Bad Ketosis Breath: A Ketogenic metabolism reduces fat deposits and has unpleasant side effects. One of them is sweet, sour, and bad breath. We will show you how best to combat this bad ketosis breath.
What Is Keto Breath?
Is keto breath the same as usual bad breath? Instead, Keto breath is something different.
We describe it as metallic, spicy, and sour. Some also report a fruity taste in the mouth area.
There are three main reasons why breath can be a bit strange on a ketogenic diet:
- Acetone produces as ketones, and ketones need to leave your body.
- Ammonia, produced by protein digestion, is also considered a cause.
- Dehydration is also considered a cause.
See Also: What Is Ketogenic Diet Foods?
Switching From Glucose To Ketones Causes Problems
Switching from a regular diet to keto is not easy for the body. Typically, it uses sugar as fuel, but it’s no longer available.
The body now produces ketones, and there are three central ketone bodies: acetoacetate, acetone, and beta-hydroxybutyrate.
Sometimes your body has too many ketones. Especially at the beginning of the transition, your body can’t process ketones very well yet.
Ketones are harmless, and if you have ketones in excess, your body will let them dissipate through urine or breath.
See Also: Ketogenic Diet Foods Allowed
Are You Overeating Protein?
The reason may be excess protein. Since you eat many protein foods on a ketogenic diet, your body has protein in excess.
Your liver breaks down any protein that your body can’t convert into muscle. This process is called gluconeogenesis.
In gluconeogenesis, excess proteins break down into carbohydrates. However, this only happens when the macros are not right.
The second degradation product is then ammonia compounds. Now we get to the bottom of the matter. Your body excretes these ammonia compounds in two ways.
The first way via the kidneys, in a second way, then via your breath. Each of your breaths then contains a minimal amount of ammonia.
See Also: Ketogenic Diet Benefits And Side Effects
Pay Attention To Your Oral Hygiene.
If ketosis brings terrible breath, watch your oral hygiene. These bacteria do not need oxygen at all, and these bacteria are also called “anaerobic bacteria“.
There are naturally many of them in the mouth, and it multiplies even more on a ketogenic diet.
Another reason may be that you do not drink enough fluids during your diet, which dries out your oral cavity, further intensifying the breath odor.
Poor oral hygiene will make your keto breath even worse. There are, for example, odors that arise from food residues.
See Also: What Can You Eat On A Keto Diet?
How Does ketosis Cause Bad Breath?
During a ketogenic diet, the energy metabolism changes.
- Instead of glucose, the body now uses ketone bodies as an energy source. These are formed in the liver from fat reserves.
- In the process, more ketone bodies are formed than the body can utilize. These are then discharged from the body in various ways.
- One of these pathways is respiration. The ketone bodies impart a sweet and sour odor to the air we breathe, giving rise to the typical ketosis mouth odor.
- Unlike other symptoms of ketosis, this unpleasant effect, unfortunately, does not disappear on its own after a few days.
- However, you have some options to prevent bad breath.
See Also: Advantages and Disadvantages of the Keto Diet
What You Can Do Against Bad Ketosis Breath
You don’t have to accept the unpleasant bad breath on a keto diet.
- Drink: Breathing is not the only way the body excretes the excess ketone bodies. They are also passed out of the body through urine. So drink plenty to keep your kidney sufficiently busy and eliminate the ketone bodies this way.
- Oral hygiene: brushing your teeth regularly after every meal does not directly affect your breath. However, you can ensure fresher breath with thorough oral hygiene, which includes tongue cleaning. You can also make and use a mouthwash yourself.
- Herbs: Use fresh herbs when preparing food. Herbs do contain carbohydrates to some extent, but you can neglect this aspect in such a small amount. Chew fresh parsley and mint to fight bad breath.
See Also: Why Is The Keto Diet So Hard To Stick?
Conclusion
As you can see, there are always ways to fight bad breath during ketosis. There is no real reason not to start the ketogenic diet or even stop during it, and there is always a solution; try it out.
See Also: Ketogenic Diet
Last Updated on 12/03/2022 by Buzz This Viral
