7 foods that will make you smell really bad
If you eat a sandwich with plenty of garlic sauce and döner or shawarma, you know what that means: sleeping with your face turned towards the bedside table and constantly sucking on mints, because that stench is unbearable for other people. Did you know there are many more foods that can make you smell bad? Consider yourself warned!
Steve Jobs refused to use deodorant for years because he thought that his vegetarian diet would stop him from smelling of sweat. His employees thought otherwise, but they didn’t dare contradict the big boss. According to microbiologist Chris Callewaert, Jobs wasn’t entirely wrong. ‘People who eat a lot of vegetables have more staphylococci and fewer corynebacteria in their armpits, which has a positive effect on their smell,’ he says. You can’t really blame Jobs, by the way: you can become nose-blind to your own body odor, and after a while you no longer smell it.
Sulfur smell
Eat plenty of vegetables and you’ll smell less. But don’t count on garlic and onions, because they have the opposite effect. They won’t just make your breath smell, they can also change the smell of your sweat. Callewaert tells AD that this is caused by the sulfur in garlic and onions. Components of that sulfur leave your body through your skin.
Smell of alcoholics
And Chris warns about many more foods that can make you smell absolutely awful. Asparagus, for example. ‘If you eat a lot of it, your urine will start to smell, and it can also change the smell of your sweat.’ Alcohol can also cause an unpleasant odor. ‘Once you’ve had a few drinks, the alcohol leaves your body through your pores. It then binds with the layer of oil on your skin. This creates so-called “esters”, which produce a characteristic smell. That smell is particularly noticeable in alcoholics,’ says Chris.
I smell fast food
Other causes of nasty odors include fenugreek, a spice from Indian and Mediterranean cuisine. Red peppers, which make you sweat more and cause your sweat to smell different. Meat and fast food also affect your body odor, Chris explains. ‘Our research shows that people who eat meat and fast food more often have a stronger body odor. The same effect has also emerged in several other studies.’
Yes, you too, Job
If you’d rather not take any risks, adjust your diet: less meat, less fast food, cut out garlic and onions, and put more vegetables on the menu. And use deodorant from time to time, even if you’re a multimillionaire.
Also read:
- Mega-stench: tropical stinky fruit causes evacuation of shopping street in Goes
- Tried and tested: tips for getting rid of fridge odors
- 6 things that are too antisocial to eat in public
Source: AD.nl
