The main cause usually stems from poor dental hygiene, and also from bacteria that comes from left over food particles in the mouth. Strong smelling foods or items such as garlic and onion, alcohol and smoking, also contribute to bad breath.

Conventional remedies for halitosis include:

* Brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day. Make sure to also brush the gums, the tongue, roof of the mouth, and inside of the cheeks.

* After you eat, make sure to rinse out left over food particles in your mouth.

* Avoid strong smelling items such as coffee, alcohol or smoking.

Other than these common remedies, natural remedies such as a well balanced diet also helps, as a healthy digestive system reduces the level of odor-causing bacteria in your body:

* Gum disease causes bad breath. Taking vitamin C helps protect and heal your gums from damage and disease. Vitamin C is plentiful in strawberry, cabbage, orange, red pepper and kiwi fruit.

* Eating food rich in acidophilus such as yogurt helps to balance the bacteria in the intestine to a healthy level and thus reduce halitosis.

* Eating food that fights plague build-up also helps fight foul breath, such as cheese, peanut, celery and carrot.

* Eating less meat and more fiber such as vegetables and fruits help temporarily mask bad breath. Snack on fresh raw vegetables and fruits such as parsley, celery, carrot apple and pear. Parsley is effective because it contains chlorophyll, a chemical found in plants that is considered to be a natural breath freshener.

* Eat food rich in fiber to fight constipation. Your body absorbs a large amount of bacteria from a meat-laden diet. Fiber helps promote regular bowel movements that remove these toxins from your body that cause bad smelling breath. Food rich in fiber include pea, dried bean, brown rice, prune, fig, and wheat product.

* Drink a lot of liquids, at least eight cups of water each day, to keep your mouth hydrated, as saliva is a natural antibacterial and helps flush down food particles in your mouth.

Thus, maintaining a balanced diet is an effective way to ensure good bodily health, helps eliminate bad breath and keeps your breath smelling sweet.