Unknown Causes of Bad Breath

Apart from the usual causes of bad breath, there are other reasons why Listerine just isn't kicking in a 100%.

This is what you need to know.

Consuming Alcohol

Consuming alcohol, or rather, too much of it will mess up your digestion, and digestive problems can cause bad breath.

Also, apart from booze breath, whisky is drying out your mouth and reducing saliva. Reduced saliva will makes a paneer tikka smell vile in your mouth minutes after you ate it because saliva is your natural mouthwash - and it's also essential for breaking down food in your mouth for digestion.

Tea and coffee don't count - they are 'diuretics' - or stuff that makes you pee, reducing water in your body.

Stress

Again, the digestive system. Because stress is prepping you for flight-or-flight (via adrenaline), digesting food isn't a priority to your body anymore. Since your gut doesn't get enough digestive enzymes, it messes your digestion.

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Throat Infection

A throat infection at the back of your throat (caused by sinus or tonsil infections) causes excess bacteria, which, in turn cause bad breath.

Symptom of Major Illness

Sometimes bad breath can necessitate more than toothpaste - it is also one of the symptoms of more serious medical conditions like diabetes, duodenal ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux, hypoglycemia, kidney or liver malfunction, and respiratory disorders.

Foods

You were probably getting sick of this lesson in human medicine - back to predictable turf.

If you aren't used to it (unlike most of our readership), Indian foods, specifically recipes rich in garlic, onions and certain spices are frequently responsible for bad breath.

Too much meat in your diet, or even too much plant protein can cause bad breath.

Saliva will carry traces of food hours after its eaten, and this is sternest for carbohydrates - sugars-based foods.

Though your bowels have told you this (in no subtle terms), a milk intolerance can kick up a stink - in your mouth. If your stomach doesn't have enough hydrochloric acid, poorly digested food will hang around the intestines putrefy and make itself known in your breath. 

top 10 foods to lower blood pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is a medical condition where the arterial blood pressure increases.

The reasons could be too much stress, obesity, high intake of salt, diabetes etc. The probability of cardiovascular diseases such as heart strokes, heart failure, kidney disorders, heart attack etc increases with a high BP.

Given below is a list of 10 foods that can help you lower down the blood pressure:



Spinach: It contains magnesium, folate, iron, vitamin C and is very healthy for your body. Even if you don't like it, make sure that you include this nutrient rich vegetable in your diet as it contains those key ingredients.

Banana: It is rich in potassium which is perhaps the most important nutrient to lower down the high blood pressure. A banana a day keeps the high blood pressure away. It assures you of good health.



Kiwi: Of late, the kiwifruit is being prescribed to battle hypertension. Rich in potassium and Vitamin C, it helps lower down the BP. Kiwis are also rich in an antioxidant called lutein, which, it is thought, might help fight the disease.

Skimmed milk: Easily available and a part of daily consumption. It contains plenty of calcium and vitamin D and the two nutrients team up to bring down blood pressure.

Garlic: A single clove of garlic does wonders. It has several properties which help prevent clotting and thickening of blood vessels. Also, it can easily fight the damage caused due to high BP.

Beans: Kidney, pinto, lima and black beans are some types of beans you should include in your daily diet. Beans are rich, both in magnesium and potassium, capable of decreasing the high blood pressure.



Broccoli: Oozing with potassium, it also contains chromium which fights against the cardiovascular diseases. It controls the blood sugar and insulin levels.

Celery: It contains an ingredient called phthalide which rests the muscles of the vessels and aids in the smooth flow of blood. Besides that, celery has a very calming effect and is highly recommended if you areprone to stress.



Tomatoes: It contains an antioxidant lycopene, which is known to significantly reduce the high blood pressure. Also, tomatoes are rich in calcium, potassium, vitamins A, C and E, all the essential nutrients required to curb the problem.

Others: Apart from the nine foods mentioned above, sunflower seeds, olive oil, avocadoes, papaya, dark chocolates and various juices are helpful in bringing the blood pressure levels to normal. It is advisable to eat vegetables and fruits rich in potassium and calcium. Intake of salt (which contains sodium) should be minimized. Avoid eating fried stuff.