�� DAILY NATION Wednesday June 6, 2012 ��7� WATER HELPS TO GET RID OF BAD BREATH >> GASTRO D’NOM Foods that get rid of bad breath F ollowing our article on herbal teas last week, we got an email from a reader requesting us to give her a list of foods that will not leave her with bad breath. Essentially, bad breath is caused by two key factors: Poor oral hygiene and the state of your gastrointestinal health. Bad breath originates not just from the mouth, but also from the digestive tract and can be made worse by the food you eat. and tend to dry the mouth, creating a more favourable environment for bacteria. . If your mouth is dry, drink plenty of water. Swoosh it around your mouth for at least 20 seconds to loosen any food particles the bacteria can feed upon. Note that bad breath could be an indication of a health problem. It is, therefore, advisable to consult a doctor, especially if your problem persists. 6 Foods such as melons and carrots reduce build-up of bacteria in the mouth. So does water. PHOTOS | FILE [email protected] The relationship between food and breath If you eat foods with strong odours, such as garlic or onions, brushing your teeth and flossing or using mouthwash merely covers up the strong smell temporarily. It will only go away completely until the food has passed through your body. If you have bad breath, you should ﬁrst make sure you are eating right. A balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, lots of fruits and vegetables and plenty of ﬂuids will keep your gastrointestinal tract healthy. So will brushing your teeth and ﬂossing after every meal. These foods will ﬁght bad breath . Many of you have probably heard of 1 the eﬀectiveness of parsley in getting rid of a garlic breath. All you have to do is chew on fresh leaves. Also try coriander, spearmint, tarragon, eucalyptus, rosemary, and cardamom, all of which ﬁght bad breath. Chlorophyll is a natural breath freshener and is found in leafy green vegetables. After meals, chew on fresh herbs or make tonics by steeping the herbs in hot water, like you do tea leaves to make tea. These herbs also aid digestion. . A recent study found that a serving of yoghurt daily reduces the level of odour-causing hydrogen sulphide in the mouth. Apparently, it also reduces bacteria in the mouth and helps to prevent plaque and gum disease. You also get vitamin D from yoghurt, a vitamin that creates an inhospitable environment for bacteria growth. However, get the kind of yogurt with active cultures — not overly processed or sugar-added varieties. . Eat crunchy vegetables that increase saliva production, for instance apples, carrots, and celery. Eating foods that increase saliva production keeps the mouth moist and rinses it out, reducing build-up of bacteria. Since carbohydrates and proteins tend to get stuck between the teeth, follow meals with a fruit, such as a crisp apple, to cleanse the mouth. . Eat food with high vitamin C content. Berries, citrus fruits, melons and other vitamin C-rich foods create an inhospitable environment for bacterial growth. A diet rich in vitamin C also helps to prevent gum disease and gingivitis, both major causes of halitosis. Try and get your dose of vitamin C through foods rather than supplements, since the latter can cause gastrointestinal upset in some people and exacerbate bad breath. . Sugarless gum freshens breath and increases saliva production, which rinses away plaque and bacteria. Mints can mask bad breath as well, but only brieﬂy. Go for the sugarless variety since sugar creates plaque, which makes breath worse. Also avoid breath mints and mouthwashes that contain alcohol since they only temporarily cover the odour 2 3 4 5 NUTRITION » WITH SONA PARMAR MUKHERJEE Paracetamol kills the pain, but is it all good? SINCE I got my baby, my husband has been keen for me to give her some Calpol (infant paracetamol). He is convinced that this is all she needs to sleep through the night so that we can catch up on some much-needed rest. As I have explained to him, if the medicine did manage to send her to sleep, then it would not be good for her health. Why give medication that is not needed? This brings me to a study that was published last month in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care. It reported that taking a common over-the-counter painkiller may increase the risk of asthma and related conditions in young people. That is deﬁnitely a reason to choose a home-remedy or other natural approaches to medication. The researchers found that 13and 14-year-olds who took paracetamol as little as once a month, were 2.5 times more likely to have asthma symptoms than those who did not take it. For those who had taken paracetamol at least once in the past year, 43 per cent were more likely to have signs of the illness than non-users. Crucially, the more frequently they had taken paracetamol, the higher their risk. Rates of asthma in Kenya and other parts of the world are on the rise. While no one really knows for certain why, some experts point Some experts believe that widespread use of paracetamol may have something to do with the rise of asthma and related conditions. PHOTO | FOTOSEARCH to the hygiene hypothesis, which suggests that many children today have underdeveloped immune systems because they live in cleaner environments and get fewer infections. This in turn means that their immune systems may be more susceptible to misﬁring, leading to asthma attacks, eczema, allergies, and other related problems. But other experts believe that the widespread use of paracetamol may also play a role. Paracetamol is taken by children and adults alike for relieving aches and pains, and to reduce fever. Its use has increased substantially in the past 30 years and, interestingly, parallels the rise in asthma and related conditions. To add weight to the paracetamol hypothesis, other research has shown that there is indeed a higher risk of asthma among young children who take paracetamol, as well as among those whose mothers took this medicine while pregnant. How reliable are the ﬁndings of this recent study? Well, this was an extremely large study involving 320,000 adolescents across 50 countries. I must say that the results are compelling. While some question the cause and effect in the study, as well as the reliability of 13- and 14-year-olds, the study still adds to the growing body of research suggesting that paracetamol may play a role in the development of these illnesses. The researchers do not really know why paracetamol might increase the risk of these conditions, but believe the drug could aﬀect how our immune systems responds to perceived threats. As a nutritionist, I believe it may have some link to the eﬀect of the medication on the levels of healthy bacteria that live in our guts. The lack of these bacteria has already been implicated in conditions like childhood eczema, allergies, autism, and hyperactivity. So, what is the best course of action for you and your family? While the jury may still be debating the eﬀects of paracetamol, I personally would steer clear of it (and other painkillers) unless it is absolutely necessary — it is surprising how a headache simply disappears once you stop thinking about it. The writer is a clinical nutritionist and certiﬁed by the Nutritional Therapy Council in the UK. Please direct any questions about family nutrition to her on [email protected]