6 foods that wont get you a second date!

It’s high time you have your Valentine’s Day date plans in place and that includes what food you want to avoid, rather than eat, before your big night! Some of our favourite foods, like that yummy meat burger loaded with sticky sweet caramelized onions - can be of the stinky kind and give you dragon breath, which could last for hours. We tell you about some such foods, which are a strict no-no if you want to get asked out on a second date!

Onions and garlic – Well, it is no surprise that this duo is on the top of our list. They contain bacteria and enzymes that not just activate, but hyper activate sulphur compounds which cause bad breath. It requires much more than a strong will to avoid eating a gorgeous smelling Indian curry or garlicky Italian pastas, the smell of which lingers long after it has been consumed. So make sure you floss or gargle if not brush, post this indulgence. Our advice - give it a miss!

Horse Radish – Loaded with minerals, low in calories and bursting with flavour, there is little reason for you to avoid horseradish besides the bad breath that it gives you later. Isothiocyanate, a chemical compound that gives mooli its gorgeous pungent taste is also what makes it smelly and is better avoided if bad breath worries you. At least, make sure you have your breakfast mooli ke paranthe with some spicy fresh mint chutney and engage in a good amount of flossing post it.

Coffee – Well, the smell of coffee maybe glorious, but the effect that morning cuppa has on your breath is pretty disastrous. It neutralizes the acid in your stomach and mixes with saliva to produce a bad breath and after taste. Beside the stinky breath it also causes your teeth to stain. What’s great though is sipping coffee causes your breath to stink, but nibbling on fresh coffee beans after that works as a cure. Talk about hair of the dog syndrome!

Foods that dry your mouth – Things like alcohol, which cause your mouth to dry up, are a big reason for bad breath. Saliva contains oxygen, which prevents the activation of the anaerobic bacteria that causes smelly breath. So every time your sip on your favourite poison or munch on stuff that causes saliva to dry up, you are bound going to have morning breath throughout the day. The solutions to this is gargling your mouth with a mouthwash after, but steer clear out for the ones that contain alcohol.

Sticky and Acidic food – Acidic food and tartar that get stuck between your teeth or form a film over them definitely cause bad breath. These encouraging the growth of bacteria and make them more active. Stinky breath and dirty teeth is the brunt you pay for indulging in carbonated drinks, citrus fruits, tomato based sauces, chewy candies, caramel, meat, spinach and bananas. The easiest way to avoid being in this ‘sticky’ position is to be wary of such foods as much as you can. So popcorn on your next movie date is a strict no-no.

Meats and Seafood – Some of the more satisfying things to eat like a juicy piece of fried chicken or a loaded tuna sandwich may give you a hard time later on. Removing the little pieces stuck between your teeth is not just unattractive and a pain to clean, but also big reasons for plague formation and in turn bad breath. Going veggie for an important event doesn’t sound so bad after all! 

Fortunately though just like eating these few ingredients can make you a victim of bad breath, there are a few others that will save you from this plight. Munch on parsley, a celery stick or a few leaves of mint for fresh breath. If you think it’s a pain to floss after every meal - eat a spoonful of sugar or fennel seeds, pop a few cloves into your mouth or just make sure you have a mouth freshener handy if the above mentioned ingredients are necessary evils of your life!