Women’s health writer and body image expert Leslie Goldman, MPH, is a regular contributor of feature stories and essays to O: The Oprah Magazine, Health, Natural Health, Glamour, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, espnW.com and more. A frequent guest on the Today Show, her book is Locker Room Diaries: The Naked Truth About Women, Body Image, and Re-imagining the “Perfect” Body. Follow her on Twitter @LeslieGoldman and check out her blog, HealthBreaksLoose.com
Whether it’s garlic bread breath, asparagus pee or post 8K B.O., even the most hygienic among us sometimes experience a bout of smelliness. But sometimes smelling bad can mean good things for your health. Check out what those nasal smoke signals are telling you:
Haunting halitosis Not even the most devoted toothpaste aficionado can escape garlic’s powerful force. You might even sweat it out the next day on the elliptical. But that’s no reason to ditch the stinking rose: Besides adding savory calorie-free flavor to food, garlic’s antioxidants help boost both the immune and cardiovascular systems. So peel, chop and roast away!
Pungent Pee Most of us have detected the eggy post-asparagus odor that results when sulfur-containing compounds are released during digestion. But those vibrant green spears – in season now – are bursting with anti-inflammatory compounds, as well as folate, iron, potassium and vitamins A and C. The vegetable has 8 health benefits, for instance it also acts as a natural detoxer and has impressive anti-aging properties.
God-awful Gas “Beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat ‘em, the more you…?” Don’t fret if your daily dose of garbanzos has you tooting up a storm. One cup of cooked beans provides half of your daily fiber needs; besides keeping your digestive system chugging along, fiber can lower cholesterol and will help keep you fuller, longer. Your gas is simply the result of your body attempting to digest various compounds in the beans. Quiet down your tush by tossing the water you’ve soaked your dried beans in (simply use fresh water before cooking) or rinsing off canned beans.
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