Low libido can affect all of us at some point or another. Stress, anxiety, poor sleeping habits, and unhappy relationships can all lead to a reduction in your interest in sex.
Being overweight and unhealthy, suffering from serious conditions like heart disease or diabetes, or having low testosterone levels can also make you feel lacklustre in the sack.
If it’s just a blip, try not to worry about it. But if you feel like your libido has taken a backseat for more than a few weeks, it’s probably time to do something about it. And the good news is, you can start in the kitchen.
Which Foods Increase Libido?
While the individual foods that can increase libido are many, the compounds contained within, and the reasons why they’re considered aphrodisiac foods, are similar. So that’s how we’ll break it down.
And as you may know, you need to get a good supply of blood to your penis to experience a strong erection — so many of the foods below are also heart-healthy and good for boosting blood flow.
1. Flavonoids
Eat citrus fruits, chilli peppers, onions, apples, berries, grapes, spinach, and dark chocolate.
Flavonoids are chemicals found in plant-based products, which are antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. Many people associate these foods with the Mediterranean diet, which is largely composed of fresh fruit and vegetables and is renowned for being heart-healthy.
Increasing your flavonoid intake through upping the fresh ingredients in your meals will naturally benefit your whole body, and can help you lose weight. All important for those arteries, keeping the blood pumping where you need it.
2. Nitrates
Eat beetroot, spinach, root vegetables, garlic, pine nuts, and watermelon.
Foods that contain high concentrations of nitrates are really important when it comes to getting good erections. It all starts in your head, and when you’re aroused, your brain sends nerve signals to promote nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation of the blood vessels supplying the penis. So, a healthy supply of nitric oxide is needed to get a strong erection.
Beetroot, spinach and root vegetables are nitrate-rich, so are easily converted to nitric oxide in your body, meaning that when you get the signal, you’re ready to go.
3. Good Fats
Eat avocado, vegetable oils, salmon, tuna and halibut.
Whether it has any relevance in medical science or not, avocados have long been thought of as an aphrodisiac food. This is partly because avocado is derived from the ancient Aztec word, ahuácatl, meaning testicle.
So much talk in recent years of ‘good fats’ means that avo on toast is now a staple of many a weekend brunch — and we’re not complaining. It’s delicious and, scientifically speaking, avocados are a great source of monounsaturated fats. These keep your heart and arteries healthy, meaning there aren’t any difficulties getting your blood where you need it most when you’re in the mood.
Fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna and halibut are also a good choice for libido-boosting foods. They’re high in Omega 3 heart healthy fatty acids, which, as the name suggests, are good for your heart. They can help improve blood flow and prevent the buildup of plaque which can cause hardening and blockage in your arteries.
4. Herbal Remedies
Try horny goat weed, ginkgo biloba, maca, ginseng, saffron, and fenugreek.
If you’re looking for a different way to boost your libido, these herbal options may (or may not) do the trick. Horny Goat Weed is a flowering plant which contains our favourites – flavonoids. Boosting circulation, this herb, also known as Epimedium, has shown to help erectile dysfunction symptoms and is seen as a traditional aphrodisiac in many Asian countries.
Maca root from Peru and Korean Ginseng are some other well-known aphrodisiacs from around the world. Both natural nitric oxide boosters, these substances can help improve that all-important blood flow.
5. Red Wine
The jury is out on whether alcohol can play a positive part of a healthy sex life. While some research suggests even moderate drinking can increase your chance of erectile dysfunction, red wine contains a decent amount of our libido-friendly flavonoid, Quercetin. In moderation, this can help prevent heart disease and controls blood sugar levels. So perhaps a glass or two wouldn’t hurt. There are two sides to every story, so take it easy and see how you go.
6. Teas
While we’ve been talking about how much we love flavonoids, it’s actually too much of one in particular that can make green tea a turn-off when enjoyed to excess.
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the flavonoid present in green tea, can actually reduce your testosterone levels, although you would have to drink a lot of it to notice any effects. A moderate intake of green tea can be beneficial, though, thanks to a compound called catechin. Catechin can help get rid of free radicals that can otherwise damage blood vessels, thus promoting healthy blood flow.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral for regulating testosterone levels. Oysters are famously an aphrodisiac food. Indeed, some may question if anyone would give the slimy little suckers a second glance if it weren’t for the rumour that they could boost your sex life, which, in this case, is true! Oysters have one of the highest concentrations of zinc of any foodstuff.
Zinc isn’t stored in the body, so dietary intake is essential for a whole range of other men’s health benefits, including keeping your hair healthy. If you can’t quite bring yourself to chow down on one of these slippery sea creatures, then chicken, red meat, chickpeas, nuts, and dairy products are great sources of zinc too.
Vitamin B6
In a study, thus far only completed on rats, those with Vitamin B6-free diets had lower levels of testosterone by the end of the test period than those able to eat a normal supply. It was concluded that this either showed a correlation between low vitamin B6 intake and low testosterone production(9), or that a diet free of vitamin B6 sped up the rate at which it’s used. Either way, ensuring you have a healthy supply of Vitamin B6 in your diet can’t hurt. Make sure you load up on salmon, chicken breast, tofu, sweet potatoes, bananas or pistachios.
