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.”
The Stinky Truth Why Corned Beef Makes Your Pee Smell
Ah, corned beef For many, this salty cured meat elicits thoughts of cozy St Patrick’s Day feasts with all the fixings. But some unlucky souls later make a stinky discovery in the bathroom that has them wondering – why does corned beef make your urine smell?
If you’ve eaten corned beef and been taken aback by the powerful aroma coming from the toilet, you’re not alone This phenomenon has both cultural lore and scientific reasoning behind it. Let’s unpack why corned beef can make pee smell and how you can still enjoy this iconic dish.
The Origin Story of Corned Beef
While it has become a Irish-American tradition, corned beef has its roots in Jewish culture. Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe brought brisket curing recipes with them to America in the late 1800s. Brisket was affordable, and corning was an effective preservation method before refrigeration.
In New York City, Jewish delis started serving up salty, pink-hued corned beef piled high on rye bread. Irish immigrants then adopted what became an affordable staple meal. Over time, corned beef and cabbage emerged as an icon of Irish-American cooking despite having little relation to authentic Irish cuisine!
So how does the “corn” in corned beef make pee stinky? Let’s look at what exactly corned beef is.
The Curing Process Behind Corned Beef
Contrary to what the name implies, corned beef contains no actual corn. Rather, the term comes from the “corns” or coarse rock salts used to cure the meat.
To make corned beef, beef brisket or another fatty cut is soaked in a saltwater brine solution. The brine contains rock salts and often saltpeter (potassium nitrate) to preserve the meat and lead to that distinctive pink shade. Spices like peppercorns, bay leaves, and mustard seeds add flavor.
After 3-10 days of curing, the corned beef is simmered until fork tender – then it’s ready for slicing and eating! But all that sodium and spice from the curing process can also affect digestion and urine odor.
Why Your Pee Smells After Eating Corned Beef
Several components of corned beef may contribute to the stench:
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High protein – Beef itself contains lots of protein, which breaks down into odor-causing ammonia during digestion. This ammonia exits via urine.
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Added sodium – Corned beef is extremely salty from the curing brine. Excess sodium leads to highly concentrated, strong smelling pee.
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Spices – Some people don’t digest spices like cloves, mustard, and peppercorns efficiently. These can taint urine smell.
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Nitrates – Saltpeter improves color but may also increase urine odor and change its hue.
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Fat content – More marbled cuts like brisket take longer to digest, allowing more time for smelly bacterial growth.
So with its combination of salt, spices, fat, and protein, it’s easy to see how corned beef can stink up your pee! But not all who eat it will have this reaction.
Your Genes Play a Role
Part of why corned beef affects some pee but not others comes down to genetics. One key is having the enzyme to break down smelly sulfur compounds called mercaptans.
Mercaptans occur naturally during meat protein metabolism and are also found in some spices. If your body lacks the enzyme to break them down, they pass through intact to emerge in urine. Roughly 40% of people lack this crucial enzyme.
Other Foods That Make Pee Smell
While corned beef is a common culprit, other foods can alter your pee’s aroma too:
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Asparagus
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Broccoli
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Cabbage
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Cauliflower
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Coffee
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Fish and seafood
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Garlic
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Onions
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Eggs
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Meat and poultry
Again, it depends whether your body processes the smelly compounds efficiently based on your individual biochemistry. But for some, just a few bites of corned beef makes the bathroom smell like an Irish brewery!
Tips to Reduce Corned Beef Pee Smell
If you want to keep enjoying corned beef without the pee predicament, try these tricks:
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Stay hydrated to dilute urine concentration
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Limit portions – don’t overload your system
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Eat probiotic foods like yogurt, kefir, and kimchi to support digestion
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Choose leaner grass-fed brisket which may be easier to break down
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Take digestive enzymes to help metabolize spices, fat, and protein
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Talk to your doctor about whether medication interactions could play a role
While smelly pee may seem like a deterrent, with some adjustments you can likely still savor corned beef without shame.
When Pee Smell Means See Your Doctor
Temporary urine odor changes after eating certain foods are not necessarily concerning. But if you experience other symptoms like recurrent foul smell, odd coloration, painful urination, or general illness, contact your doctor promptly.
Foul-smelling urine could indicate:
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Urinary tract infection (UTI)
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Type 1 or 2 diabetes
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Kidney problems
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Liver disease
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Prostate issues
Don’t assume corned beef is to blame for lasting urine odor issues. Get checked out to pinpoint what’s causing the smell and treat any underlying condition.
