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Why Does Asparagus Make Your Pee Smell?: Fascinating Food Trivia Explained with Science

Andy Brunning

4.33 · Rating details · 39 ratings · 7 reviews

FOOD QUESTIONS ANSWERED WITH COLORFUL GRAPHICS AND FUN, EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS

Have you ever wondered...

• Why bacon smells so good?
• Why onions make you cry?
• If eating turkey makes you sleepy?
• If mixing drinks makes a hangover worse?
• How energy drinks work?
• Why chocolate is poisonous to dogs?
• Why coffee makes you more wired than tea?
• Why cilantro t ...more

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Paperback, 128 pages

Published May 10th 2016 by Ulysses Press (first published March 15th 2016)

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· 39 ratings · 7 reviews

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Jul 12, 2016 Norm Goldman rated it really liked it

Have you ever wondered why when you eat asparagus that your pee smells? Why do some people including myself hate to eat Brussels Sprouts? And unless you are used to drinking coffee without sugar, why does it taste bitter? Does garlic give you bad breath? What causes fish to smell or blue cheese to smell so strong? What is the reason why you cannot eat grapefruit with some medications? How do energy drinks work? Why is chocolate poisonous to dogs? These are a few samples of some of the questions Have you ever wondered why when you eat asparagus that your pee smells? Why do some people including myself hate to eat Brussels Sprouts? And unless you are used to drinking coffee without sugar, why does it taste bitter? Does garlic give you bad breath? What causes fish to smell or blue cheese to smell so strong? What is the reason why you cannot eat grapefruit with some medications? How do energy drinks work? Why is chocolate poisonous to dogs? These are a few samples of some of the questions and topics included in Andy Brunning's Why Does Asparagus Make Your Pee Smell: Fascinating Food Trivia Explained with Science.

Brunning is a graduate chemist and school teacher and is passionate about making chemistry exciting and interesting. He is the creator of the Compound Interest blog that examines the chemical reactions we experience on a daily basis. In the introduction to the book, Brunning states “the aim of the book is to look at the quirky and sometimes downright weird properties that food and drink can exhibit, and explain in simple terms the chemistry that leads to them.” Consequently, he has divided his book into eight sections: Flavor, Aroma, Color, Poison, Sensation, Mind, Health, and Transformation.

For most of us organic chemistry might seem like a complex subject to broach, however, Brunning, who talks primarily about this branch of science in the book, succeeds in the opening pages in explaining the basics in terms that the layman will understand. And as he points out, chemical compounds with their wide range of different properties play an important role in the different effects of the foods we eat and drink as they are responsible for the flavor and aroma of the foods we eat and drink on a daily basis.

After the brief introduction, Brunning moves on to answer the most common questions pertaining to food and drink that many of us have wondered about. For example, did you know that a distaste for Brussels Sprouts has a neat genetic explanation to it? That the belief that carrots can help you see in the dark is a myth and we can trace its roots in British propaganda from World War II.

Have you ever eaten beets and were horrified when your urine turned red? As it turns out beets can cause “beeturia,” or a red coloration to the urine after ingestion. However, this is something that is not universal that affects everyone. And if you are still wondering about asparagus and why it makes your pee smell, which is the title of the book, Brunning informs us that the chemicals that cause the effect are all suspected to stem from just one chemical compound, asparagusic acid, which is only naturally found in asparagus.

Brunning's book is highly informative, well researched, and ideal for showing off your knowledge at dinner parties. My only complaint is that the print is quite small and some of the explanations are a trifle complicated to understand.

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Jul 29, 2018 Codepoetz rated it liked it

If you enjoy food trivia, you'll love this book. The book presents the complex food science in fairly easy to understand terms, but you'll need more than a passing knowledge of organic chemistry to get the most out of this book. Here are a couple of the most interesting facts that I learned: raw kidney beans are surprisingly poisonous; the popular myth that carrots improve your eyesight came from a British disinformation campaign during World War II to disguise the development of radar systems. ...more

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Jul 04, 2019 Kateřina Schejbalová rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Opět velice poučné kniha ze které se dozvíme zda jsou pravdivé některé pověry o jídle a jeho uchovávání či nakládání s ním.
Například zda je skutečně glutaman tak škodlivý jak se o něm tvrdí, nebo proč dávat či nedávat čokoládu do ledničky a spoustu dalších užitečných mých věcí.

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May 24, 2020 Victoria rated it really liked it

Using organic chemistry, many interesting questions about food are answered. A very informative and interesting presentation.

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Jun 03, 2016 Dennis De Rose rated it it was amazing

If you love science and or you have an inquisitive mind (I guess I fit the bill because I always tell people my first word was WHY), you'll enjoy reading WHY DOES ASPARAGUS MAKE YOUR PEE SMELL? written by ANDY BRUNNING. Andy is a Chemistry teacher in the UK and the owner of the site, COMPOUND INTEREST. The cover of Asparagus is quite eye-catching along with the bright illustration inside it.Andy seems like a very thorough guy with a keen mind. Each article also includes graphs, diagrams and the ...more

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Jun 06, 2016 Erinn Hill rated it really liked it

*I received this book for free through the Goodreads giveaways.*

This book was a really fun read! It is full of interesting information about common foods, and it is both thorough with its scientific explanations and also relatively easy to understand. It also has some helpful and appealing info-graphics that compliment the text.

I recommend to everyone, even if you don't usually read up on food science. ...more

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Emilia rated it really liked it
Feb 27, 2017

Dennis rated it really liked it
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Sep 14, 2017

Apr 06, 2017 Joe Kearney rated it really liked it · review of another edition

At first I thought it was going to be a kids book, but I still though I could learn a few interesting things. It turned out to have some pretty intense scientific information.
I ended up learning quite a few things, but the one that is going to stick with me FOREVER! is that guacamole roughly translates to "testicle soup"