Monday, March 2, 2009

Day 314 of our Green Year: Keeping Our Breath Fresh

Everybody suffers from bad breath from time to time, and my breath often takes on the smell of coffee thanks to my love of it. So, rather than buy mouthwash that contains a lot of chemicals, we have decided to look for other ways that we can have fresh breath and be green. These ideas go beyond just brushing our teeth, which is probably the best way to get fresh breath.

First, drinking green or black tea is a great idea. These teas contain polyphenols which stop the growth of bacteria. As we learned several months ago, green tea also has many other uses in the house so it is win-win.

Second, a tongue scraper will remove dead cells, bits of food and bacteria off the tongue. The tongue is where a lot of bad breath comes from and scraping the tongue is something many people do to get rid of bad breath.

Third, drinking a lot of water can help because it keeps the mouth moist, which helps to eliminate bad breath.

Fourth, instead of eating unhealthy snacks, you can eat crunchy fruits and vegetables. These crunchy foods help remove food, bacteria and plaque from the teeth, which can get rid of bad breath.

Lastly, you can munch on some rosemary, parsley, spearmint or tarragon for a minute to help get fresh breath quickly and easily.

So there you have it, just some of the many ways that Layla and I will be having fresh breath that is green as well.