Eat Your Way To A Better Sex Life
Do you know the ingredients to the virility diet? These 15 foods are proven to delivery a harder erection, no little blue pill required.
Watermelon
The summer fruit is high in citrulline, which—like that little blue pill—stimulates nitric-oxide production and increases blood flow to the penis, strengthening erections.
Dark Chocolate
This treat is loaded with flavonoids that dilate your arteries. Eat about 1.6 ounces of dark chocolate (about the size of a regular Hershey’s bar) daily—that’s the amount researchers at the University of California found improved blood-vessel dilation by more than 10 percent.
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Cherries
Studies show that flavonoids in red, blue, and purple berries cleanse free radicals from arteries, relaxing them and improving blood flow.
Oysters
Yes, they really are aphrodisiacs. Raw oysters are the richest dietary source of zinc, which not only improves blood flow but also fuels testosterone production. When testosterone levels drop, so do your performance and your libido, Lamm says. Wild eastern oysters have the most zinc, followed by eastern farmed and wild Pacific.
Grass-fed butter
Recent studies have shown that people with the highest intakes of the vitamin K2, found in grass-fed beef and dairy products like butter, cut their risk of coronary heart disease in half. And what’s good for your ticker is always good for your erections.
Bananas
Don’t giggle: Bananas are high in potassium, which relaxes blood-vessel walls, allowing for better blood flow throughout the body. Plus it offsets a high-sodium diet, keeping your blood pressure in check, according to a study in the journal Hypertension. Narrow blood vessels lead to low blood flow, which leads to … well, not much.
Garlic
This allium vegetable boosts blood flow to the penis by increasing nitric-oxide production and relaxing blood vessels.
Walnuts
The amino acid L-arginine, found abundantly in walnuts, is one of the building blocks of nitric oxide. Translation: A diet that includes these nuts with the rock-hard shell makes for consistent, rock-hard erections. According to a panel conducted by the European Food Safety Authority, you should eat about ¼ cup a day.
Ginger
By scrubbing blood vessels of free radicals and decreasing inflammation, ginger relaxes arteries and improves blood flow. According to a study in the International Journal of Cardiology, about 1 teaspoon a few times a week is all you need to reap ginger’s cardiovascular rewards.
Nutmeg
A study of natural aphrodisiacs in the BMC Complementary andAlternative Medicine journal found that nutmeg increases libido and erectile performance. Nutmeg also contains myristic acid, which has been shown to stimulate production of the all-important nitric oxide, the key to a healthy erection.
Olive Oil
According to a study in the journal Lipids, olive oil helps increase testosterone production.
Salmon
Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon promotes erectile health by effecting a threefold increase in nitric-oxide production, according to the journal Fertility and Sterility. The researchers recommend 1 gram of omega-3s a day, which you can get in 3 ounces of salmon.
Related: 14 Healthiest Snack Foods to Buy
Alcohol
Moderation is the key. According to research conducted by David R. Meldrum, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist and a clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, one to two drinks daily can have beneficial effects on erectile function, but more than that can suppress blood flow and decrease nitric-oxide production. Red wine is generally the best, Meldrum says. But the antioxidant content can vary a lot. Generally, warmer growing regions produce wines with more antioxidants.
Pistachios
Adding a daily handful of pistachios to your diet can improve your erectile function, “sexual satisfaction, orgasmic function, sexual desire, and overall satisfaction,” according to a study in the International Journal of Impotence Research. These tasty snacks are high in arginine, which increases nitric-oxide production.
Almonds
Vitamin E, of which almonds are a prime source, enhances nitric-oxide production, according to the British Journal of Urology International . A small handful a few times a week is all you need.
By Heather Hurlock
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photo: Greg Craymer; Getty Images
