8 Natural Foods That Will Increase Your Sex Drive
Natural foods have long had a reputation for being a little dry — as have the folks who love them. Admittedly, organic shops are nowhere near as seductive as the delicatessens. However, healthy eating has a lot in common with another extremely pleasurable area of our life, called sex. To put it in Virginia Woolf’s words, “You cannot think, love, or sleep well if you haven’t eaten well.”
What exactly does that mean? First of all, Pizza is definitely not one of the sexiest foods, and using oysters or chocolate as an aphrodisiac is kind of extremely retro. In fact, it is healthy foods like avocados or oatmeal that secretly trigger a chemical reaction, boost our sex drive and increase our sexual performance. Think of it like natural Viagra. These are the foods that are guaranteed to get you in the mood.
1. Pomegranate
In the Bedouin culture, pomegranate is a symbol of fertility. It is one of the most important libido boosters because it promotes the production of nitrogen oxides in the body, which help open blood vessels and improve circulation. For example, a study conducted by the International Journal of Impotence and the Male Clinic in Beverly Hills demonstrated the positive effects of one glass of pomegranate juice a day on erectile dysfunction.
2. Broccoli
While the veggies aren’t among the sexiest foods, broccoli is a powerful libido booster. “They’re high in vitamin C,” says nutritionist Keri Glassman. “Broccoli promotes blood flow to the organs and increases female libido.”
3. Watermelon
If Beyoncé sings about drinking a cocktail with watermelon juice in her sexy lascivious way in her song Drunk in Love, it could be because of a 2008 report from the Texas A&M Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center that showed that watermelon was an ingredient that have a similar effect to Viagra. This is due to the phytonutrient citrulline in the refreshing fruit, which is converted to arginine in the body and relaxes the blood vessels and thus corresponds to the effect of Viagra.
4. Figs
Amino acids play a very important role in healthy sexual function — they promote the production of nitric oxide in the body — and figs are very high in amino acids. Not only do they boost libido in men and women, but they also improve the elimination of pheromones. So hit it hard the next time you shop and try it out.
5. Asparagus
Phallus-shaped foods, simply because of their shape, qualify for increasing the pleasure of eating. But the asparagus has another advantage: Its consumption stimulates the production of sex hormones. For this reason, the vegetable is also used as a sexual enhancer in some Asian countries.
6. Spinach
Another leafy libido booster: “Spinach is rich in magnesium, a mineral that reduces inflammation in blood vessels and promotes blood circulation, which increases sexual desire and makes sex more intense,” says sex expert Dr. Tammy Nelson “Women will find it easier to orgasm, and men will have no problems getting an erection.”
7. Ginseng
We’re talking pure ginseng, not the crap that is sold to you as ginseng in energy drinks (they’re full of chemicals and sugar — two things that are extremely bad for your libido). Scientists at the University of Hawaii found that women who took a ginseng supplement regularly had a dramatic increase in their libido in a month, and 68 percent of women also said their overall sex life had improved tremendously.
8. Maca
The Peruvian root was used in the Incan culture for more than 2,000 years for a very specific reason: It promises energy, mental clarity and, most importantly, … increased libido. The root not only promotes the sexual function of men and women and increases the sperm count, it also improves endurance in making love.
