It often happens that you need to neutralize odors after eating or preparing a recipe with garlic. The smell of garlic can cling to almost anything it comes into contact with. This includes cutting boards, your hands, knives, and other kitchen utensils you may have used. In addition, the specific aroma of garlic still lingers on your breath and even sweat twenty-four hours after eating the otherwise healthy superfood. Luckily, there are natural methods and foods you can use to combat it. Here are some tips & tricks that can help you deal with such kitchen and bad breath better.
This way you can neutralize the smell after cooking or eating garlic raw
Raw or cooked, sliced or crushed, there's no denying that garlic adds strong flavor to any meal. The popular ingredient can make soups, stir-fries, sauces, pasta, etc. much more delicious. However, after the third serving of garlic bread orPasta with garlic and oilmay not be as minty and fresh as it was at the beginning of the evening. Although it's good to know that you can keep all the vampires at bay, bad breath like this is unpleasant for most people.
So if you want to get rid of garlic smell, there are some fresh natural products like herbs and drinks that are rich in odor neutralizing enzymes. Of course, you can still turn to classic oral care methods if all else fails. Try these options to neutralize the odor of the “culprit” garlic. But before you start, it would make sense to find out what causes this intense aroma in the mouth and on objects.
Why garlic causes bad breath
Some compounds in onions, garlic, or both can be responsible for bad breath and even body odor. These include, for example, allicin. When the inside of a garlic bulb is exposed to air, a substance called alliin turns into allicin, which then transforms into several sulfur-containing compounds. These give the garlic its strong smell. Furthermore, allyl methyl sulfide is an organic compound that is released from both garlic and onions when they are cut. After consumption, the substance is absorbed into the bloodstream and released through the lungs and skin pores. Isoalliin or cysteine sulfoxide is the other sulfur compound in garlic and onions. This causes an unpleasant smell in the breath almost immediately after eating the vegetables.
How to remove garlic smell from kitchen utensils and hands
If your cutting board and knives have a strong smell of garlic after cooking, you can soak them in warm water with vinegar. Afterwards, scrub the board and knife with a good dish cleaner or brush. Then let them rest for some time. Wash away the dish soap to reveal clean, odorless utensils. If the smell still doesn't go away, you can repeat the process with salt or baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and half a lemon. Sprinkle the salt or soda and use the cut lemon to rub and then rinse.
Lemon juice can also be a reliable home remedy for hands that smell of garlic. The easiest way to remove the garlic smell from your skin is to wash your hands with a strong-smelling floral hand wash. However, you can also dip your hands in a mixture of lemon juice and warm water, similar to finger bowls served in restaurants. In addition, lemon helps neutralize the smell of garlic.
Herbs such as parsley, which neutralize the smell of garlic
As already mentioned, sulfur compounds in garlic are released not only in the mouth but also in the intestines. From there they enter the lungs and reach the skin. This makes freshening your breath more complex than just cleaning your mouth, although it's a good start. Therefore, it is easy to understand why chefs decorate plates with parsley. Parsley is a well-established palate cleanser and breath freshener. Plant chemicals such as chlorophyll and polyphenols contained in it bind to sulfur compounds in garlic and help neutralize odors. Basil, thyme, coriander, mint and dill have similar effects. So make sure you eat fresh herbs after eating raw garlic to get rid of bad breath faster.
Yoghurt and milk to combat the smell of garlic in your mouth
Yogurt contains healthy bacteria called lactobacilli. These help fight bad bacteria in different parts of the body, such as the intestines. Research shows that yogurt also helps reduce any bad breath. One study found that 80 percent of participants had less bad breath after eating yogurt for six weeks. Probiotics in yogurt are effective in reducing the severity of bad breath. To combat bad breath with yogurt, you should consume at least one serving of natural yogurt per day.
Surprisingly, you can also control your garlic breath by drinking milk. Milk effectively reduces the odor in the oral cavity if you drink the product before or during a meal. In addition, the water it contains acts as a mouthwash, while the fat neutralizes sulfur. Therefore, whole milk can be more effective than skimmed milk in such cases. Drinking a glass of milk with or after a meal containing garlic can significantly reduce the concentration of compounds in the mouth that contain sulfur and cause a bad smell.
Chewing fennel or anise seeds after eating
Fennel and anise seeds have been used to freshen breath since ancient times. In parts of India, roasted fennel seeds are still used as “mukhwas,” or breath fresheners, to alleviate bad breath after a dinner. They taste sweet and contain aromatic essential oils that give your breath a fresh scent. So you can eat anise or fennel seeds pure, roasted or coated with sugar after meals containing garlic.
Fruits such as apples, which neutralize odor when eaten with garlic
Snacking on apples, as well as spinach or lettuce leaves, helps counteract the smell of garlic in your mouth, as these foods are rich in odor-neutralizing enzymes. So if you've ever heard an apple referred to as "nature's toothbrush," that's kind of true. Additionally, the natural compounds in apples neutralize the foul-smelling sulfides in garlic. This is particularly useful for people whose bad breath lingers, as it also neutralizes the compounds in the bloodstream rather than just acting in the oral cavity. If you get natural enzymes from healthy fruits like berries, pineapple andKiwi's essence, these also break down the sulfur compounds in garlic. The best way to do this is with a healthy portion of fruit salad as a dessert after a meal.
Sour citrus fruits such as orange or lemon to combat bad breath
Oranges are not only healthy, but also promote dental hygiene. Many people have bad breath because they don't produce enough saliva to wash away bad-smelling bacteria. Research shows that vitamin C helps increase saliva production, which helps eliminate bad breath.
The acid in a few sips of lemon juice or a cup of water mixed with lemon juice also helps neutralize the enzymes in garlic that cause odors. Oranges and lemons are citrus fruits that are rich in this vitamin and are a perfect natural product against bad breath.
Polyphenols in green tea against garlic smell
Green tea is another odor neutralizer because the polyphenols it contains work against sulfur compounds. Mint has similar effects, so a cup of green tea with mint can be an ideal breath freshener. Make two cups of tea before bed and refrigerate them overnight. Pour your chilled tea into a water bottle and bring it with you to work. You can then neutralize the smell of garlic at lunch by slowly sipping your tea drink throughout the day.
Natural mouthwash with apple cider vinegar or baking soda
According to some reports, taking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with water before or after meals can also effectively eliminate the smell of garlic in the mouth. Vinegar contains a natural acid called acetic acid. Bacteria do not like to grow in acidic environments, so a mouthwash like this can reduce bacterial growth in the oral cavity. Add 2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar to 1 cup water and gargle for at least 30 seconds before spitting it out.
Baking soda is also known to be effective at killing bacteria in the mouth. Some research has found that toothpastes with high concentrations of baking soda are effective in reducing bad breath. To make a baking soda mouthwash, add 2 teaspoons of baking soda to 1 cup of warm water. Rinse the mouthwash in your mouth for at least 30 seconds before spitting it out.
