bad breath?

[kriewe]

Hi everyone,
I am into my second day of induction and I was wondering about the bad breath issue. Has anyone noticed that? I know gum has carbs in it, so I've stayed away so far.
Also, even though pork rinds aren't in the book for induction time, are they ok?
One more, when should I start measuring my ketones?

Thanks so much- so excited to continue this journey.
Karen

[imagood1]

Re: bad breath?

Hi and welcome --- if you have a bad taste in your mouth it's one sign of being in keotsis (the fat burning process) so good for you. Drink plain water and brush your teeth and tongue to keep the smell at bay or chew on parsley if it bothers you that badly.

Pork rinds -- watch the ones with sodium, they can cause water retention ... buy they are ok for induction - according to the package I bought 7 rinds is a serving but many people eat more than that. I use them mostly crushed for breading for different things - as a kid I ate them by the handful but they don't have the same appeal now.

There is no rule that you MUST measure keotones - many people (including myself) don't find the ketosticks to be an accurate measure so if you haven't bought them yet, I wouldn't waste the money on them. There is no degree of keotsis - either you are in or you aren't.....it's like being pregnant, either you are or you aren't - so if you show any color chances are you are in keotsis. The bad breath and weight loss is more a measure of keotsis than anything else.

Have you introduced yourself on the Spotlight forum yet? If not go say hi and let us know more about you! THE SPOTLIGHT INTRODUCE YOURSELF - Atkins Diet. Good luck to you!

[kriewe]

Re: bad breath?

Hi Carole,
Thanks for your response. I appreciate all advice. Interesting about the pork rinds- I'll be careful with them because the ones that I bought do have sodium added.
I have posted on the introduce myself, looking forward to chatting with this great forum! Thanks!

[dewolfe]

Re: bad breath?

SO gum is out... I can't chew gum... even sugar free gum?

[Georgiana]

Re: bad breath?

SO gum is out... I can't chew gum... even sugar free gum?

Sugar free gum is still sweetened with an artificial sweetener or a sugar alcohol. In Europe, it's usually sweetened with xylitol. Not sure how it's in the US...

My advice would be to avoid SF chewing gum, because there are alternatives to solving the "bad" breath problem: carry a small bottle of mouthwash with you and have a toothbrush, dental floss and a small tube of toothpaste with you at work, so you can brush your teeth after lunch or whenever you feel like it.

But if you refuse to give up the chewing gum habit, then you will need to count each piece of chewing gum as one serving of sweeter. We are allowed 3 servings of sweetener per day, during all phases of Atkins.

By the way, ketosis breath has a distinctive odor, but should not be offensive. The odor is caused by acetone (one of the ketones our body makes) and should resemble that of ripe apples. It's only when we have poor oral hygiene (yucky meat stuck between teeth; cheesy teeth & gums, literally.... TMI, I know ) that our breath gets so stinky that it can knock down the ones around us.

[dewolfe]

Re: bad breath?

wow that just might be my whole problem!! I chew tons of gum a day!! like 10 piece a day!.. and I'm not even kidding... wow....

I will stop the gum chewing.. thank YOU!!!!!!