Everyone has a different body odour, but a bad one can be a quick turnoff. A sudden change in your body odour can occur in specific areas, including your armpits, feet, genitals, belly buttons, mouth and throat. The problem is not entirely due to poor hygiene, but other factors, such as hormonal changes, genes, medications you take, excessive sweating and your environment.
Apart from that, there are also certain foods that can make your body smelly and unpleasant, as the food you eat has a direct effect on how the body smells. That doesn’t mean you should stop consuming them completely, but you need to be aware and take some extra precautions.
Foods That Cause Body Odour
Here are some foods that cause body odour:
- Allium vegetables, such as onion, chives, garlic, scallions, etc.
- Cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, radish, broccoli, cauliflower, turnip, bok choy, etc.
- Red meat
- Spices, such as horseradish, cumin, cayenne, etc.
- Alcohol.
While showering twice a day in the summer and applying antiperspirants can keep the smell under control, have you considered resolving this issue with your diet? Well, there are certain foods that can improve your body odour and help you smell pleasant.
Foods that keep body odour away
Here's a look at six foods that can keep body odour away:
1) Fruits
Including high-water content fruits such as pineapples, grapes, watermelons, oranges and apples in your diet can help in reducing sweat levels, thereby improving how you smell. Your body absorbs the natural fragrance of fruits, especially citrus fruits such as lemons, pineapples and oranges, and leaves a pleasant smell on your skin.
2) Fenugreek
Fenugreek is great for eliminating toxins from the body. Both Fenugreek seeds and leaves can improve body odour by flushing out the toxins from the body that cause an unpleasant smell.
Boil a cup of water with some fenugreek seeds, and drink it regularly to smell good the whole day. In addition, fenugreek can also help in digestion and promote gut health.
3) Fresh Herbs
The strong oils present in herbs like basil, mint, rosemary and parsley can help control bad odour. They help overpower unpleasant smells and also reduce stinky breath.
Rosemary, in particular, can help give your body a pleasant smell, as it contains chlorophyll and menthol, both of which are great in preventing bacteria and body odour.
4) Herbal Teas
Herbal teas such as green tea and jasmine tea help remove toxins from the body, improve your digestion and also offer a great smell to your body.
While consuming these herbal teas may seem boring, there're many benefits, as they contain several antioxidants and offer calming effects that can potentially control your sweating and keep your nervous and digestive system cool.
5) Lemon and Water
Lemon and water combined together is a beneficial drink that has several health benefits. Water alone is essential for keeping your body fit and odour-free, as it helps flush out toxins.
The high quantity of acidic properties and antioxidants in lemons, meanwhile, helps detoxify and disinfect your body, keeping you smelling clean and fresh.
6) Cardamom
Cardamoms are known for their amazing property of eliminating bad breath, resulting in a fresher and pleasant smell. They are also an ideal spice that not only enhances the taste of foods but also keeps bad body odour away. They also help you smell nicer and more desirable.
Healthy Hygiene Habits to Improve Body Odour
Here are a few tips you can follow for better hygiene and to keep smelling good the entire day.
- Use deodorants and antiperspirants to control sweating.
- Ensure that your feet are clean and not wet for a long time. Change your socks every day, and use a pumice stone for foot calluses.
- Brush your teeth twice a day, and practice good oral habits.
- Use gentle cleansers to clean your sensitive areas, such as your genitals and ears.
- While it's up to you how many times you want to shower, if you have an unwanted body smell, make it a point to shower regularly.
Takeaway
Sudden changes in body odour are quite common and are not anything to worry about. Simple changes in your lifestyle, food and personal hygiene can prevent the issue, provided it's not accompanied by any other symptoms, in which case, you need to seek medical attention.