Sweating during a workout, a jog or a game of softball is fine. Sweating while working at your desk, washing dishes or watching television is less common and can be embarrassing. Unsightly sweat stains on your clothes or wet palms when someone wants to shake your hand can make anyone feel uncomfortable. Some simple changes to your diet may help.
Causes
Excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, is caused by an overactive nervous system. The most common sites for excess perspiration are the hands, face and underarms, according to hyperhidrosis.org.
Emotional triggers may bring on an outbreak of heavy sweating, or the episodes can be caused by an endocrine, neurological or spinal disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic.
What to Eat
Try adding watery, cool foods to the diet to lower the internal body temperature. Fruit is a great addition to a diet designed to decrease sweating. Olive oil is also helpful because it is easy for the body to digest, leading the body to work less and, therefore, sweat less. Whole grain products, from bread to pasta, contain B vitamins, which aid the body in digestion.
What to Avoid
Avoid garlic because it contains sulfuric compounds that cause sweat to smell worse than usual. Choose dishes without onions, chili peppers or hot spices as these foods increase the internal body temperature, causing an increase in sweat even in those not prone to excess perspiration, according to Scribd.
To Drink or Not to Drink
Though it may seem counter intuitive, drink lots of water if you want to sweat less. Many hyperhidrosis sufferers avoid water thinking that they will just sweat it out later. However, drinking several glasses of cool water daily will keep your internal body temperature lower. This leads to a decrease in sweat production.
Avoid hot drinks, which can increase body temperature and lead to more sweating to cool you off.
Stay away from coffee, tea, cola or energy drinks. All caffeine-containing products will raise blood pressure, causing the body to work harder and produce more perspiration, according to Hyperhidrosis Web.
See a Doctor
If changes in your diet fail to help the condition, visit your doctor or dermatologist. If a doctor diagnoses you with hyperhidrosis, she can prescribe topical or oral medications. Surgery to remove sweat glands or disable nerve endings are also possibilities, according to the Mayo Clinic.
