing on the sprigs releases parsley's breath-freshening oils.

3) APPLES/CARROTS/PEARS. They're high in fiber, and all that chewing bumps up saliva production; the combo acts like a scrubbing rinse for your mouth.

4) CRUNCHY SPICES (anise/cardamom/coriander/fennel). Keep it on the dining room table next to the salt and pepper. Chewing on a few seeds will release enough oil to sweeten after-dinner curry or coffee breath. And your mouth will taste amazing.

5) MINT SPRIGS/CINNAMON STICKS. Either of these will remove the sulfurous scent of onion and garlic. Plus, an essential oil in cinnamon kills a nasty type of oral bacteria, discouraging it from setting up house in your mouth.

6) BERRIES/YOGURT. Consuming half a cup of plain, sugar-free yogurt twice a day can lower mouth levels of hydrogen sulfide (yes, that rotten egg smell). Berries and other fruits high in vitamin C also deter stinky mouth bacteria.