Enjoying Corned Beef Despite the Aftermath
So why does corned beef make your pee smell? A variety of digestive factors are at play. But with smart preparation like hydration and portion control, you can likely prevent unwanted bathroom odors.
Smelly pee may be unpleasant, but try to take it in stride. For most people, it’s a temporary corned beef quirk that fades quickly. Just be sure any persistent odor gets properly evaluated. Then you can confidently dig into corned beef platters at St. Paddy’s Day feasts without dreading the aftermath!
The Reasons Behind Smelly Urine After Consuming Corned Beef
Corned beef contains several components that can lead to smelly urine when digested:
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High protein content – Beef is high in protein, which breaks down into ammonia during digestion and exits the body through urine, causing an odor.
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Added sodium – Corned beef is cured with salt, leading to excess sodium intake. Too much sodium results in concentrated, strong smelling pee.
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Spices – Some people don’t properly digest spices like cloves, mustard, and peppercorns used to flavor corned beef. These compounds can pass into urine.
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Nitrates – Curing salt used to make corned beef contains nitrates that may increase urine odor.
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Fat content – Brisket has a high fat content that takes longer to digest, allowing more time for smelly bacterial overgrowth.
Genetics also play a role. About 40% of people lack the enzyme to break down mercaptans – sulfur compounds in meat and some spices. Without this enzyme, mercaptans enter urine unmodified.
Other foods like asparagus, broccoli, coffee, and eggs can also make urine smelly. But corned beef contains the perfect storm of sodium, nitrates, fat, spices, and protein to cause powerful pee odor in sensitive individuals.
Minimizing Corned Beef Pee Smell
If you want to eat corned beef without the smelly aftermath, try these tips:
- Stay hydrated to dilute urine
- Limit portions to avoid overwhelming your digestive system
- Choose leaner grass-fed brisket which may be easier to process
- Take probiotics and digestive enzymes to improve breakdown of compounds
- Talk to your doctor about medication interactions possibly contributing
When Pee Smell Warrants a Doctor Visit
While corned beef pee smell is normal for some, persistent foul odor, pain with urination, or other symptoms warrant medical evaluation. Smelly urine could indicate:
- Urinary tract infection
- Diabetes
- Kidney problems
- Liver disease
- Prostate abnormalities
Don’t assume corned beef is the culprit. Get checked out to determine what’s causing lasting urine odor changes. Then you can delight in corned beef flavor without dreading the smelly aftermath.
When should you see a doctor?
Now you know what you eat can absolutely change the way your pee smells. It’s likely that you’ll notice a difference in smell if you’ve been eating a lot of the foods on the list above. But if you’re not sure what’s making your pee smell, you should see a doctor or urologist. They can help you figure out if it’s because of one of the above non-diet reasons and get you the treatment you need. It could be the yellow flag your body’s waving to grab your attention.
Hadley says, “It’s best to see your doctor right away if you haven’t changed your diet or taken any medications that could be causing your urine to smell bad.” „This could be a sign of something more serious—especially if you’re not feeling well or your urine is cloudy or bloody along with this. ”.
Dr. Ingber says that people who are pregnant, diabetic, or have an autoimmune disease should see a doctor right away if the smell of their pee changes and they don’t know why. That way, they can run tests to make sure there isn’t an infection or other problem.
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. ”.
Why the Strong Ammonia Odor in My Urine on Keto? Foul Smelling Urine on Ketogenic Diet – Dr.Berg
FAQ
What foods cause strong urine odor?
Why does my urine smell like canned corn?
Does too much protein make urine smell?
Why do cereals make urine smell?
We posed this Question to Glenys Jones from the MRC Human Nutirion Research Unit in Cambridge Glenys – High sugar containing cereals could make urine smell, either because they contain a compound in there when it’s metabolised that has an odour or it could actually be that there’s so much sugar in there, it’s beyond our renal capability.
Can carbonated drinks cause foamy urine?
Scientific evidence suggests that it could be that carbonated drinks cause foamy urine. The mechanisms are not clear. The general recommendation is that you drink more water than any other type of drink.
Does coffee make your urine smell like a cup of Joe?
“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. 5. Cumin
Can food change the smell of urine?
“Foods will change the smell of urine,” Dr. Agarwal says. Asparagus is by far the most famous for doing this, and that’s because sulfur byproducts of the veggie are being eliminated in the urine. Fun fact: Lots of people can’t smell “asparagus pee” because of certain genetic variants that make them unable to detect this odor.