8 Foods That Boost Libido And the 8 Foods That Kill It

 

If you’ve been feeling a bit too tired lately and have no desire for sex whatsoever, it’s very likely that your libido has taken a hit and needs to be boosted. In this article, we have compiled a list of foods you can add to your diet which will give a powerful boost to your libido and make you feel like a teenager again. Well, not exactly like a teenager, but you get our point! So, here are the 8 foods that will increase your sex drive and additional 8 that will reduce it:

Black raspberries

Black raspberries as well as the seeds in them will change your mindset and will instantly get you in the mood, which is why you should eat at least a handful every day in order to make you more creative underneath the sheets. They are rich in phytochemicals which increase both your libido and overall sexual endurance. Eat at least 10 per day or take a tablespoon of raspberry seeds a couple of hours before having sex.

Broccoli

You can eat them in any form, either raw, cooked or sautéed. Just add them to a salad or eat them on the side with your steak. Broccoli has a high content of vitamin C which improves the blood circulation to your organs and has been suggested to improve the libido in women. If you were already planning on adding a vegetable in your dinner, but wondering which one, when it comes to your libido, broccoli is your best choice.

Cloves

Similar to broccoli, this super-food can be cooked in many forms, like you can brew it in hot apple cider, add it your favorite delicacy or add in your tea. And always make sure that your partner drinks it too. It’s been a century-long medicament for male sexual issues in India. Recent research has confirmed this by concluding that clove extract significantly increased the libido of male lab rats. They can also be used as a way to get rid of foul mouth odor, which can help you in those early phases of the courting process too. In Mexican food, for example, you can add powdered cloves, as well as some cinnamon and cumin. This adds up to a delicious aphrodisiac.

 Dark Chocolate

Chocolate increases both serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain, making us happy and lowering our stress level—both "mood" boosters if you know what we mean. Another theory is that cocoa increases blood flow through the arteries and relaxes blood vessels—sending blood to all the right regions. Whatever the reason, chocolate is never a bad thing.

Peppers

The hotter they are, the better. Hot peppers increase your metabolism and stimulate endorphins, making you sweat, plumping your lips, and speeding up your heart rate. That gets the blood flowing to all the essential areas. The net result? Better sex and a more memorable finale. (If you're planning on handling habañeros, however, make sure that you wash your hands before getting near sensitive body parts.)

Giner

If you like your food like you like your lovers—sweet and spicy—you're in luck. Ginger is another food that can improve your sex life by aiding blood flow and improving artery health. According to a study in the International Journal of Cardiology, consuming a mere teaspoon of the stuff a few times a week is all you need to reap the heart-healthy benefits. So go ahead and place that second order of sushi this week—just don't leave the ginger on your plate.

Figs

If you want to become irresistible to your partner, there is this miraculous food that will make you a love-making machine. You guessed it, figs! Figs are known to be a powerful stimulant of fertility and can increase the release of pheromones. Try a handful before making love and witness their potential. Figs are also known to increase the testosterone production in men.

Saffron

Even though it’s a bit expensive, saffron is a great spice, both literally and figuratively for your belly and your sex life. Scientists have found out that saffron has the potential to improve your sexual performance. It is recommended that you soak the threads in a warm liquid for about 20 minutes and then add them in rice, barley or quinoa, or just add it in a stew or a soup.

The libido killers:

Processed Foods

Processing removes most of the nutrients in whole foods, including ones that are important to your desire for hanky panky. For example: When whole wheat is processed into white flour, it loses about three-quarters of its zinc, a mineral essential to men's sexuality and reproduction. Eating refined grains can lead to insulin resistance, the last stop before diabetes. Diabetes can in turn can accelerate narrowing of the arteries, increasing your risks of heart disease.

Diet Soda

Drinking soda on the reg is a terrible idea and, for a slew of other reasons we touch upon on this website, that goes for diet soda too. Artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame, directly affect your serotonin levels. Serotonin is a vital hormone in fostering a sense of well-being or happiness. Low serotonin, say researchers, is associated with lower libido in both men and women. Can't imagine giving up your favorite diet soda?

Shrimp

According to the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program, the average person is exposed to 10 to 13 different pesticides every day. Nine of the 10 most commonly used pesticides are “endocrine disruptors,” meaning they play with our male/female hormones. One of the most estrogenic is 4-hexyl resorcinol, which is applied to shrimp to prevent them from discoloration. Other seafood with high pesticide loads: tilapia, eel, and farmed salmon. While these are the kinds of foods you should buy organic no matter what.

But Especially Beer

What’s more manly than pounding a couple of frosty brewskis? Actually, quite a lot, once you consider that beer could be to blame for a lack of pep between the sheets. While all alcohol affects the liver’s ability to get rid of excess estrogen, phytoestrogens -- plant-derived estrogens that monkey with the fertility of the mammals that consume them -- are present in the hops used to make beer. What’s more, severe drinking can cause liver damage, and because the liver is largely responsible for metabolizing hormones, a less-than-efficient one can convert androgens into estrogens, resulting in a diminished sex drive.

Oysters

Oysters have often been lauded as powerful aphrodisiacs, but that is not the case at all. They do have a high content of zinc, a mineral essential to the creation of many hormones, but they can also be a very toxic and unhealthy food. Along with other shellfish, they can absorb various toxins and all kind of parasites found in the ocean, which in many cases outweighs the zinc benefits. That’s why you should avoid them and opt for some spinach to get a meal low in calories and high in zinc.

 Refined baked goods

Why, you ask? Because they are filled with sugar which literally kills your sex drive. Baked goods have saturated trans-fats which have a negative impact on our cells, along with the immune system. These treats loaded with sugar surround the body’s cells, preventing any essential food glucose from entering the cell, keeping it the bloodstream, thus increasing blood sugar levels and reducing the libido. The fats contained within also clog the ventricles, decreasing the oxygen supply to the sexual organs and preventing the spleen from creating a sufficient amount of leukocytes (white blood cells), which makes the formation of sperm and eggs difficult.

Dairy products

Those that are addicted to cream cheese or ice cream may need to reconsider their choices and substitute them with a lactose-free alternative every now and then. It’s been found that the lactic acid found in dairy products as well as the elements that destroy oxygen can really diminish the libido to extremely low levels, which means restricting dairy products to maximum 3 times a week. One shouldn’t neglect dairy’s most beneficial mineral: calcium.

It is tightly related to the cell’s health as well as your overall sexual health. Healthy cells increase the sensitivity for an improved circulation to the genitalia, which results in enhanced sexual pleasure. That’s why you need to drink more soy milk, eat leafy vegetables, sprouted beans, broccoli, cabbage, which are all rich in calcium.

Edamame

If date night regularly includes sushi, order your appetizer wisely! Another name for edamame is soybeans. And, well, 91 percent of soybeans are genetically engineered in the US, according to The Center for Food Safety. High levels of soy in a woman’s body can decrease sex hormones and disrupt her ovarian function, said a study in the Journal of Nutrition. And just a half serving of soy per day was enough to slash sperm count by 40 percent in healthy males, the Harvard School of Public Health found!