Another name for body odor is bromhidrosis. Body odor can be quite difficult to work out with. While it is easy to mask it using deodorants and antiperspirants, in the end, the real body odor will always appear. In animals, body odor is important to identify another animal. It is even being used during mating period. Although humans can also use body odor to identify one another, it is not constantly being done because we have already used other tools to do so.

Every person’s body odor is unique, especially since it is influenced by many factors, such as genes, diet, lifestyle, gender, health and the medication ingested. Normal individuals sweat; but sweat itself does not have any smell. When sweat is combined with the bacteria that grows in the body that is when body odor occur. Body odors have been described in many ways, but the most common is the vinegar-like smell in the individual.

Having offensive body odor can be embarrassing. There are those that no matter how much odor altering products are used, it still cannot be disguised. Others would suggest proper hygiene is the only solution, but if the problem is already internal, perhaps due to diet and medication, then it is what should be modified. Below are foods that can help in reducing the body odor of an individual. While they may be effective to some, to others they are not, considering the fact that our body’s functions differ from one another.

Eat the following to help you say goodbye to foul body odor:

1. Green, Leafy Vegetables (kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and green peppers)

   Green, leafy vegetables are rich in chlorophyll. Everybody knows that chlorophyll is the green photosynthetic pigments that can be found in algae, cyanobacteria and plants. But how does chlorophyll in the vegetables help in eliminating body odors? According to a professor in chemistry of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, chlorophylls are naturally occurring chelate. Meaning, poisons in our body will bind to chlorophyll and eliminate them from our system. Although several contradictory studies have been made by various scientists regarding the ability of the chlorophyll of the green, leafy vegetables to help in eliminating the offensive smell in the body, countless companies still insist that the chlorophyll from vegetables help in banishing body odor. It was in the 1950s when a doctor from New York City studied the effects of chlorophyll to his patients suffering anemia. To help curb the smell brought about by the disease, he experimented with deodorants containing chlorophyll on his patients as well as on his medical staffs. It was said that after 24 hours, all of them reported reduction in body odor. This prompted several companies to follow suit and marketed chlorophyll in many forms claiming it can eliminate body odor. By then, several people insist that by eating the source of chlorophyll directly, such as the green leafy vegetables, reduction of body odor is expected.

2. Herbs (mint, lemon balm, oregano, thyme, basil, sage, rosemary, cilantro, and parsley)

   What is in herbs that can help in getting rid of body odor? While some would suggest using them as room deodorizing, herbs are actually natural antibiotic inside our body. There are certain herbs that have strong antibiotic effects. When they are utilized, they help in reducing microorganisms that invade our body and causing the offensive smell. Not only that, by ingesting them, they can stop the growth of these bacteria too. The most common being used is rosemary, as discovered by researchers in the University of Maryland Medical Center. However, this herb is found out to be more effective in the elimination of body odor when used topically, than when being used as an ingredient in your cooking. Another common herb is oregano, while others make use of their essential oils.

3. Fruits (grapefruit, kiwi fruit, grapes, oranges, plums, strawberries and blueberries)

   Eating fresh fruits can help in the elimination of body odor. Although all fruits are important and are effective, if you are one of those that have real body odor problems, you might want to eliminate foods that are rich in choline. Choline is an important member of the vitamin B family. It is therefore essential in keeping the cell membrane function properly and in reducing chronic inflammation tendencies. However, too much of choline causes the body to have unusual body odor because as choline is broken down, it produces trimethylamine that contributes to offensive body odors. It is therefore recommended to limit your intake of fresh fruits that have low choline such as berries, plums, apples, grapes and kiwi.

4. Sprouts (alfalfa, cilantro, cabbage, broccoli, basil, anise, celery, and alfalfa)

   Just like the green, leafy vegetables, sprouts are highly rich in chlorophyll that is believed to be working as chelating agent in the body. By eating these types of foods or including them in your daily diet, poisons that are causing the off smell in your body will bind to chlorophyll and will be eliminated. Other than that, these foods can also help in the digestive process by hastening the digestion and the elimination of toxic substances in the body.

5. Raw Nuts

   Raw nuts are rich in zinc. Zinc can help in the balancing of blood sugar and stabilizing the metabolic rate. It can also help prevent the weakening of the immune system. Body odor can sometimes be attributed to metabolic disorders. For those diagnosed with trimethylaminuria, maple syrup urine disease, phenylketonuria, tyrosinaemia, diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis, by eating foods rich in zinc, such as raw nuts, their metabolic rate is controlled and body odor is eliminated.

6. Water

   Water has always been the number one solution for eliminating body odor, both internal and external. Whenever you feel that you smell off, your first thought is always to hit the shower fast. But water can also be effective in eliminating body odor by drinking the water. Drinking the recommended amount of fluids, particularly water, everyday can help in cleansing your body internally. Water serves as a cleaning agent. Your body produces poisons from the metabolic processes. These poisons may be one of the contributing factors of body odor. By flushing them away through increase ingestion of water, the poisons are eliminated fast. Drinking four to eight glasses of water, or one to two liters, per days is enough to help reduce body odor.

Sources
listopt.com
livestrong.com
livestrong.com
magforwomen.com
foodscout.org