Aside from the obvious innuendos, do foods have any influence on your sex life? To answer this, we only have to remember that nutrients make the body function, and sex is a function of the mind and body. That means what you eat affects your sex life, sex drive, sexual performance and sexual health.

Here are 8 interesting foods to think about:

1. Gluten Foods. Women with gluten and food intolerances may suffer from miscarriages until they change their diets.
2. Garlic can put a damper on the way you smell to your mate. It pours out of your pores when things heat up.
3. Blood Dilators. Some foods and herbs dilate blood vessels, which aids in erectile function. These include ginseng, hawthorn berry, kudzu.
4. Grape skins contain the antioxidant resveratrol, the closest thing we have to an actual aphrodisiac. It increases estrogen production, say Northwestern University researchers, and that heightens sexual appetite and makes lubrication easier for her later in the evening.1
5. Spinach is a potent source of magnesium, which helps dilate blood vessels, ensuring the smooth bloodflow that’s crucial for strong erections, according to Japanese researchers
6. Chocolates on your pillow. “Chocolate contains phenylalanine, an amino acid that raises the body’s endorphins, our natural antidepressants. Enjoyed in moderation, a few morsels can lift libido, providing a tantalizing prelude to sex.”2
7. Vitamin B Foods (brown rice, rice bran, etc.): B vitamins, including niacin and B-5 (found within vitamin B-rich foods), can help men and women reach orgasm and improve sexual stamina.
8. Fish Oils. “Omega-3 makes your nervous system function better,” says Dr. Barbara Bartlik, assistant professor of psychiatry and sex therapist with the Human Sexuality Program at Weill Cornell Medical Center. “Sex is really about circuitry.”3

Junk food, by the way, is bad stuff when it comes to your sex life. It contains all kinds of artificial ingredients, sugars and altered fats which all play a part in interfering with nerve transmission, blood flow, hormonal health, moods, emotions, sex drive, potency and respiration.

Sources:

1. Men’s Health, “Have Sex for Dessert,” menshealth.com, 2008
2. Painter, Amy, “Eat for Enhanced Sexual Pleasure: The Erotic Power of Food,” health.discovery.com
3. Recipe for better sex: What to eat to add spice, Forbes, msnbc.com, 2008

Enjoy this Article? Get More in our Weekly Newsletter

Sign up to receive Weekly Health Tips + Special Product Offers - FREE!
PLUS, Get a Coupon for $5 OFF at our Online Store just for signing up!

Want to see some of our past newsletters before signing up? Click here.