Nutrients in food can be a valuable arsenal when it comes to building healthy bodies. Foods can accomplish a lot - from warding off illness to strengthening bones.
But have you ever stopped to consider what effect food has on your sex life?
Plenty apparently!
Bananas
Enzyme bromelain in banana increases sex drive and reverses impotence in men (also found in pineapple).
The fruit is also rich in potassium and B vitamins, which are essential for production of sex hormones and enhancing the male libido.
Carrots
Associated with stimulation since ancient times, carrots have been used by early Middle Eastern royalty to aid seduction.
High E vitamin and beta-carotene - provide enough justification for a piece of carrot cake.
Chocolate
This is one of the best-known and best-loved aphrodisiacs.
Chocolate contains over 400 different chemicals including caffeine and phenylethylamine (PEA), a chemical that is produced in the brain of people who are in love.
The body also releases serotonin and an array of endorphins which increase your urges, making your body feel more pleasure. This reason apparently got chocolates banned from some monasteries a few centuries ago.
Strawberries
This delicious fruit is an excellent source of vitamin B, which has been linked to high sperm counts in men.
You can actually go one step further and eat them coated in chocolate, to get a load full of libido-boosting compounds too.
Oysters
No aphrodisiac guide can end without mentioning this classic love mussel which has been alluring and seducing our sex drive for centuries.
Research suggests that low sperm count is connected to low zinc levels and oysters are very high in zinc (which is vital to boost testosterone).
Besides oysters also increase dopamine production, a hormone that boosts libido.
Onions
Onions are recommended in both ancient Hindu and Arabic texts as a tool in your lovemaking kit. Egyptian priests were not allowed to eat onions in case the temptation became too great.
In France, it is traditional to serve newly-weds onion soup the morning after their wedding night to restore their libido. Why?
That’s because onions increase testosterone levels in the body and help in increasing sexual stamina, besides helping increase sperm count naturally.
Nuts
Cashews and almonds are full of zinc, whilst walnuts are high in omega-3.
All these help with sexual response by raising dopamine levels in the brain that trigger arousal.
Chillies
Chillies heat up your sex life due to a substance called capsaicin - the substance that gives kick to peppers and other spicy foods.
Capsaicin stimulates nerve endings to release chemicals, raising the heart rate and triggering the release of endorphins, giving a natural high.
Celery
For a long time, people believed that celery's aphrodisiac properties were a myth.
Today research tells us that it contains androsterone, a hormone naturally produced in males that stimulates sexual arousal in females.
Apples
An apple a day not just keeps the doctor away, but it could improve your love life too.
Apples (along with berries, cherries, onions, and dark-colored grapes) are rich in quercetin, which boosts circulation and improves endurance.
Honey
Ever wonder about the term ‘Honeymoon’? It is derived from the ancient custom that for the first lunar month after marriage a newly married couple would drink mead (honey wine). That’s because honey does more than just sweeten your tea.
The B-vitamins in it promote the production of both estrogen and testosterone, both important for optimum sexual health.
Long Pepper (Pippali)
Valued for its medicinal applications, long pepper is the most extensively used plant in Ayurveda even today. It is valued highly for its aphrodisiac properties.
Wondering how to eat it? Just spice up your rasam or a pickle with the long pepper.
Spinach
Remember Popeye and his obsession for spinach? Well, spinach is high in arginine.
When this amino acid hits your system, it converts to nitric oxide that helps initiate and maintain erections. It is also loaded with another essential vitamin (for sex), vitamin E.
Watermelon
This is possibly the least expected food to hit this list.
But it works, as the nutrient citrulline found in this fruit converts into L-arginine in the body and has a Viagra-like effect - it boosts nitric oxide which increases blood flow to the penis, in the process, strengthening erections.
Oats
Not many know the connection between cholesterol levels and sex life: better the cholesterol level, better the erection.
Oats help here as they too contain L-arginine, that treats erectile dysfunction, and also fibre that helps mop out cholesterol from the body, which is a common culprit that clogs the narrows arteries surrounding the genital area and impairs blood flow.
(The writer is a nutritionist, weight management consultant and health writer based in Delhi. She is the author of Don't Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People (Jaico) and Ultimate Grandmother Hacks: 50 Kickass Traditional Habits for a Fitter You (Rupa).)
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