Garlic Is Playing Havoc on My Relationship

Sep. 25, 2015

Dear Cathy:

I am really into my health.  I watched my father and mother both die horrifying deaths from being sick for a long time so I conducted my own research and know that garlic is extremely good for you.  I have been single for a while but finally met a nice guy, however, I eat garlic 3 times a day and no matter what type of breath mints I take, it still can’t cover the taste of the garlic so my boyfriend said he hates kissing me.  I am torn between staying single and being healthy versus stopping taking the garlic.  What should I do?  Garlic Breath, North Carolina

Dear Garlic Breath:

First of all I want to thank you for being proactive in regards to your health.  Relationships are hard and if you have a keeper then you need to do what you can to make it work. 

Garlic and other members of the allium plant family (onions, shallots, leeks) produce cysteine sulfoxide and this gives them their distinct odor and taste.  The best way to get rid of garlic breath is to stop eating it.  This is the only way to completely eliminate garlic breath.  

Also it is difficult for you to know if you have garlic breath or how bad it really is. Even if you neutralize the garlic breath compounds in the mouth, it will still be exhaled from your lungs, still making your breath smell like garlic.

Remedies you can do include:

-Eat Parsley - A lot of the times recipes that use garlic also use parsley as well because parsley is effective in neutralizing the odors of garlic.  Try chewing on parsley after eating garlic.

-Eat Lemon - Try sucking on a lemon wedge after eating garlic.  Lemon is very effective in neutralizing the garlic odor and it also has anti-bacterial properties that will kill bacteria.  Also washing your hands with lemon juice helps to remove the odor from your hands.

-Drink Tea - Drink tea while or after eating garlic.  Tea, especially green and peppermint, contain polyphenols that reduce the volatile sulfur compounds that the garlic produces.  

-Chew Sugar-Free Gum - This will help to mask the odor of the garlic and will help dislodge garlic and food particles that might be stuck on or between your teeth.

If removing garlic from your diet is not an option, you can cut back on the garlic.  You can take it once a day or every other day but you do not have to eat garlic 3 times a day.  This way it will still be in your system to help you boost your immune system and for other health benefits.  You can also get on odorless garlic pills/supplements, which your boyfriend will not notice, so this is probably the best option for you.