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The
Sex-For-Life Diet
Spicing up your sex life is simple: Just
eat
By:
Brian Good
Photographs by: Anna Palma
The
article you are about to read is based on the simple notion that (a) men like
food and (b) men like sex, so (c) wouldn't it be great if you could actually eat
your way to more fun in the bedroom?
Grunt if you agree.
Or maybe just sharpen your knife and fork. With help from nutritionists and the
latest research, we've discovered 10 superfoods that can help you at every age
and stage of your sex life--whether it's seducing women in your 20s, producing
Mini-Me's in your 30s, or inducing your equipment to keep working in your 40s
and beyond.
"Whether you've got a stamina-busting deficiency, clogged arteries that are
limiting bloodflow, or a problem producing high-quality sperm, some simple
changes to your diet could help alleviate the condition," says Elizabeth
Ward, R.D., a Boston-based nutrition consultant. Meaning: Tweak your diet today
and you could be having the best sex of your life tomorrow...and every day for
the rest of your life.
Your
20s: More Sex, More Staying Power
The food: EGGS The benefit: Be a less excitable boy
It's your third date with the J.Lo look-alike from the Laundromat, and the
anxiety's high. Will she come back to your place for the spin cycle? To calm
your nerves, not to mention other body parts when you hit the bedroom, try
taking things easy--or over easy, with a plateful of eggs on the morning of your
big date. Scrambled, poached, or hard-boiled, eggs are a good source of B
vitamins, a key nutrient for keeping your sex drive roaring and your mind
stress-free. "Whenever you're feeling anxious, jittery, or stressed out, B
vitamins are the first thing your body runs out of," says Paul Lachance,
Ph.D., director of the Nutraceutical Institute at Rutgers University. Keep your
levels high and your body will laugh at stress, helping you stay calmer in the
bedroom and reducing your risk of performance anxiety and premature ejaculation.
The
food: CELERY The benefit: Stop stalking, start seducing
It's stringy and tastes like crunchy water, but celery is the swizzle stick that
can stir up your sex life. Every stalk of the stuff is packed with androstenone
and androstenol, two pheromones that can help you attract women the way trailer
parks attract tornadoes. (Don't worry, these steroids are different from the
steroid androstenedione.) "When you chew a stalk of celery, you release
androstenone and androstenol odor molecules into your mouth. They then travel up
the back of your throat to your nose," says Alan Hirsch, M.D., author of
Scentsational Sex. "Once there, the pheromones boost your arousal, turning
you on and causing your body to send off scents and signals that make you more
desirable to women." Try it next time you're in a bar. Grab the celery from
your brother-in-law's Bloody Mary and munch away. "The pheromones take
effect immediately, so you should notice the women around you paying more
attention to you right away," says Dr. Hirsch. And if you strike out?
"Celery is a low-calorie, high-fiber food, so you can eat as much as you
want and not regret it later," says Ward.
The
food: VANILLA ICE CREAM The benefit: Bowl her over with your endurance
When it comes to sex, ice cream is endurance food: It has high levels of calcium
and phosphorus, two minerals that build your muscles' energy reserves and boost
your libido. All that calcium (200 milligrams in the typical bowl) can also make
your orgasms more powerful, since the muscles that control ejaculation need
calcium in order to spasm and contract properly, says Sarah Brewer, M.B., author
of Increase Your Sex Drive. Just choose vanilla over Cherry Garcia. A study
conducted at Chicago's Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation found
that when men smell the scent of vanilla, it relaxes them, reducing anxiety and
inhibitions. (Break out the Incredible Hulk costume!)
*
Personally, I would skip this unless it is Soy Ice Cream, way too much fat in
ice cream.
Your
30s: Sex with a Purpose
 The
food: BRAZIL NUTS The benefit: Shape up your swimmers
Cigarette smoke, air pollution, and other toxins in the air can damage your
sperm, altering the DNA inside your cells and possibly increasing your child's
risk of birth defects. Your best bet for fighting these pollutants? Call in the
Brazilians. Brazil nuts are a top source of selenium, a vitamin that helps keep
sperm cells healthy while also helping the little buggers swim faster. When
researchers in the United Kingdom had men with fertility problems increase their
selenium intake, the men produced hardier, more viable sperm cells. "Brazil
nuts are also a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps protect
sperm cells against free-radical damage," says Keith Ayoob, R.D., a
spokesman for the American Dietetic Association.
