Bad breath is a common problem and there are numerous products designed to combat it. Toothpastes, chewing gum and mints are a few of these products. What is rarely considered when dealing with bad breath is that the odor, usually produced by the digestive tract, is due to an impacted colon or toxins in your digestive system. To prevent a recurrence of the noxious odor, an internal cleaning is needed. One way to accomplish this is with the help of vegetable juicing.
Wheatgrass Juice
Step 1
Prepare the wheatgrass for juicing. If using pre-grown and cut wheatgrass, rinse the wheatgrass gently in cold water. If using wheatgrass from a growing tray, cut the grass 1/2 inch from the soil, or where the grass turns white at the bottom, and rinse it in cold water.
Step 2
Juice the blades of grass in a juicer. There are several forms of juicers to choose from, but when juicing wheatgrass, it is advisable to use a manual juicer. Electric juicers, blenders or mixers juice well, but in juicing the grass, the friction and heat oxidize the wheatgrass rapidly, leaving it with little to no nutritional content. To use a manual juicer, place a cup at the bottom of the juicer's spout and a small container under the fiber chute to catch the spent blades of grass. Place the grass into the juicer's mouth and turn the handle on the juicer to extract the juice.
Step 3
Drink 1/2 oz. of the juice in the morning on an empty stomach for the first day. The dose can be increased to 1 oz. a day for a week, then up to 3 oz. per day. Spread the dosage out during the day and take the juice before, between and after meals to further combat bad breath.
Other Fruits and Vegetables
Step 1
Juice fibrous fruits and vegetables. All fruit and vegetables help clean the digestive tract to some extent, but vegetables with a high fiber content increase the production of saliva, which washes away odor-causing bacteria, as well as clean the digestive tract and promote elimination. Fruit and vegetables high in fiber include cucumbers, celery, apples and carrots. The combinations of different fruit and vegetables are seemingly endless and can be customized to your taste.
Step 2
Include citrus fruit as an ingredient. Citrus fruits, including oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit, contain large amounts of vitamin C, and adding citrus fruit to your juice recipe can mask less desirable tastes.
Step 3
Juice parsley. Parsley contains large amounts of chlorophyll and vitamin C, both neutralizers of bacteria, and has been used in the past as a breath freshener. A few leaves added to the ingredients prior to juicing will increase the cleansing potency of the drink.
Tips and Warnings
- Wheatgrass is packed with enzymes, nutrients, vitamins and minerals, all of which cleanse the digestive tract and leave behind a fresh scent which can be mirrored in the breath. A sprig or two of mint can be added to the fruit and vegetable juice for an extra kick.
- Parsley is very potent and its juice should not be consumed alone. No more than 1 ounce of parsley juice should be added to an 8-ounce glass. Parsley contain oxalic acid and should be avoided by those suffering from gout, kidney stones, arthritis and osteoporosis. Avoid using parsley with vegetables containing large amounts of vitamin C, as the oxallic acid combines with the calcium to create an indigestible compound.
Things You'll Need
- Vegetable juicer
- Manual wheatgrass juicer (optional)
References
- Natural-HomeRemedies.org: Health Benefits of Drinking Wheatgrass Juice
- Best Juicer Reviews and Ratings: Best Wheatgrass Juicers
- Juicing-for-Health.com: Wheatgrass
- Natural-Remedies-and-You.com: Wheat Grass Benefits & Remedies
- Natural Health Cure; Wheat Grass Juice Therapy; January 14, 2009
- Juicing-for-Health.com: Bad Breath (Halitosis)
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