"We are what we eat," as the saying goes and I've generally found this to be true. In my experience, what I eat affects how I look (in terms of my complexion), what I say (in terms of my mood) and, seemingly, how I smell. In the Netflix series, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, author Samin Nosrat explains that fats such as butter and oils, while imparting flavor of their own can also act as carriers of flavor... working as the middle men between meat and spices, let's say. In this regard, sweat does not so much carry its own stench but works, rather, as the carrier of broken down foods out from our bodies and onto our skin where it reacts with bacteria to annoy anyone in our close proximity. To this end, certain foods break down and react pretty strongly with the bacteria on our bodies. A few offenders lie below. Enjoy! (Or don't.)
Alcohol: As I progressed through my linty of yoga classes, my consumption of alcohol began to decrease. At some point, running from class to class left little time for drinking and/or less tolerance for dehydration. This, in the end, is likely why my body stopped smelling so much as classes piled on. (For the record, my body stinks once again now that I'm out of teacher training). But just as alcohol can break down and get into your lungs (hence the breathalyzer test), it can also get into your pores which can be "sweat out" later.
Garlic and Onions: Aside from alcohol (which seems to be metabolized through a different process), foods that break down into sulfur compounds like garlic and onions often lead to body odors that are bad. In this regard, while garlic and onions can be smelt on your breath (similar to alcohol) they're also broken down into sulfur based compounds like the foods below.
Cruciferous Vegetables: In Food is Family, I wrote about my penchant for "beans and greens" as I like to call them. In general, through my research for this post, I've learned that my daily desire for garlic-hummus and broccoli has made me ripe for the ripest smells in my yoga class. Like garlic and onions, green vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts also break down into sulfur compounds that can make our sweat smell... badly.
Red Meat: Also sulfur-rich, leaving you to smell like dead eggs.
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