Exactly What To Eat To Ramp Up Your Sex Drive
Suffering from a low sex drive? Try changing up your diet. What you eat can boost your libido, improve your stamina, and enhance your performance in the sheets.
For centuries, various foods have been considered aphrodisiacs. Some gain that reputation simply because they remind us of parts of the anatomy (bananas, avocado, peaches, and the infamous oyster). Spicy foods such as hot peppers cause sweating, increased heart rate, and sensations normally associated with getting it on. By virtue of their procreation status, reproductive foods and organs like fish roe, eggs, and animal genitals were believed to increase sexual desire and potency. Then there are some dishes containing vanilla or licorice that give off pleasing aromas that put us in the mood for sex.
So, maybe the answer to your bedroom woes can be found on your plate.
Foods that make you feel frisky.
Aphrodisiac foods are certainly the stuff of myth, folklore, and legend. But what does science say? As it turns out—a lot! There are several scientifically validated foods and nutrients that can indeed rejuvenate libido:
Throughout history, aphrodisiac traits have been attributed to chocolate. Turns out, there’s solid truth behind this belief. This divine and luscious-tasting food is packed with flavonoids, beneficial plant compounds that, among other benefits, activate nitric oxide (NO) in the body. NO dilates blood vessels, including those in the penis. Translation: firmer erections.
Chocolate also contains a substance called phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural amphetamine manufactured by the brain in response to the feeling of love. And PEA is believed to be responsible for that hormonal rush during sex. No wonder the Aztec ruler Montezuma supposedly swilled 50 cups of chocolate liqueur every day before heading off to his harem!
Indulging in a little chocolate won’t mess up your diet either. If you find yourself craving something sweet, enjoy a piece of dark chocolate, with a content of 75% or more cacao (the seeds of the cocoa plant from which chocolate is made). Incidentally, the cocoa plant is endowed with more health-saving antioxidants than most foods, a 2011 review concluded.
And speaking of PEA, cheese can contain up to 10 times more PEA than chocolate, making it easier to get the mood-boosting effect in a slice or two. Grilled cheese sandwich, anyone? Other foods with good PEA concentration are natto, eggs, and legumes.
Here’s a fruit that looks like female genitalia, and thus, believed by ancient civilizations to stimulate sexual desire—and it actually does. That’s because it is rich in the antioxidant glutathione, required to make sex hormones. This antioxidant also protects every cell, tissue, and organ in your body—and slows down aging. Other foods high in this cell-regenerating nutrient are spinach and the cruciferous family of vegetables (think broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts) and mushrooms.
This sweet root vegetable is often called the Peruvian Viagra because in South America it’s commonly used to boost fertility. Grown predominantly in the mountains of central Peru, maca is a member of the cruciferous family that includes broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage. There is plenty of research on maca, supporting both its libido-enhancing effects, as well as its ability to improve infertility. One study observed that taking maca improved erectile dysfunction; another found that treatment with maca improved sexual desire. Researchers have also found that maca improves semen quality—which leads to better fertility.
Maca powder is easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Enjoy it in smoothies and shakes, with tea, or dissolved in a glass of water.
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