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7 Foods That Make Your Sex Life SO. MUCH. BETTER.
Believe us...you'll have what she's having.
That green smoothie you blended this morning, those almonds you snacked on in the afternoon, and your healthy dinner of shrimp and herbs—consider them all your magic love potion, especially if things seem to be lacking in the bedroom. Turns out that food plays a major role in balancing your sex hormones, says Jenny Block, sex expert and author of O Wow: Discovering Your Ultimate Orgasm. "Just like food affects all of our everyday activities, it can make or break our sex lives," she says. "Feeling great is the key to great sex—feeling stressed or bloated or otherwise uncomfortable in our bodies [because of what we eat] can be a real libido killer; hormones that are out of whack can make us feel like strangers in our own bodies."
The key here is balance. It's not good to have your estrogen, testosterone, or progesterone levels (the three major players in the sex hormone game) too high or too low. Instead, think of it like a seesaw—you want to keep them at an even keel. To do that, Theodore Friedman, Ph.D., chief of the endocrinology, metabolism and molecular medicine division at Charles R. Drew University, says it's most important to live an overall healthy lifestyle that incorporates a balanced diet filled with fruits and veggies, exercise, and plenty of sleep. "Someone who's been eating well, has a good frame of mind, and is active is most likely to have a strong sex life and have balanced sex hormones," he says. "It's not about a magic solution of 'eat this and you're all set.' It's more about feeling healthy all over, which creates a domino effect. If you feel good outside the bedroom, chances are you'll feel good inside it."
That said, there are a few foods that might give you a bit of an edge if you notice your sex drive is starting to sink. Mix 'em into your diet and—so long as everything else we've mentioned is in check—you should start to notice a difference.
Yellow Fin Tuna
When you cook up this seafood, you're digging into high levels of niacin, which promotes blood flow and cellular activity. Both increase sexual sensitivity, says Block, as an increased blood flow leads to higher sensation in your nether regions that can eventually lead to a better orgasm. Other foods high in niacin: sunflower seeds, cantaloupe, artichoke, avocado, and spinach.
Soy
This little protein is perfect for women with a low sex drive, particularly those going through menopause because the ovaries have stopped producing estrogen. Foods like soy and flaxseed contain phytoestrogens, explains Friedman, and that can help raise estrogen levels. It can also help relieve vaginal dryness, which is usually a side effect of menopause caused by the lack of estrogen. Try adding soy milk to your coffee, or cooking up tofu a few times a week to increase your dosage.
Leafy Greens
Both Friedman and Block recommended munching on veggies regularly to keep those hormones in check. "Most Americans don't eat enough vegetables, but they have a ton of nutrition that helps with your overall health" and keeps hormones throughout your entire body balanced, says Friedman. Block echoes his sentiment, adding that leafy greens like spinach and kale are excellent options because of the zinc they contain. It helps lower the stress hormone, cortisol, which has an adverse relationship with sexual pleasure: When stress goes down, satisfaction goes up.
Walnuts
Essential fatty acids are what'll get you crackin' in more ways than one. Walnuts and flaxseeds have a bunch in them, as does the usual culprit, salmon, says Block. "They work to up the pleasure ante" by helping to raise dopamine levels in the brain, which in turn triggers arousal. Not to mention essential fatty acids, like omega 3, help fight plaque buildup in the arteries, which Block says improves blood flow and once again leads to a healthier, more sensitive region downstairs.
Cauliflower
We all know it's not good to let estrogen levels dip too low—hello, vaginal dryness, weight gain, and achy joints—but you also don't want them to get too high. When that happens, Friedman says it can decrease your sex drive, cause irregular periods, and lead to bloating or weight gain—none of which have you raring to go in the bedroom. Foods like cauliflower, raw carrots, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts can help detox excess amounts of estrogen, says Block, because they contain hefty amounts of fiber. Our favorite way to have the white veggie? By swapping it as a pizza crust, duh.
Shrimp
"If there's an aphrodisiac out there, it's vitamin E," says Block. "You can find it in a variety of nuts, shrimp, carrots, sweet potato, and alfalfa sprouts." So why's it so great? Not only does vitamin E help keep things naturally lubed up down there, but it's a key player in the production of sex hormones and increases blood flow and oxygen to the genital area. Anyone else fancy some shellfish for dinner?
Yams
You always hear about estrogen and testosterone, but progesterone is another big player in the sex hormone game, says Friedman. It's released by the ovaries, and works to regulate periods, decrease menopausal symptoms, and even helps with the implantation of a fertilized egg. Suffice it to say, progesterone is a pretty big deal, and Friedman says it's possible that yams can help raise your levels of the hormone. The idea is up for debate though, as some researchers have found that yams actually contain diosgenin, an active ingredient that has the same chemical structure as progesterone, but doesn't have hormonal activity. While we wait for them to figure it out for sure, though, we're going to keep calm and eat on.
