It's becoming easier to eat healthier

We all know that a healthy body is achieved with a well-balanced diet and a regular regimen of exercise, but some people overlook the importance of healthy options and oral health. But juggling a full-time job, family, friends and everything else can make it challenging to keep up with nutritious eating. Consuming meals with fruits and vegetables, whole grains and necessary vitamins and minerals will actually help to keep bad breath at bay, and irritating issues like canker sores from ruining your day.

Making it easier
Luckily, first lady Michelle Obama is working with five media companies - Conde Nast, Hearst Magazines, Meredith Corp., the Food Network and Time Inc. - to compile an easily accessible list of recipes that meet federal nutrition guidelines for the appropriate amount of vegetables, fruit, protein and grains that should be in a meal. Social media websites like Pinterest and Yummly have made it easier to find well-balanced meals, but they are often peppered in with delicious, but not so nutritious recipes.

Now, there is a dedicated page on Pinterest with about 1,000 healthy recipes already uploaded (and 3,000 expected), which is indented to take out the "guess work" of finding healthy recipes. Planning an upcoming dinner date? Bad breath foods are often easy to catch when the ingredients are laid out for you. Choosing one with parsley, basil or rosemary, lean meats, fish, mint or lemon can ensure that bad breath isn't going to ruin your evening. Follow up a meal with dark chocolate-covered strawberries or homemade cinnamon-banana "ice cream" and you'll have a great meal without the unsavory aftertaste lingering in your mouth.

Long-lasting impression
This is one of Michelle Obama's efforts to combat obesity in America, which has been connected with bad breath. Regularly eating fatty, sugary or high-processed food may lead to consistent bad breath because the body is not receiving necessary vitamins and minerals to combat bacteria. Plus, these foods are harder to digest (i.e., belching).

Uncomfortable oral health issues
It's common that everyone experiences canker sores at one time in their life - and they are not fun. These annoying and painful mouth sores are caused by a slew of things, and not eating enough iron and folic acid can be one of the culprits. To avoid getting canker sores in the mouth, you should plan meals rich in these nutrients. You can find ones with broccoli, spinach, asparagus, avocados, and beans and lentils, which are high in folic acid. Dried herbs, - try parsley, black pepper, dill, marjoram or cumin - dark chocolate, clams, oysters or squash seeds are high in iron.