I don’t know about you, but I adore spicy foods. Foods made with garlic and onion and peppers are high on my list of favorites. Give me a tasty plate of pasta, a cup of coffee, and a scoop of ice cream for dessert and my evening is complete.

Unfortunately for me, or perhaps for my husband, as he’s the one who has to kiss me goodnight, that combination makes for genuinely lethal halitosis.

Anyone of those foods by themselves would cause bad breath. Consume them all together, and we’re talking real dragon breath the likes of which we only imagine in our worst nightmares. Luckily for us both, there are some straightforward and painless remedies.

First most people the most obvious solution is just brush and rinse using toothpaste and mouthwash that contain thymol and eucalyptol. Going this route, they’re not only killing the bacteria that cause bad breath; they’re eliminating gingivitis. Nice, huh?

Stop groaning. I get it. You were hoping for a solution that wouldn’t require a half hour at the market reading labels, right? No problem. I got that.

Natural remedy number one, try a baking soda rinse. Mix half a cup of water and a half a teaspoon of baking soda and use it like you would mouthwash, swishing and rinsing for at least one full minute. That’ll KO lousy breath, or at least put it on the ropes for you, so your spouse or significant other can at least kiss you without grimacing or gagging afterward.

Not good enough? Fine, try this one.

Remedy number two, several steep sprigs of coarsely chopped parsley and two or three whole cloves in a cup of hot water for about four minutes. Stir in two or three times while you let it cool. Strain the brew, and you’ve got an excellent mouthwash and gargle. No muss, no fuss. Go ahead a pucker up.

Not a fan of cloves? Don’t sweat it. I’ve got you covered.

Remedy number three, tea. What kind of tea, you ask? Fenugreek, of course. You can simmer about a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in two cups of water for about fifteen minutes. Strain it, then sip away the bad breath. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Problem solved. How about that kiss now?

Something easier? Fine. One more.

Remedy number four, cardamom. No boiling, brewing or steeping required. Just chew a piece of green cardamom to freshen your breath quickly and easily.

Stop making that face. Honestly, some people are so hard to please! Suppose I just tell you how to avoid the bad breath in the first place? Will that do it?

First off, avoid the meal I mentioned above. Garlic, onions, coffee, ice cream, refined carbohydrates, meats, eggs, and dairy are all significant causes of monster breath. Instead, eat a healthy whole food diet.

You know, plenty of seeds, nuts, raw veggies and fruits instead. Add more Vitamin C, E, folic acid and CoQ10 to your diet as well. Pay close attention to your dental hygiene. Remember that thymol/eucalyptol toothpaste I told you about? Find it and use it religiously at least twice daily. Finally, NO SMOKING!

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