Bad Breath and Thick Tongue Coating: What to Eat
Disease description:
I've been troubled by bad breath for a long time, and I also have a relatively thick tongue coating. I suspect it may be related to my gastrointestinal system. I'd like to consult a doctor about how I should adjust my diet in daily life for this condition?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Shen Yonghua
For bad breath accompanied by a thick tongue coating, the following dietary adjustments are recommended:
1. Light, easily digestible foods: Avoid spicy, greasy, raw, cold, and fermented foods such as chili peppers, fatty meats, ice cream, and yogurt, as these foods can cause indigestion and worsen oral odor. It is recommended to consume more light and easily digestible foods such as oats and millet, which can help reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal system and alleviate bad breath and thick tongue coating caused by indigestion.
2. Fresh fruits and vegetables: Eat more fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C, such as oranges, kiwifruit, tomatoes, winter melon, and spinach, which help improve the oral environment, stimulate saliva secretion, and relieve bad breath.
3. Heat-clearing and fire-purging foods: Such as honeysuckle, forsythia, and chrysanthemum. These ingredients can be steeped in hot water as a tea substitute to help improve the oral environment.
In addition to dietary adjustments, maintaining good oral hygiene habits is important. Brush your teeth at least twice daily, use dental floss to clean between teeth, and regularly use mouthwash to kill bacteria, which can effectively reduce bad breath symptoms. Also, avoid consuming spicy, greasy, raw, cold, and fermented foods such as chili peppers, fatty meats, ice cream, and yogurt.
