What you eat every day has a big effect on how you feel and how you smell. In fact, the phrase “you are what you eat” is especially accurate when it comes to your pee. But what foods make your pee smell? Are there other reasons why your urine smells bad that you should know about?
If your pee smells like sulfur, fish, fruit, or like you just opened a bag of popcorn, read on to find out why it might make you go “pee-ew.”
You bite into a piece of tasty teriyaki beef jerky, then sometime later notice your urine has taken on a similar smoky, meaty aroma. Strange as it seems, this phenomenon is not entirely uncommon after eating cured or processed meats. What causes this odd connection between food and pee smell? Let’s break down the science behind it.
Foods Can Directly Influence Urine Odor
The foods we eat, especially strong-smelling ones can directly impact the way our urine smells as the byproducts of those foods get passed through our kidneys into urine. Scientists have identified close to 300 different compounds that can be detected in urine!
So it’s no surprise that the breakdown of beef jerky would contain some aromatic compounds that make their presence known. Asparagus is perhaps the best known example but meat products also contain organic sulfur components that we excrete.
Amino Acids Play a Key Role
Specific amino acids abundant in beef jerky appear central to its ability to alter urine odor. Cysteine and methionine contain sulfur, which gives urine sulfur notes after metabolizing jerky. An amino acid called tryptophan also can contribute more aromatic or meaty elements.
Interestingly, genetic differences mean some people produce more of these signature smells than others when they eat certain foods!
Preservatives May Intensify the Scent
Sodium nitrite is a preservative commonly used to cure meat and give beef jerky its characteristic flavor. When our bodies process nitrites, they can be converted into pungent smelling nitrogen compounds excreted in urine, perhaps amping up the jerky-like aroma.
Dehydration Makes Smells Stronger
Because beef jerky is dried, it takes a lot of fluids to digest and absorb its high protein content. This dehydration concentrates urine, making meaty smells more pronounced. Drinking more water is recommended after eating very salty, dried foods to aid digestion and dilute the urine.
Other Factors Can Contribute
While diet and dehydration are the main reasons for unpleasant urine smells, other conditions like diabetes and metabolic disorders are also possible causes if the smells persist.
Bacteria or infections in the kidneys or urinary tracts may produce a foul ammonia-like odor as well, so it’s wise to see a doctor if concerned.
The Reaction Varies Widely
The smelly urine reaction after eating dried or cured meat products occurs in some people but not others. Just like only certain genes make asparagus-related odors detectable, genetics around sulfur compound production plays a role too.
Up to 40% of people may be “odor-blind” to smelly urine after eating culprit foods!
It’s Temporary and Harmless
Luckily, the beef jerky pee smell situation is temporary, harmless, and nothing to be alarmed about. The aromatic compounds responsible get flushed from the body within hours.
Unless accompanied by pain or illness, it simply comes down to your individual metabolism and sensitivity. Staying hydrated, particularly when eating highly processed meats, can help.
Other Culprit Foods to Watch For
While beef jerky is one of the biggest offenders, other high-protein, dried meats may also lead to this smelly side effect for some. Watch for these too:
- Salami or pepperoni
- Dried sausages
- Turkey jerky
- Pork rinds
- Canned fish or meats
Tips to Lessen the Effect
If you want to keep enjoying your favorite jerky but not the smell aftermath, here are a few tips:
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Drink more fluids before and after eating to dilute urine.
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Opt for low-sodium, preservative-free jerky when possible.
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Consider taking probiotic supplements to support digestion.
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Avoid jerky in the evenings to prevent smells while sleeping.
When to See a Doctor
While diet and mild dehydration generally cause urine odor, foul persistent smells can indicate:
- Urinary tract infection
- Kidney problems
- Diabetes
- Liver disease
See a doctor if you have additional symptoms like frequent urination, pain, or exhaustion along with foul urine odors. This requires professional diagnosis.
So while beef jerky pee may be unpleasant, it’s rarely indicative of deeper trouble. Understanding the chemical culprits along with staying hydrated can help minimize the smells. With precautions, you can still enjoy an occasional jerky snack without shame!
What foods make your pee smell? 8 lesser-known culprits of strong-smelling urine
Asking yourself, “Why does my pee smell?” It could be the Brussels sprouts wings you ate last night. In the process of digesting the vegetable, your body releases methyl mercaptan, a gas that is known to make urine smell bad.
Onions make you cry… and they also make your urine stinky. Like Brussels sprouts, methyl mercaptan occurs naturally in the vegetable. Along with causing strong-smelling urine, the gas is also responsible for bad breath.
If your urine smells fishy, it could be due to trimethylaminuria or “fish odor syndrome”—a rare condition that prevents someone from properly breaking down the compound trimethylamine. Because of that, the compound builds up and exits the body via sweat, breath, and urine. The reason urine smells fishy is generally from eating the following foods: animal products (such as milk, eggs, meat, and seafood), certain plant-based foods (like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, beans, and peanuts), soy products, and fish oil supplements.
