1. French fries. Almost all fried foods will have the same effect on your body: unpleasant body smells (and possibly a stomach discomfort). The fats and oils in these processed, greasy foods are likely to produce an odor that can permeate your entire body. Yuck.
2. Cake Not just cake, but any high-sugar foods will cause foul odors from below. To avoid smelling awful in your vagina, replace sweets with something healthier and odorless, such as veggies or low-sugar fruit.
3. Asparagus. Have you ever eaten asparagus and then found that your pee smells terrible? It’s completely real, and it’s also quite gross. On date night, instead of asparagus, serve a bed of greens. The urine odor can also be detected on your body parts, so you may sense body scents all around you after eating a few spears of asparagus.
4. Spicy foods. Put down the chili peppers: spicy foods might leave you smelling terrible. While it may speed up metabolism or help with cravings, it will also cause some body smells due to gasses produced via the skin’s pores. Furthermore, these scents can linger for several hours.
5. Eggs. According to Maggie Moon, MS, RDN, and author of The MIND diet, over email with Bustle, eggs can cause you smell super bad, so you might want to rethink your brunch order depending on your afternoon and evening plans, if you’re worried. Due to sulfur, it can lead to foul smells that can last for a few hours. The MIND Diet, $12 on Amazon.
6. Alliums. Moon says that the allium family also have the tendency to release sulfur compounds, leading to bad smells on the body. Garlic and onion are examples of such ingredients, so keep an eye out for extra flavors when making or ordering a meal. If you enjoy the flavor, consider going a little lighter on your shake.
7. Organ meats. Moon cautions against eating organ meats due to the choline content (also found in eggs, as above). “Choline containing foods such as eggs, beans, wheat germ, saltwater fish, and organ meats produce a chemical called trimethylamine (TMA), and some people can’t metabolize it, resulting in a fishy body odor that can be smelled in sweat, saliva, breath, and urine. Luckily, this is a rare disorder. It’s called trimethylaminuria (TMAU), and it affects one in 200,000 people,” Moon adds.
8. Cruciferous vegetables. Over email with Bustle, Dr. Lisa Ashe, Medical Director at BeWell Medical Group says that “broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage can make your breath stink as well as your flatus.” If you’re craving some of these veggies, watch your intake and eat moderately. Besides, excess could lead to gas and stomach pains, Ashe explains.
9. Alcohol. Though not a food, it still counts. “If you drink a lot, it can come out in your sweat,” advises Ashe. To help remedy this, Ashe recommends, “Drink plenty of water before, during, and after you drink.” You can also watch your portions, making sure to stick with one or two drinks a night, instead. Dairy can also cut the stink, says Moon.
10. Curry. Unfortunately, while Indian food is totally delicious, it can also be smelly, as a result of some of the spices that are mainly used in the cuisine, advised researchers at Berkeley Wellness at the University of California, to Medical Daily. “Cumin and curry,” says Ashe, can be pretty problematic when you’re worried about bad body odors. Mask the smell with a dairy, creamy sauce if possible.
11. Red Meat. According to a 2006 study published in the journal Chemical Senses, red meat can leave a foul smell. While getting in some solid protein is important, it might be worth going meatless a few days of the week or trading in your beef tacos for chicken. If you notice any bad odors after eating these foods, try manipulating your palate a bit and eat less stinky foods. Or, at least on the days that smelling fresh really matters.