Feed Your Libido

This is a PSA for those who’ve been left feeling anything but horny. Your heart desires it, but your body simply won’t respond! Luckily, certain everyday foods may be able to help. Often underestimated, these foods can serve as medicine. Below are just a handful of food items that are known to have a positive effect on libido and sexual function.

1. Watermelon

This summer favorite is refreshing out in the sun and, it turns out, in the bedroom! This fruit's high water content makes it very hydrating which we all know by now is very important for every bodily process. Turns out watermelon is also abundant in potassium. Potassium is helpful for blood flow, and good blood flow is critical for arousal in our sex organs.

2. Chocolate

Our infatuation with chocolate as a gateway drug to romance goes beyond legend or myth and has its roots in hardcore science. Chemically speaking, chocolate contains a substance known as phenylethylamine (I know- say that five times fast…) This chemical increases feel good hormones known as endorphins within our body. A Hershey bar won’t do it. Go for the dark chocolate option, and be sure it contains 70-80% cocoa.

3. Oysters

Oysters are high in zinc which increases blood flow to our the reproductive organs and also combats low testosterone, a sex hormone. Now I know oysters aren’t for everyone (aka me), so go ahead and indulge in some pumpkin seeds, they’re rich in zinc as well (and hopefully more palatable).

4.Beets

These deep reddish, purplish, bulbous shaped root vegetables are abundant in nitrates which, in the body, are vasodilators or, a fancy way of saying that the nitrates cause our blood vessels to open wide. When this happens, blood flow increases (which, if you’ve been paying attention, is a good thing for our libido and sexual function). Other vegetables high in nitrates include: spinach, arugula, celery, and radish.

5.Cayenne or Chili Peppers

If you can handle the heat, then try adding some potency to your next meal with Cayenne or Chili Pepper for some help in the bedroom. Both contain a chemical called capsaicin. Capsaicin has been discovered to have a whole host of health benefits, one of them being an upregulation on our endorphins.

Odds are you (or a friend) have at least one of these items in your pantry right this moment. If not, a trip to the grocery store may be in order. Let’s use food to fuel our libido!

Sources:

The Sun. "Eat These Foods to Give Your Sex Drive a Boost." New York Post. January 30, 2018. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://nypost.com/2018/01/29/eat-these-foods-to-...

Herr, Laurie. "7 Foods for Better Sex-Plus a Few to Avoid." EatingWell. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/290371/7-foods...

Roth, Erica. "Top Foods to Enhance Your Sex Life." Healthline. August 13, 2020. Accessed January 14, 2022. https://www.healthline.com/health/7-foods-enhance...