The
food: LIVER The benefit: Boost your sperm count when it counts
It doesn't sound sexy, but ounce for ounce there are few better sources of
fertility-boosting vitamin A than liver. Studies show that men who get plenty of
A each day have higher sperm counts and perform better sexually than men who
don't. "When your body's low on A, your sperm production goes down
dramatically," says Lachance. Liver is also an excellent source of zinc.
Your body expels 5 milligrams of zinc--a third of your daily requirement--every
time you ejaculate, so a single amorous weekend could leave your body's zinc
reserves running on empty.
 The
food: PEACHES The benefit: Really shake her tree
Oranges get the good press as a vitamin C source, but frozen peaches are the
keener choice. And that's important if you're looking to add some deductions to
your 1040. "Men who don't take in enough vitamin C produce lower-quality
sperm," says Althea Zanecosky, R.D., a nutritionist in Philadelphia.
University of Texas researchers found that men who consumed at least 200
milligrams of vitamin C a day had higher sperm counts than men who took in less.
Vitamin C also keeps your sperm from clumping, so your boys have a better chance
of reaching her egg, says Marc Goldstein, M.D., director of the Cornell Center
for Male Reproductive Medicine. Keep a bag of frozen peach slices--they have
more C than fresh ones do--in your freezer to dump in smoothies or add to your
morning cereal. A single cup of the fruit has more than twice your daily vitamin
C requirement.
Your
40s: Stay Strong, Stay Sensational
The
food: BLUEBERRIES The benefit: Get some erection protection
Forget Viagra. Mother Nature's original blue potency capsule may do even more
for you. "Blueberries are one of the best foods for older men with erectile
problems," says Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D., a professor of food science at
the University of Maine. "They're loaded with soluble fiber, which helps
push excess cholesterol through your digestive system before it can be broken
down, absorbed, and deposited along the walls of your arteries," she says.
"They're also packed with compounds that help relax your blood vessels,
improving circulation." The benefit of lower cholesterol and better
bloodflow? More blood to the penis and stronger erections as you grow older. For
maximum potency and performance, Camire recommends eating a serving of
blueberries (fresh or blended into a drink) at least three or four times a week.
The
food: BREAKFAST CEREAL The benefit: Put more snap, crackle, and pop in your sex
life
Too tired for sex? Check the label on your morning cereal and make sure you're
eating a brand loaded with thiamin and riboflavin. Both vitamins help you use
energy efficiently, so you'll stop falling asleep in the recliner while watching
Everybody Loves Raymond. "Thiamin and riboflavin are also vital for the
nervous system to function properly," says Ayoob. Better nerve function
translates into more stimulation and pleasure during sex. "As you get
older, your body has a harder time absorbing the vitamins that keep your nervous
system operating at its peak, so you often need to increase your intake,"
says Lachance. Fortified breads and cereals are also high in niacin, a vitamin
that's essential for the secretion of histamine--a chemical your body needs in
order to trigger explosive sneezes and orgasms. God bless you.
The
food: STEAK The benefit: Keep your relationship sizzling
Sparks can dwindle after you've been with the same person for a decade or two.
An easy way to re-ignite the relationship? Visit your favorite steak house and
sup on some lean sirloin. "The protein in the meat will naturally boost
levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, two chemicals in the brain that heighten
sensitivity during sex," says Ward. Your steak's also stuffed with zinc--a
mineral that boosts libido by reducing your body's production of a hormone
called prolactin, which may interfere with arousal. And best of all, eating red
meat can help boost your testosterone level while limiting your body's
production of SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin)--a substance that prevents
bloodflow to the penis and reduces male sexual stamina.
 The
food: CHOCOLATE The benefit: At long last, you're a sensitive guy
After your steak, finish the evening with a couple of pieces of dark chocolate.
The cocoa in chocolate contains methylxanthines, stimulants that increase your
body's sensitivity--ensuring that your skin registers even the slightest touch
or movement against it. Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, a chemical
that can give you a slight natural high. "For many people, the feeling is
similar to the sensations you experience when you first fall in love," says
Ward.
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