Does the Food You Eat Actually Affect How Your Lady Parts Smell and Taste?

There’s no doubt that we are what we eat to a certain extent. A healthy diet has plenty of benefits, like a manageable weight and a lesser threat of disease, but just how far can we take this concept? One of the most enduring “myth versus fact” arguments is whether food can directly affect the way our vaginas taste and smell.

I’ve personally heard plenty of theories, including the popular “drink pineapples to taste sweeter” and “eat Greek yogurt to avoid infection,” but I’ve read enough Reddit threads and first-person experiments to know that they’re not a sure bet.

MORE: 7 Simple Ways to Keep Your Lady Parts Healthy

So, what’s the verdict? According to Michael Krychman, MD, science says “nah.”

“There is no hardcore scientific data to support the idea that specific foods that a woman eats will affect the taste, smell, or discharge within her vagina.  Most stories of food enhancing vaginal odor are old wives’ tales that do not have a foundation in medical science,” he says. “Should a woman experience malodorous vaginal smells or her partner complain, it would be advisable for her to seek medical care for a proper gynecological evaluation and assessment.”

The causes of vaginal odor (and subsequently, taste) are wide-ranging, but some cannot be identified at home. For instance, STIs, pelvic inflammatory disease, or bacterial vaginosis (an overgrowth of bacteria) can only be properly confirmed through testing in a doctor’s office or clinic. On the other hand, yeast infections can be tested and cured through over-the-counter products and other causes like poor hygiene or a misplaced object, like a tampon, are more obvious discoveries.

MORE: The Best Foods to Alleviate Your Worst Period Symptoms

Krychman also adds, “Douching changes the vaginal microbiome, so it should be avoided. Home remedies are fraught with problems like increasing infections, increasing odors, and causing more symptoms like itchiness and pain. So those should likely be avoided as well.”

So the verdict of this story is that while all the pineapples in the world won’t make you smell or taste like a tropical paradise, upping your healthy food intake is never a bad idea.