We pee between 4 and 10 times every day, and that’s normal. Peeing is how our body gets rid of harmful compounds collected by our kidneys. It also helps you regulate your hydration levels.
The thing with pee is that it can smell a bit funky, and that’s not nice at all. Here are seven foods that make your pee smell, and if that’s good or bad for you.
Asparagus
This is the best-known pee-smelling food out there, but it’s certainly not the only one. Asparagusic acid produces foul-smelling sulfur compounds, but don’t worry; they’re not harmful — they’re similar to the scents you find in overcooked Brussels sprouts. Contrary to common belief, not everyone experiences funny-smelling pee after eating asparagus. If you do, you’ll probably experience it about half an hour after eating the stuff, and it can last for up to seven hours!
Alcohol
Consuming excess alcohol makes you pee often, and that’s because your body is desperately trying to dilute the alcohol in your bloodstream by releasing all its water reserves. Alcohol can also make pee smell bad, mainly if you drink stronger spirits. Yes, you might literally pee some alcohol if your body didn’t have time to process it. The next time you’re out for a drink, try not overdoing it for healthier-smelling pee and many other health reasons.
Coffee
Like many other diuretics, coffee makes your cells expel their water reserves, dehydrating a little in the process. All this excess water is immediately eliminated as pee, and it carries all the impurities in your bloodstream, including concentrated uric acid and vitamins. Yes, vitamins are smelly! Especially those in the B-complex. Drinking too much coffee will make your pee smell intense, but eventually, it will just be water. Abusing any diuretic might subsequently cause more severe health problems like kidney stones.
Garlic
Garlic will make your breath and even your sweat smell garlicky, and that goes for your pee, too. Your body does not entirely absorb the compound methyl mercaptan, so it just eliminates it in pee. You must eat lots of garlic to have garlicky pee, though, and what would life be without the aromatic bulb? If you kind of smell like garlic, you’re overdoing it; that doesn’t mean you have to eliminate it from your diet, though.
Bananas
As we mentioned above, some vitamins are pretty smelly, particularly vitamin B6, which is, by the way, super healthy for you. Well, food high in vitamin B6 can make your pee smell funky. The thing with vitamins is that your body will never absorb more than it needs — which is partially why there’s no point in taking vitamin supplements. Well, if your body has enough vitamin B, it will pee the rest, and you can smell it.
Fish
Fish is fantastic for a balanced, healthy diet, especially oily fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and swordfish. The thing with these nutrient-rich foods is that they contain lots of vitamins — and although there’s nothing wrong with that, just like with bananas, once your body gets all the vitamins it needs, it will discard the rest, and they make your pee smell quite intense! Salmon is one of the most common causes of smelly pee, especially if you’re already taking vitamin B supplements.
Cumin
Cumin and other strong-smelling spices stay in your system for a long time, and they can even change your body odor, and that includes your pee smell. Curry, fenugreek, cumin and to some extent cinnamon contain intensely aromatic compounds, and they’re not always fully processed by your body — if that’s the case, your body will simply discard them, giving your pee a unique smell that’s not always pleasant.
There’s Probably Nothing Wrong with You
If your pee smells off, don’t worry, there’s probably nothing wrong with you. See if by changing your eating habits, the problem goes away. If your pee is not only smelly but really concentrated, you might be dehydrated, and if something is off, like experiencing pain while peeing, you might have an infection or an obstruction. And although this all sounds awful, they all have an easy fix, so talk to your doctor — and drink lots of water because he’ll probably need a sample!
