Best Foods for Preventing Canker Sores
This section of HealWithFood.org's Guide to Fighting Canker Sores presents a list of foods that can help prevent and fight canker sores. If you are interested in more general information about nutrition and canker sores, check out this Guide's home page or the section on diet tips. For delicious recipes that combine some of the best canker sore fighting foods, go to the Guide's recipe directory.
#1: Parsley
This often under-appreciated vegetable is much more than just a decorative garnish that accompanies meals in restaurants. It is loaded with important nutrients, and it can be used to treat various health problems. The iron and folate contained in parsley also makes it an excellent food against canker sores. But parsley can also benefit your mouth in another way: munching on fresh parsley after a meal is a great way to freshen the breath!
#2: Salmon
If you are prone to getting canker sores, try eating more salmon. Half a filet of salmon (approximately 200 grams) contains more than the recommended daily value for vitamin B12 (cobalamin). In one study, 58 people suffering from canker sores received either a dose of 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 or a placebo. The number of ulcers, the duration of outbreaks as well as the level of pain associated with the sores decreased significantly after 5 months of treatment in the group who were given vitamin B12. In addition, 74% of patients in this group (in contrast to 32% in the control group) reported no canker sores at the end of the study.
#3: Spinach
Popeye was right: you should eat your spinach! The nutritional profile of spinach makes it an excellent health food and an important food for anyone prone to getting canker sores. It is a very good source of dietary folate and a rich source of iron. (Now, if you've read the article 5 Diet Tips for Preventing Canker Sores, you know that iron-rich foods are among the best foods for preventing canker sores.) To maximize the canker sore fighting properties of spinach, include some vitamin C in your spinach dishes. The type of iron found in spinach (non-hemme iron) needs vitamin C for good absorption.
#4: Nettles
Did you know that the young leaves of stinging nettle are edible when you cook them and that they are one of the most concentrated plant-based sources of iron? In fact, nettle has been reported to provide even more iron than spinach! Young nettle leaves are delicious in pasta dishes and omelets, and they make a great basis for soups (see Recipes for Fighting Canker Sores for instructions on how to make nutritous nettle soup).
Also in This Guide
Further Reading (Offline)
UK's leading nutritionist Antony J. Haynes has distilled his knowledge into a comprehensive guide designed to tackle health problems caused by food intolerances. The Food Intolerance Bible provides answers to questions like: How healthy is your intestinal ecology? Which foods are likely to cause food intolerance symptoms such as bloating, cramping, rashes, mood swings and chronic fatigue? How to identify and eliminate culprit foods? Which supplements work for which symptoms? To order a copy of Haynes' book, head to 
Amazon.com
or 
Amazon.co.uk.
