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Five Foods That Cause Bad Breath For The Holidays

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What do candy canes, cranberry sauce and candied yams all have in common? Yes, they’re all holiday foods — but did you know they also cause bad breath? Bad breath expert Dr. Harold Katz has come up with a list of the five snacks you can avoid if you’re afraid of scaring off friends or family during the holidays.

Advice From The Bad Breath Bible

“The fact is that brushing your teeth and using some mouthwash to eliminate breath odors is a great start,” Dr. Katz said. “But the effects of that regimen pretty much wear off before you even make it to lunch.

“Food is just one of the many variables that can cause bad breath, but watching what you eat is a good place to start.”

The List

Here’s the top five foods Dr. Katz says that prevent your breath from staying fresh:

  1. Egg Nog
  2. Mashed Potatoes
  3. Candied Yams (if they have sour cream and butter)
  4. Cranberry Sauce
  5. Candy Canes

Lauren Silverman was the Health, Science & Technology reporter/blogger at KERA News. She was also the primary backup host for KERA’s Think and the statewide newsmagazine  Texas Standard. In 2016, Lauren was recognized as Texas Health Journalist of the Year by the Texas Medical Association. She was part of the Peabody Award-winning team that covered Ebola for NPR in 2014. She also hosted "Surviving Ebola," a special that won Best Long Documentary honors from the Public Radio News Directors Inc. (PRNDI). And she's won a number of regional awards, including an honorable mention for Edward R. Murrow award (for her project “The Broken Hip”), as well as the Texas Veterans Commission’s Excellence in Media Awards in the radio category.