Foods to Avoid Before Your New Year’s Kiss

With only four days left before the New Year’s Eve—we’re not thinking about champagne and confetti, we’re thinking about the kiss. Yes, the big K-I-S-S at midnight. It’s been said that if you fail to smooch someone at the stroke of the New Year it means you’re destined for a year of loneliness.

While we’re not sure we entirely believe that, a kiss is just a kiss—so you should do it just to be safe, right?

Whatever you decide, there’s one thing you have to take care of before 11:59—your breath. Sure an Altoid or a stick of gum would certainly do the trick, but if you really want to be in the clear you should really be avoiding a few different foods.

Clueless? Don’t worry we’ve rounded up the bites to avoid eating before your shining moment:

• Garlic: obviously.

• Onions: shocker!

• Curry: The spicy dish not only irritates your stomach, but leaves a terrible odor in your mouth as well.

• Anchovies: one word—indigestion.

• Cheese: apparently, anything fermented isn’t going to help your situation.

• Coffee: the worse the coffee, thethe worse the kiss. 

If you want to really ensure a good kiss, these foods prevent bad breath:

• Eating berries, citrus fruits, melons and other vitamin C-rich foods create an unwelcome home for bacteria in the mouth.

• Crunchy fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, and celery keep your mouth moving and rinsing itself and avoiding plaque buildup which eventually leads to odors. Hello, vegetable platter!

• Milk and yogurt coat the mouth and mask any bad odors that maybe potentially lingering.

• And yes—gum!