So your mom was right. Garlic is an amazing food! It is a potent antibiotic; it has disease preventing anti-oxidants; it manages high blood cholesterol and it’s great against mosquito bites! But let’s face it.
Garlic is SOCIAL SUICIDE!!!
The smell it gives your breath is an absolute turn-off to everyone around you and you always think twice before eating it in public.
Where does the smell come from?
When you cut or press a garlic bulb, an enzyme called alliinase is released. It transforms alliin (a compound found in garlic) into allicin and diallyl sulphides which are responsible for the ugly smell. Whether cooking or eating it, garlic will invade your body and breath. In fact, the sulfurous compounds are absorbed through the bloodstream and lungs. They also feed the bacteria in the mouth resulting in bad breath.
How do you remove garlic smell from your hands?
Very simple! Wash your hands with soap then rub them against a stainless steel utensil (spoon, knife, etc.). If the latter is unavailable, you can:
- either rub your hands with salt or baking soda,
- or dip your hands into a mixture of water and lemon for a few minutes
And there you go! It’s magic!
How do you remove the bad breath?
Unfortunately, nothing can completely remove the smell of garlic in your breath. However, many ingredients can reduce it.
1. Parsley: No wonder most dishes that contain garlic also have parsley in them! It seems that those green leaves can help attenuate the intensity of the odor. So, now you know that garnish isn’t just for decoration! Have some of it and thank me later!
2. Breath mints: It’s the most commonly used trick to alter the foul smell of garlic. Remember the commercial: No Smint No Kiss?
3. Wine: wine, especially red, has a powerful scent and flavor that can mask the odor of garlic. So from now on, that’s the drink you should start ordering!
4. Cardamon: there are claims that cardamon seeds may help reduce the unbearable garlic stink. However, cardamom itself has a strong flavor so it might not be well tolerated by some.
5. Eat anything cold: apparently, high temperatures amplify the smell of garlic. So have an ice cream or a full ice soda right after your meal.
6. Milk: Recent studies (1) have shown that milk can reduce garlic breath. Full fat milk has proven to be a more effective neutralizer because of the mixture between water and fat.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->(1) <!--[endif]--> http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01715.x/abstract
Finally, the wisest advice I can give you in that matter is to surround yourself with garlic lovers. That way, no one will be able to complain! ;)
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