The common foods that can cause body odour & what to replace them with!

Specific types of food definitely have an impact on body odour. This is primarily caused by the interaction of certain chemicals in the digestion process.
 
The good news is that these distinctive smells are often temporary & nothing that can’t be fixed with a good spritz of deodorant, a breath mint & copious amounts of water.
 
However, if you’re conscious about getting up close & personal, you might want to avoid certain foods before a date or nerve-wracking event, as stress brings out the stinky sweat. Let’s take a look at the common foods that can cause pungent pits.
 

Brassicas

Certain types of cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage & kale (all part of the mustard family) can increase body odour due to the sulphur compounds that are released during digestion. With high levels of fibre & vitamins, these cancer fighting vegetables are very good for you, so you don’t want to cut them out unless they are creating a persistent problem in the pit department. In which case, you could try eating smaller amounts instead & bulk up with butternut squash, aubergine, courgettes and sweet potato instead.
 

Garlic & onions

Two classic culprits for sweat induced stink are garlic & onions. Roasted garlic is delicious, but can be awfully strong. As a good source of potassium, folates, vitamins and minerals, you really don’t want to lose alliums from your diet. So, eat something neutralising - like a sprig of parsley or mint - to counteract the pungent pong.
 

Alcohol

It’s hard to hide the stench of a hangover, which is caused when the booze reacts with other chemicals in the body to produce acetaldehyde, a strong smelling side effect. Dehydration doesn’t help, especially with the associated bad breath, so cut back on your units, switch to no and low alternatives, & drink plenty of water to help neutralise the nose-wrinkling whiff.
 

Seafood

If you’ve ever noticed a fishy smell after consuming seafood, you may have a specific condition known as trimethylaminuria. This is because your body can’t breakdown trimethylamine, a chemical that’s naturally present in marine organisms. Thankfully, it’s not a very common condition, but if it’s really bad you might need to give up eating shellfish & fish altogether.
 

Chilli & cumin

Strong smelling spices have a tendency to show up in your sweat, because they also contain sulphur which can be released through your pores. These culinary flavours are very good for us, & can raise our metabolic resting rate & help control our appetite. So, if you’re cooking with these ingredients, just reduce the amount, rather than cutting it out,  if you’re conscious of the after-effects.
 

Red meat

Hands up if you’ve ever had ‘meat sweats’? A hearty of meal of American style ribs, a hefty steak, a meat feast pizza or a triple stack burger can induce food heaven, swiftly followed by food regret. Red meat is harder to digest, creating more fatty acids that those surface-based bacteria love to munch on. Cutting back is good for you & the planet, so get down with the many plant-based alternatives - & enjoy sweeter smelling pits too.