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Have you ever been out to dinner, seen oysters on the menu and wondered, Is it really true that eating these will get me in the mood? Or maybe you’ve snacked on something spicy and felt a little hot and bothered? It may not just be in your head.
Some foods have long-standing histories of being able to rev up our sex drives.
Stemming from the Greek name for the goddess of love, Aphrodite, an aphrodisiac is a food or substance that supposedly is able to increase sexual desire and improve performance in the bedroom.
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Do they work?
The jury is still out on if aphrodisiacs really get you in the mood. To date, the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t deemed any foods to have aphrodisiac properties. But some researchers who study them point to evidence that certain foods do exhibit properties that may benefit one’s sex life.
“Aphrodisiacs are suggested to enhance sex drive and pleasure by increasing blood flow, lubrication, sensitivity, sex hormones and neurotransmitters involved in sex drive and function,” explains Jamie Mok, a registered dietitian nutritionist and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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And while the idea of aphrodisiac foods has been around for centuries, and their properties might help improve your sex drive indirectly, Mok stresses that it’s important to remember no food directly “turns someone on.”
At the very least, enjoying some delicious oysters on the half shell may get you in the mood because you perceive them to be aphrodisiacs.
The placebo effect works great when it comes to sexual medicine. In fact, it has a 50 percent success rate, says Waguih W. Ishak, M.D., vice chair of education and research in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai.
Ready to give aphrodisiacs a whirl? Here are nine foods that might give your love life a boost in the bedroom.
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Pomegranates for performance
This fun red fruit may help your performance. One study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research suggests that men who drank pomegranate juice versus a placebo reported improvements with erectile dysfunction. “Researchers hypothesize that the high concentration of antioxidants in foods like pomegranates can lower oxidative stress and increase blood vessel dilation and blood flow to genitals,” says Mok.
“Another small study by Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh found drinking pomegranate juice daily lowered cortisol levels, which can correspond with increased testosterone in both men and women,” adds Beth Czerwony, a registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive Disease & Surgery Institute. The study was published in Endocrine Today.
Pomegranate juice may also help to improve exercise endurance — “which means you could last longer in bed,” says Amy Reiley, author of several aphrodisiac cookbooks and founder of Eat Something Sexy.
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