Eating garlic bread is great, dealing with the aftermath is not.
Thankfully, scientists have made a discovery that tells us exactly how to reduce that unpleasant post-garlic pong.
In a new study, they discovered that eating raw apple or lettuce worked best to destroy odours caused by eating garlic - alongside raw mint.
Drinking green tea, meanwhile, was useless at banishing the dreaded dragon breath.
Researchers from Ohio State University asked volunteers to chew garlic cloves for 25 seconds.
They were then given either water; raw, juiced or heated apple; raw or heated lettuce; raw or juiced mint leaves; or green tea, immediately after.
The volatiles responsible for stinky garlic breath were then measured.
Researchers found raw apple and raw lettuce decreased the concentration of volatiles in the breath by 50% compared to water.
Mint leaves, meanwhile, were best at masking the smell.
Scientists said apple juice and mint juice reduced the levels of volatiles, but not as effectively as chewing raw apple or raw mint.
Both heated apple and lettuce produced a significant reduction of volatiles and green tea had no effect on masking the garlic compounds.
The researchers said foods deodorise garlic breath through two mechanisms: first, enzymes in the raw foods help to destroy the odours, and then, phenolic compounds in both the raw and cooked foods destroy the volatiles.
They believe this is why raw foods were more effective because they contain both the enzymes and the phenolic compounds.
*Bulk buys apples*
