Bad Breath Foods: Foods to avoid that cause bad breath

There are certain foods you should avoid because they cause bad breath. Some foods are more prone than others to make a foul smell develop on people’s breath. It’s common knowledge that foods like garlic and onions cause bad breath, but here is a list of specific foods, and types of foods, that do the same. Remember that brushing your teeth, flossing, and gargling mouthwash after eating these foods will remove most, if not all, of the negative effects they have on your breath. If you are out and about, or simply don’t have access to a toothbrush, it’s always a good idea to sip some water, swish it in your mouth for about 10 seconds, and spit it out to remove food particles. If you’re even more desperate, you can use a spoon as a tongue scraper. This will reduce the effect the food has on your breath.

Foods that contain sugars

coca cola and sugar cubes

Sugary foods are the most important to avoid if you’re concerned about foods that cause bad breath. Sugar provides a quick food source for bacteria and allows them to reproduce rapidly. When given access to sugar, some bacteria also build up the plaque that coats your teeth and gums. After eating sugary food, be sure to brush your teeth, or at least give your mouth a good rinsing. Avoid breath mints and chewing gum that contain sugar, since those do more harm than good. And lay off the sugary drinks, such as soda pop and coffee.

Foods that are acidic

The mouth has a normal pH level of 6.5. On the pH scale, 7 is considered neutral, so foods with a pH lower than 7 are acidic. Acidic foods lower the pH level in the mouth, and the bacteria that cause bad breath thrive in this acidic environment. Here is a list of acidic foods:

  • Lemons
  • Oranges
  • Grapefruit
  • Pineapple
  • Vinegar
  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Beef
  • Eggs

Although bacteria do like an acidic environment, eating acidic foods doesn’t affect your breath nearly as much as eating foods that contain a lot of sugar, dry out the mouth, or are naturally smelly, like garlic.

beer and a cigarette

Foods that dry out your mouth

Drinks with alcohol will dry out your mouth. A dry mouth helps the anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath, because these bacteria are killed when exposed to the oxygen found in saliva. So a dry mouth won’t have as much of the oxygen that kills bacteria. Smoking also dries out the mouth very quickly.

NOTE: Unfortunately, alcohol is also found in many mouthwashes. Be sure to use one that doesn’t contain alcohol, so it won’t dry out your mouth.

Everyone knows that smoking makes your breath smell bad. If you want fresh breath, quit smoking or switch to e-cigarettes.

Foods that get stuck in the mouth

Your saliva usually does a pretty good job of breaking food down and washing it down your throat to your stomach when you swallow, but some foods are fibrous or sticky and easily get stuck between or on your teeth. These leftover food particles act as fuel for the odor-causing bacteria and, in time, cause bad breath. Make sure to floss after eating foods like these. Here is a list of foods that easily get stuck in your teeth:

  • Meat
  • Pineapple
  • Mango
  • Popcorn
  • Caramel
  • Various sticky candies like Jolly Ranchers
  • Coconut
  • Seaweed
  • Spinach
  • Banana
  • Coffee

Foods with a strong odor

This is where garlic, onions, salsa, and your mother-in-law’s curry belong. The reason foods like garlic give you such bad breath is that garlic contains sulfur compounds. VSCs (volatile sulfur compounds) are what the bacteria produce to cause bad breath. So with these foods, the bacteria don’t even have to do anything — you’ll have bad breath because the sulfur compounds get into your mouth straight from the food. Be sure to brush, floss, and gargle mouthwash thoroughly after eating these foods to rid your mouth of the sulfur compounds. I find it’s also necessary to use a tongue scraper, or scrub the tongue well, afterward.

For a better understanding of why these foods cause bad breath, read our article on What Causes Bad Breath. It’s also a good idea to lower the population of the anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath, so it takes longer for bad breath to develop after you eat these foods. To learn how to do that, read our article on How To Get Rid of Bad Breath.