There’s still a while to go before carnival, but if you want to show real “vampire symptoms” in line with your costume, a corn porridge diet might be the trick for you. A diet predominantly based on maize makes you susceptible to the deficiency disease pellagra, a vitamin B3 deficiency condition. This causes, among other things, sensitivity to light, insomnia and anxious but also aggressive behaviour. In the 18th century, a time when both maize as a major foodstuff promoted pellagra and the belief in vampires was particularly widespread, there may have been a connection of the two.
But also, garlic — traditionally considered a deterrent for human bloodsuckers — is actually conducive to vampire characteristics. This is because the allicin contained in garlic intensifies the “vampire-like” symptoms of the metabolic disease porphyria: because of impaired haemoglobin synthesis, anaemia and extreme sensitivity to light occur here.