Canker Sore Diet

Canker sores are those pesky and painful sores that often occur on the inside of your mouth and tongue. They can disrupt your life by causing pain when you eat, drink and even talk. Although you can purchase over-the-counter remedies to help heal your canker sores, the best way to stop them is to eat a healthy diet to keep them away. Foods you enjoy, coupled with foods to avoid, can help you stave off a canker sore attack.

What to Enjoy

• You can stop canker sores before they start by eating foods that won't aggravate an already sore mouth and ingesting foods that give you the right vitamins and minerals to keep your mouth healthy. Some of these include foods rich in B vitamins, such as leafy greens and brightly colored vegetables. Those who are deficient in thiamine may notice they get canker sores chronically. Eating foods with a high thiamine content, like peas or pork, can help keep canker sores away. If you have a canker sore already, eating soothing, calcium-rich foods can help to coat them to make them feel better. Even ice cream can help a nasty canker sore, as it soothes it while numbing it with cold. If you feel like you're not getting enough in the way of nutrition to prevent canker sores, try taking a daily multivitamin to supplement your diet and to make sure you're getting the nutrients you need to prevent canker sores or to help them to heal faster.

What to Avoid

• Certain foods consume actually are main culprits of causing canker sores. This includes highly acidic foods, like oranges and tomatoes. If you have recently been eating a lot of these foods and are getting more canker sores, it could be the reason why. If you love spicy foods, you might want to limit your intake to only a few days a week, as this can aggravate open mouth sores, causing them to turn into painful canker sores. At times, canker sores can be caused by allergies to certain foods, so if you notice you constantly get canker sores after eating a favorite dish, it may mean you have a mild allergy to one of the ingredients. Unfortunately, chocolate can be a culprit when it comes to causing canker sores, so it may be best to avoid it during an outbreak.