Did you know that the foods you eat determine the way you smell? Unpleasant-smelling compounds from certain foods seep into your sweat and give it a foul odour.

These compounds, referred to as volatile organic compounds, (VOCs), are responsible for the production of pungent perspiration. And so, in order to get rid of body odour, you need to watch out for a couple of foods and beverages that cause it.

Wondering what these drinks and foods are? 

Fish

Sure, consuming fish has a number of health benefits. It has even been suggested that you should eat at least two fish-based meals every week. However, choline, which is a member of the B-complex vitamin family that is present in abundance in fish such as tuna and salmon, is known to deliver a natural fishy smell.

Some individuals may even secrete choline in their sweat for a whole day after eating fish, which could result in a strong, unpleasant body odour.

Alcohol

Happy hour sure is great, but alcohol could leave you smelling unpleasant. This is because, when alcohol is absorbed into your body, it is metabolized into acetic acid or acetate, which can then be secreted into your sweat.

And so, when this acidic sweat is metabolized by bacteria on your skin, it can make you smell a lot like the bar you went to.

Red Meat

Red meat comprises amino acids that leave a residue in your intestines during the digestion process. The intestinal enzymes then break down this residue, which gets combined with the bacteria on your skin when you perspire, and creates an unpleasant body odour.

Processed Food

Processed food, or rather, junk food, could also be a cause of foul body odour. The refined sugar content in these foods, in addition to their glycaemic index, which is very high, is to be blamed.

It has been suggested that the sugar in the blood after the consumption of processed food alters the make-up of sweat in some individuals when combined with bacteria present on the skin, which leads to changes in body odour. Furthermore, junk foods are not rich in chlorophyll, which is a chemical that acts as a natural deodorizer in the body.

Cruciferous Veggies

Cruciferous veggies like brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli, can also be responsible for foul body odour. This is because these vegetables are rich in Sulphur, which is a compound that smells a lot like rotten eggs.

If you consume a large amount of these veggies, the availability of sulphur to skin bacteria may significantly increase, and this could result in the production of excessive compounds that contain sulphur, which could leave you with a nasty odour.