Did you know that your diet affects your body odor? What are natural ways or alternatives for neutralizing your body odor?
Many people around the world spend millions of dollars on skincare products like deodorants and antiperspirants that have tons of harsh chemicals, in order to neutralize their body odor and stop perspiration.
Many studies have shown that lifestyle choices and diet are the main contributing factors behind our body smell. Although body odor is a very sensitive subject to a lot of people, the fact is that the smell that is trying to get out of your skin is a reflection of what you eat.
Millions of people feel so uncomfortable about how they smell that they are willing to spend thousands of dollars on skincare products like deodorants and antiperspirants that have known carcinogens and cancer-causing chemicals. Many people wear antiperspirants to prevent the body from sweating while perspiration is one of the great ways for body to get rid of toxins, chemicals and heavy metals. The fact is that, the impurities and toxins that your body releases (because of food or environmental toxins) are trying to get out of your skin through perspiration. Other research have shown that foods that cannot be digested properly by our digestive system will eventually enter into our bloodstream, acting as a toxin before they are excreted from our body by sweat glands.
All mammals smell and in the wild, the body odor by animals helps them identify each other and choose healthy mates:
Research has shown that sense of smell is one of the first ways for newborns to bond with their mothers and in fact, infants find their mothers scent more comforting than any other smell. Other research has even compared individual scent to fingerprints.
There are two different glands in our bodies responsible for perspiration:
Apocrine glands: Apocrine glands are found inhands, feet, armpit and groin and produce sweat that contains fatty acids and protein (like red meat which make the sweat heavier and yellow in color). The apocrine glands are also a way for body to cool itself down and sweat when you are experiencing stress or anxiety.
Eccrine glands: Eccrine glands cover most of the body and produce sweat made of water and electrolytes.
What you eat in private will definitely show up in public:
Although different sexes and different races produce body odor differently, you are what you eat and diet is one of the main contributing factors behind your health, skin and body odor. Foods consumed in different cultures have a main impact on personal scent or body odor. Onion, garlic, asparagus and red meat are some of the foods that impact the body odor.
Also, your sense of smell and even body odor starts to change, after you go through a cleansing diet and don’t eat processed foods, meat or foods that have been deep-fried or cooked (in high temperatures with crappy oils like hydrogenated vegetable oils). Therefore, the best way to get rid of a profound body odor is to change your diet and cleanse your body on a regular basis, instead of covering it up with deodorants or antiperspirants that have toxins and harsh chemicals. Find more about the top five Toxic ingredients in deodorants or antiperspirants: http://seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/cancer-casuing-chemicals-toxic-ingredients-in-deodorants-antiperspirants.php
Here are the top recommendations for naturally neutralizing the body odor:
1. Use a combination of tea tree oil with peppermint oil: Essential oils and herbs have been used for thousands of years, for their great healing and medicinal properties. You can use a combination of peppermint and tea tree oil and rub it against your armpit. Don’t let the mixture of these two oils sit together long before use, since their properties starts to change when they are mixed together. Both tea tree and peppermint oil have so many benefits for the skin and they could neutralize the body odor.
2. Shower more regularly if you have access to clean water: Keep in mind that it might not be a good idea to wash your hair or skin every day since you could end up destroying the natural oils in your hair or skin. Also, many homes in America have old system of galvanized pipe that can last over 40 to 50 years, but they have a problem due to internal corrosion.
When galvanized pipe corrode, the water taste bad and becomes discolored while the water flow could become very slow. Aging pipes can also leak contaminants into your water causing bacteria and potential sickness. Despite their potential health risks, galvanized pipes are very common in US, both in homes and apartments.
Besides the problems associated with galvanized pipe, the water itself has high contaminants like fluoride and chlorine and therefore it’s not good to shower every day if you don’t have a good filtration system. It’s very important to have access to clean water and I would recommend a good filter and reverse osmosis for both showers and tap water.
3. Watch your diet: If you are wearing deodorants to neutralize your body smell, maybe you should watch for what you eat. Keep in mind that what you eat in private will show up in public and hiding the stink with toxic deodorants isn’t a solution. The smell of foods that you just ate is trying to get your of your skin and perspiration is a way for your body to get rid of the toxins and harmful stuff. Instead of hiding what you eat, maybe you should watch for your diet and be mindful of what you put in your body.
4. Cleanse on a regular basis: Dark green leafy vegetables like kale, spirulina and chlorella are some of the best green superfoods that help to cleanse your body and get rid of accumulation of toxins and free radicals. Skin is the largest organ in our bodies and the horrible smell that’s coming out of your skin is a way for your body to get rid of toxins and tell you that it’s having a hard time to digest your food properly. So instead of hiding the smell with deodorants or antiperspirants (that have known cancer-causing carcinogens that can enter in into your blood stream and end up in different organs like liver or kidneys) pay attention to your body and eat better.
5. Avoid foods that make your body smell bad like red meat – Plant-based diet is the best natural deodorants since it cleanses your body from inside out: Recent studies have shown that people who eat red meat on a regular basis are at much higher risk of cancer and heart disease. Beside the health problems associated with red meat, people who are meat-eaters have much stronger body odor than people who eat healthy (plant-based diet from fresh organic fruits and vegetables). Even some vegetarians could have strong body odor because they eat unhealthy (consume processed foods that have high levels of artificial additives, preservatives and toxic oils like vegetable oil) or do not enough fiber.
You could significantly minimize your body odor if you eat a plant-based diet high in fiber, chlorophyll and other phytonutrients. Cleanse your system from inside out and don’t rely on deodorants or antiperspirants that have tons of harsh chemicals.
6. Use deodorants that are Aluminum and Zinc Free made with organic aromatic oils and herbal extracts
Sources:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/nutrition/diet-body-odor.htm
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/human-biology/body-odor.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Galvanized-Pipes---Dangerous-For-Your-Health-and-Your-Wallet&id=4581443