If you are one of the unlucky people that suffer from bad breath, then you know how much it can cause embarrassment and low self esteem. Some severe cases have even been known to cause relationship problems and break-ups. Unfortunately many of the products on the market just don’t seem to help and just ‘cover up’ the problem in the short term. Luckily you can probably find out how to get rid of bad breath with items and foods right in your cupboard at home as many natural remedies are completely safe and very effective.

Many people who have a dairy intolerance notice particularly smelly breath after eating dairy foods so keep a food diary to see if you notice if certain foods trigger your worst symptoms. Other foods allergies may include meat and fish so a diary can be a good way to narrow down if that is your cause.

Water can also help flush out toxins in your body that could be producing smelly gas so make sure that you drink plenty of water during the day to keep your body running smoothly and eliminating wastes efficiently.

• Avoid onions, garlic and other smelly foods that are well known for causing smelly breath.
• Drink plenty of water to keep your mouth hydrated (saliva helps kill bad bacteria in the mouth).  As a bonus, the water can flush away any bacteria as well.
• Floss regularly, you'd be suprised where food can hide.
• Get a tongue scraper - the amount of bad breath causing bacteria on your tongue is high.
• Get your health checked out.  It might be gut or intenstinal problems that is causing your smelly breath.
• Chew on mint - it's a great breath freshener.  There is a reason why mint is in practically every mouth product - because it works!

Halitosis is simply another name for bad breath which is caused by poor oral hygiene. Of course, the bad breath doesn’t always come from bacteria in your mouth, and could also come from gum disease, diabetes, kidney failure, gut or intestine problems, or any other number of health issues.

But the majority of halitosis cases is bacteria in your mouth that has overgrown and is eliminating that foul odor that causes your bad breath.

Saliva can help wash away bacteria so chewing gum, drinking water and other factors that can increase your saliva can help eliminate your bad breath / halitosis.

Another quite common cause of bad breath is bad breath from stomach bacteria.  There is an organism in the stomach called Helicobacter Pylori which can lead to stomach ulcers that may also be responsible for some stomach bad breath. 

Many doctors however are unsure whether this is true or not however as there has been no firm proof that Helicobacter Pylori causes bad breath.

In fact many professionals claim that because of the acidic conditions of our stomachs then only very few bacteria are able to survive there and therefore the only causes of stomach bad breath are those from eating certain foods such as onions and garlic.  (Hence when you burp/belch you smell the food).  This type of unpleasant food smell usually only lasts a day or two after you've eaten the foods.

Of course the only true way to find out is to see your health professional to rule out any serious stomach problems that might be causing your bad breath.

Bad breath can also be caused by dry mouth (xerostomia).

This occurs when you don't produce enough saliva.  Saliva is your mouth's natural cleanser as it move's excess food and particles that could potentiall cause your bad breath.  You can tread dry mouth (xerostomia) by getting medication from your doctor or your dentist may give you an artifical saliva replacement.

Chewing gum is also known to increase the amount of saliva that you produce.