Unfortunately, there’s currently no cure for trimethylaminuria. With that being said, making some changes to your daily routine can help. According to the Cleveland Clinic, you can speak with a doctor to find a treatment for fishy-smelling urine that will likely involve changes to your diet and hygiene (and potentially taking medication) to make the odor less noticeable.
When you drink coffee, the result can be a coffee-like smell when you go to the bathroom—which, luckily, isn’t nearly as unpleasant as when your urine smells fishy. “When your body breaks down the compounds in coffee, the byproducts are filtered out through the kidneys and can make your urine smell like your morning cup of joe,” says Kaytee Hadley, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian based in Richmond, Virginia. It also serves as a great reminder that you might want to cut back on the Starbucks a bit.
If your urine smells like sulfur, curry could be to blame. The spice is certainly comforting—especially during the colder months—but it might come at a cost. Cumin, one of its prime ingredients, contains sulfur compounds and may cause your pee to stink.
Since onions and garlic are both very strong-smelling, it makes sense that they both make your urine smell like sulfur. Kroplin previously told Well Good that plants in the allium family have a lot of sulfur-containing compounds that can get into our bodies through our pores, bloodstream, and urine. These compounds can cause bad breath and, when mixed with bacteria in our sweat, make our bodies smell bad. (Like other foods high in sulfur, they can also make your poop smell. But there are many good things about dealing with the smell, such as garlic’s ability to fight inflammation, cancer, and keep your liver healthy.
Watch the video below to learn about the health benefits of garlic:
After having too many margaritas, the most important thing for your body is to get rid of all the alcohol. Clinical psychologist John Mayer, PhD, says this is because “the liver can only break down about 12 ounces of beer an hour, so the body treats alcohol like a poison.” The rest leaves your body through oxidation, a process that breaks down the alcohol’s toxins and gets rid of them through your breath, sweat, and, you guessed it, urine.
Unfortunately, the more alcohol someone drinks, the smellier their pee will be. As the person’s alcohol level rises from the night before, their body will go through more alcohol oxidation, which means more diacetic acid that makes them smell bad. Mayer previously told Well+Good.
Phew! Not all foods produce foul-smelling pee. One that actually makes your urine smell good is pineapple. When you eat the high-sugar fruit, sometimes your body fluids start smelling sweet, too. That includes vagina smells and tastes, as experts say some people claim pineapple makes you, umm, “sweeter. ”.
Can what you eat affect the smell of urine?
That being said, what makes your urine smell bad? Your diet is the main cause. Some foods make urine smell worse than others. Asparagus is one of the most well-known. But why exactly does asparagus make your pee smell? Its strong smell comes from the high amount of asparagusic acid it contains.
“Asparagus is considered to be a natural diuretic supporting the kidneys and bladder. When your body naturally breaks down the sulfuric compounds in asparagus, such as asparagusic acid, it can make your urine smell like asparagus. Jenny Beth Kroplin, RD, a registered dietitian and wellness expert from Nashville, told Well Good Researchers have found that methanethiol and S-methyl thioester, two natural chemicals found in asparagus, can give urine the sulfurous asparagus smell when they are broken down. ”.
You may be curious about what other foods make your pee smell like asparagus now that you know why it does that. While not everyone will have smelly pee after eating these foods, they are some of the less well-known ones that can make urine smell bad.
9 Causes of Smelly Urine | How to Fix Urine Odor | #DeepDives
FAQ
What does unhealthy urine smell like?
What does diabetes pee smell like?
Why do I smell like beef jerky?
What smell is urine when your kidneys are failing?
Why does my urine smell like beef flavor instant noodle soup?
Why my urine smells like beef flavor instant noodle soup? i only ate curry, pizza , some vegetables , drank a cup of pure black coffee and some water? Toxin Removal: Unwanted chemicals and toxins are removed from the body in the urine, as well as from the skin and lungs. The odor is a reflection of what you have be Read More
Why does my pee smell fishy?
If Your Pee Smells Fishy You might have an infection. Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can affect people of any sex. People assigned male at birth often have no symptoms, but those assigned female can have a fishy-smelling vaginal discharge.
Why does my pee smell strong?
If Your Pee Smells Strong It could be dehydration, or maybe it’s the supplement you’re taking. As we noted before, your pee is more concentrated when you’re dehydrated, so it has that strong pee smell. Another cause behind that smell, though, can be B-6 vitamins, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Why does my urine smell sweet?
If You Have Sweet-Smelling Urine It might be an infection, or it could be diabetes. Some patients who have UTIs actually describe the smell of their urine as sweet, Dr. Agarwal says. More commonly, this might be a sign of diabetes. If you have uncontrolled diabetes, sugar is being eliminated in your urine, which can add a sweet smell.