Expert shares a list of food items and drinks that aggravate sweating

Certain food items like onion, garlic, cabbage and drinks like coffee and alcohol are known to increase sweating in humid weather. Mumbai based nutritionist shares a list of food items to avoid the incidence of excessive sweating

As the month of June unfolds, Mumbaikars can be seen sweating buckets. Street hawkers are now sourcing tissues and wet wipes to encash the soaring mercury levels. Come evenings, people gather at the beach in pursuit of a cool breeze. A close look at the weather forecast by the Mumbai Meteorological Department, reveals that temperatures are expected to touch 37 degrees Celsius this month. With humidity levels hovering around 75 percent, it’s time to sweat bullets.

Foods and drinks that aggravate sweating

Can what you eat make you sweat? Nutritionist Tanisha lists down food and drinks that have a thermogenic effect on our body:

Coffee
Drinking coffee is a revitalising act that shakes you up from a morning stupor. However, if you are sensitive to caffeine, it may be doing you more harm than good. When caffeine hits your nervous system, it increases your heart rate which in turn stimulates your adrenal glands. It is a response to increased blood pumping which tends to open up the sweat glands. Thus, causing you to sweat more.

Salty food
Consuming salty food sets a domino effect on the body’s metabolism. When one eats food items heavy on sodium, they send their body into a breakdown mechanism. Here, the digestive system works extra hard to get rid of the sodium through urine and sweat. This, in turn, raises the body temperature and leads to excessive sweating.

Alcohol-based drinks
A glass of wine has several patrons. Seldom do they know that increasing the glass one notch higher causes the body to overheat. When alcohol enters the bloodstream, the blood vessels widen as the heart rate goes up. Dilated blood vessels cause the skin to feel flushed which triggers the sweat glands to open up and lead to excessive sweating.

Spicy food
Food packed with chillies is a lip-smacking experience for many Indians. However, chillies contain a chemical known as capsaicin which imparts the sweat factor. Spicy gravy, Chinese food, and even certain kinds of Marathi food like Misal Pao are rich in capsaicin. This active compound is responsible for the burning sensation in our oesophagus and stomach. It makes our body warmer leading to sweat drops trickling down our noses while we munch on spicy snacks.

Sulfur-rich food
Sulfur has the capacity to impart odour to our sweat. Roll back to chemistry laboratories in school where the pungent smell welcomes you as you enter. This pungent, rotten-egg-like smell came from sulfur. Eating sulfur-rich food can amplify the sweat odour. When it’s released into our body after the food breakdown, it comes out through perspiration. Sulfur-rich foods to avoid:

Onions
Garlic
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Red meat
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

Additionally, stress and anxiety can also lead to excessive sweating triggering the adrenal glands. Certain factors like diet, hormones, or medications can also have an impact on body odour.

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