In 1853, writer Sara Payson Willis Parton coined the phrase “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” It turns out Parton may have been onto something. Many foods can increase sex drive in men and women, but it’s probably due to their nutritional value rather than any magical properties. Foods that naturally boost the immune system and keep you healthy also give you the energy to maintain a healthy sex life and increase libido.
Fruits
There’s a reason why fresh, ripe fruit often plays a role in scenes of seduction: it’s erotic. Whether it’s a plate of plump strawberries, a bowl of juicy red cherries or a banana suggestively peeled and eaten, there’s a sensual quality to fruit. Aside from fruit’s sweet smell and taste or the slick texture in your mouth, it has all the vitamins and minerals necessary to keep your body healthy and increase sex drive. So the next time you and your partner are feeling amorous, try feeding each other a handful of grapes or raspberries. You can even dip your fruit in chocolate, which increases endorphins and gives you that “in love” feeling.
Vegetables
Chris Meletis, N.D., chief medical officer at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, says to increase sex drive, include plenty of complex carbohydrates in your diet. Complex carbohydrates provide calories, fiber, vitamins and minerals–all the nutrients your body needs to perform sexually. Two vegetables touted to increase libido are asparagus and tomatoes. Asparagus contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, fiber, thiamine, folic acid and vitamins A, B6 and C. Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant said to increase sex drive. Other veggies that are said to increase sex drive are celery, avocado, peppers and spinach.
Protein
Protein is one of the three food components essential for cell, muscle and organ maintenance. This enzymatic building block is readily available in meat, fish, eggs and legumes. According to Dr. Elson Haas, author of “Staying Healthy With Nutrition,” everyone needs some protein in their diet. Since too much protein can actually interfere with sexual performance, though, limit it to 20 to 30 percent of your daily calories. Lean chicken, turkey and eggs are excellent sources of protein, as are almonds, beans and pumpkin seeds. Oysters, scallops, lobster and shrimp not only contain protein, but zinc. Zinc is essential for testosterone production in men and women, which helps to increase libido. If you want to add more zing to your sex life, top your meat or fish with garlic. The allicin in garlic increases blood flow to the genitals.
Photo Credit
- banana peal image by SBB from Fotolia.com
