Think eating healthy isn’t sexy?
Think again.
Fruits, veggies and whole grains aren’t just for the birds; they’re for the bees, too.
According to an article on Mother Nature Network, foods that are good for your heart are also good for your sex life and the same foods that clog arteries and contribute to heart attacks also slow your roll in the hay.
Carrots, avocados, watermelon, greens (cooked without the fatback), nuts, figs, yams and spices like nutmeg and turmeric and other foods that help promote weight loss can also help boost your libido.
Further, foods with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, including, mackerel, salmon and wild salmon, enhance circulation and get blood flowing to all the critical places when you are ready to get busy.
Heavy foods like steak and greasy fried foods actually slow blood flow, which can contribute to erectile dysfunction (ED). They also contribute to obesity, another risk factor for ED.
“If the body is spending its time and energy cleaning itself constantly from these chemicals we put in it, it cannot begin to perform at its peak sexually,” Brian Clement, Ph.D., L.N.C., co-director of the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach and co-author with his wife of “7 Keys to Lifelong Sexual Vitality,” told Mother Nature Network.
“One-third of young marrieds have fertility problems today and instead of seeing men with performance problems at age 70 the way we did a few decades ago, we now see it at age 40,” Clement said. “Fifty percent of 40-year-old men cannot perform.”
And think you can compensate for a bad night with Viagra? That may not be your smartest move in the long run.
Clement said the No. 1 user group for Viagra is not middle-aged men over 50, but men 20-28. But he warned the drug can overstimulate the libido and by the time those men reach their 30s or 40s, they may have difficulty performing because they abused the drug.
Bummer.
Nationally known Dr. Rachael Ross, a medical doctor with a PhD in sexology, said as men age they also can be at risk of andropause – frequently referred to as male menopause – which results in a diminished sex drive and ability to perform.
Some men experience weight gain, reduced muscle strength and bone density, hair loss, decreased energy, and even hot flashes and those conditions can be exacerbated by excessive drinking, obesity, smoking and lack of exercise.
A low-fat, high-fiber diet, exercise and cutting back on alcohol and caffeine are recommended.
“Male menopause is often described as a mid-life crisis. You may see a man whose personality begins to change … a man who typically chased women and who was very driven by sex and sexuality become less interested in the opposite sex.
He may become fatigued or depressed and have added girth around his stomach,” Ross told andrology.com. “He may also experience erectile dysfunction and gynecomastia, an increase in breast tissue.”
That may not all be related to diet, but eating the wrong things can make a bad situation worse.
The Clementses recommend avoiding fatty meats, like bacon and sausage, which are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, most cheeses, processed baked goods that contain trans fats, and soy-based products, which are high in estrogen and can lower male sex drive and increase the risk of disease and testosterone in women.
Looking for a better lover? You might want to chat up that vegetarian you’ve been teasing for not putting any meat on her plate.
We’re just saying.
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