Top 10 foods to boost your libido

Is your sexual desire sagging a bit?  Ever feel like your sex drive is stuck in low gear?  Forget supplements or pills to perk it up.  Instead, bring back that loving feeling with food.  Food is one way to get you back in the mood.  For centuries, various foods have been used as aphrodisiacs to stimulate a lagging libido.  Aphrodisiacs are any kind of substance than can create thoughts and feelings about sex that arouse you having a powerful impact on the mind and body.  From your brain to your sex organs, effective aphrodisiacs enhance sensory experiences. These foods help make you feel sexy by creating a “love is in the air” sentiment.

Certain foods are effective aphrodisiacs affecting mood, arousal and stimulating blood flow to all the right places preparing us for the sexual encounter. Try out the following foods whenever you need a little nudge to get in the mood:

1.  Dark chocolate

No list of mood foods would be complete without mentioning dark chocolate.  Chocolate is a perennial favorite gift on Valentine’s Day and for a good reason.  Dark chocolate, which contains at least 70% or higher cacao content, also contains tryptophan which helps the body produce serotonin.  Serotonin is chemical that naturally comes from a stimulant called phenylethylamine that also produces endorphins.  With all those lovey-dovey chemicals circulating throughout your body, you’ll be in the mood in no time. 

2.  Avocados

This buttery, creamy fruit is a rich source of the perfect mood-enhancing substances.  One is vitamin E which helps the body to manufacture hormones like testosterone.  Testosterone is found in both men and women and is the hormone of desire.  Eat more avocados to amplify both vitamin E and testosterone.  Avocados are also a top source of omega-3 fatty acids that naturally boost desire for more bedroom action.

3.  Asparagus

Forget the fact asparagus resembles a part of the male anatomy.  Its phallic appearance aside, asparagus is a leading source of vitamin B6 and folate both which can stimulate arousal and orgasm.  Like avocados, asparagus also boasts vitamin E helping increase sex hormones in men and women.

4.  Eggs

Already considered a symbol of fertility, eggs contain L-arginine an amino acid that can increase the production of nitric oxide.  Nitric oxide opens up blood flow and blood vessels that lead to the penis and vagina.  All that good blood flow results in helping a man to achieve an erection and increases lubrication and sensitivity to the vagina in women.

5.  Oysters

This super sexy food is a favorite aphrodisiac for many couples.  You may think oysters slippery feel is what gives them their seductive allure – oh no – it’s the fact oysters are loaded with the mineral zinc.  Zinc helps to produce testosterone, absolutely necessary in stimulating libidos in both men and women.  For men, zinc can improve sperm count and make them very efficient swimmers.   For women, zinc keeps their ovaries healthy, the source of estrogen, progesterone, and some testosterone, all needed for a good time in the bedroom.

6.  Strawberries

Best known for their rich source of vitamin C, strawberries are always a welcome way to heat things up between a couple.  Strawberries vitamin C content is the magic ingredient that increases sperm count and sperm’s swimming abilities. Dip strawberries into dark chocolate and you have a double whammy of love mood foods to rely on.

7.  Chili peppers

Spice up your sex drive with some chili peppers.  Thanks to the chemical capsaicin that makes peppers spicy, this mood enhancer gets to work by inducing the release of endorphins in the brain creating a feeling of euphoria.  Those feel-good hormones travel throughout your body stimulating nerve endings contributing to arousal.

8.  Blueberries

A dynamic part of sexual arousal has to do with a neurotransmitter called dopamine. This brain chemical ferries information between neurons helping regulate movement, attention, learning, and emotional responses.  It also contributes to feelings of pleasure and satsifactionsuch as that experienced with sex. What do blueberries have to do with dopamine?  Blueberries rule when it comes to boosting dopamine levels. A handful of blueberries a day provide your body a greater ability to release dopamine.  This results in enhanced libido and feelings of love. Do eat up blueberries.  The extra dopamine boost also increases brain energy production and maintains youthful brain functioning exerting an extremely important antiaging effect.

9.  Watermelon

While each bite of watermelon is about 92 percent water, this favorite fruit is also rich in L-citrulline, an amino acid that helps improve blood flow.  L-citrulline supports the body in optimizing blood flow when it converts to L-arginine and then nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is involved in vasodilation (dilation of blood vessels).  Low levels of nitric oxide are associated with mental and physical fatigue and sexual dysfunction. Like Viagra, L-citrulline increase blood flow to the sexual organs but without any negative side effects.

10.  Peanuts

Research says eat up this favorite snack food as the amino acid L-arginine it contains is helpful for improving sexual function in men.  L-arginine is used to make nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels. Preliminary studies have found that L-arginine may help with erectile dysfunction.  Peanuts are a rich source of L-arginine.