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Food Sex
Connection
A late night
romantic dinner at a fine restaurant, a bottle of wine, soft music and scented
candles. It sounds like the perfect evening and a prelude to a wild night of
passion. All the aphrodisiacs are in place. What could go wrong? Let’s see what
we could do to make this night even more memorable. Let us begin with the timing
of our date. Most of us have schedules planned out to the minute. By the time we
have settled in to our quiet, amorous evening, we are ready for a nap more than
a torrid romp in the sheets. Fatigue can ruin a perfect evening and can cause
quite a rift between you and your lover. Often times if one partner is tired or
under a lot of stress, the other partner will perceive this as lack of interest
and take it very personally. Many times it is not discussed and festers until
the relationship is put in jeopardy from this unspoken situation. A good rule to
follow is not to plan romantic time together if both of you are not well rested.
If one or both of you are not at the top of their game, do not take it
personally. Not only will a hectic schedule create fatigue; our meals and
surroundings can also be a major culprit in the all too familiar problem. If we
are thoughtful as to what we put in our bodies, we will find that impassioned
encounters can be more pleasurable than anticipated or a very disappointing end
to what was to be a wonderful evening.
The body responds
to sensual stimulant, such as erotic touch, sight, scents, sounds and thoughts
of becoming aroused. One of the physiological responses is increased blood flow
to the erogenous zones of the body. The blood vessels to these areas must be
able to carry blood freely in order for you to perceive the maximum pleasure.
There are mounds of research showing that certain foods will directly or
indirectly clog your blood vessels and prevent normal blood flow. The
consequences can range from mildly decreased sensation to a complete shut down
of an erogenous area or organ of the body. A classic example of this is
impotence. Many men are in search of some miracle pill, potion or lotion to
solve their problem when in fact all they need to do is change their diets. The
arteries, if given the proper nutrition, can clean themselves out and the men
can act as the young strapping bucks they used to be.
Not only is blood
flow involved in arousal but also a complex combination of brain function,
hormonal releases and nerve impulses that must work together in order to achieve
optimum performance. Certain medications, alcohol, poor diet, cigarettes, and
pinched or damaged nerves can all play a part. When we start putting the good
nutrients in our bodies and ensuring our nerves are functioning at 100%, in most
cases; the body will give us the pleasure we are seeking.
Alcohol is the
most obvious "food" that can effect our love lives. Alcohol decreases the body’s
ability to produce testosterone, which is also known as the sex drive hormone.
We may act on impulse when drinking, however, our ability to sense stimulation
is diminished inversely to the amount we drink. The more we drink, the less
ability we have to fully enjoy the stimulus. A little alcohol may feel like it
is relaxing us but in reality, it is not the best thing for us romantically.
Meats and dairy
products are well known to increase our risk of hardening of the arteries. The
hardening of the arteries, as we have already discussed, will lead to a myriad
of problems. These foods are also higher in fats than other foods we may choose
for our romantic meals. Fats have a tendency to cause your red blood cells to
clump together. Your red blood cells carry oxygen all over the body, including
the erogenous zones. A decrease in oxygen will prevent the organs from working
at their peak performance and not allow you to fully experience the pleasures
being made available to you. This explains why many people will feel tired and
sluggish after a high fat meal. Think how you feel after a high fat meal as
compared to a low fat meal and you will understand why a high fat meal is not
the meal of choice for a romantic dinner. It also takes a lot more energy to
digest a heavy, fatty meal. The last thing you want is to use up precious energy
when you can be using that energy for more important things.
Fatty foods have
been long known as things you want to avoid for numerous reasons including
increasing your risk of heart disease and cancer, however not all fatty foods
are bad. In fact, some fatty foods can be a good thing for increasing libido
activity and actually reducing your risk of heart disease and cancer. The good
fats are called essential fatty acids and are found in fruits, vegetables, seeds
and nuts. The secret to making sure the essential fatty acids are doing the job
they are designed to do is to be sure that you don’t heat them too much. When
any fat is heated too much, it will begin to hydrogenate. When oil is
hydrogenated it can lead to hardening of the arteries, also known as
"Arteriosclerosis." When you read the labels on many packaged or processed
foods, often times, the words Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated Oil are
listed. Stay away from these foods. Foods high in essential fatty acids help to
produce hormones called Prostaglandin’s that help in increasing the sex drive
and in heightening your level of pleasure. Too much fat, even good fat, is not a
good idea. Too few essential fatty acids will actually decrease you sex drive.
This becomes an issue with very low fat and no fat diets. You may loose weight,
however, the long-term damages not only bedroom activity but all functions of
your body can be devastating. Eating a good source of good fats avocado, raw
nuts, and lots of raw fruit and vegetables every day will make those romantic
interludes even better.
Simple sugars can
also decrease our energy levels as well as decreasing our immune systems. Too
much concentrated sugar in the blood system causes the Pancreas to release large
amounts of insulin into the blood, attaches itself to the sugar and essentially
escorts the sugar out of the blood and into the cells. Once the cells have all
they can use, the rest of the sugar is stored as Glycogen. Imagine we have all
these pigeonholes where Glycogen is stored all over our bodies. Once all the
pigeon holes are filed up, the extra Glycogen is sent to the Liver to be
converted to Triglycerides which are put back into the blood to be carried away
and stored as fat. These Triglycerides cause the arteries to become clogged up
and we already discussed what happens if the arteries get clogged up. The simple
sugars may give you a burst of energy initially, but once the insulin kicks in,
you may actually go into a state of low blood sugar and this will make you
tired. Again, not a good thing if your goal is to make your night as well as
your partner’s night one to be remembered. Perhaps you think you are doing a
good thing by using artificial sweeteners. Think again. Many artificial
sweeteners are vaso-constrictors, which means they will actually constrict blood
vessels and reduce blood flow to certain areas of the body, including the
erogenous zones. They can also restrict blood flow to the brain and cause
headaches. A headache can certainly ruin the evening and many times is caused by
ingesting artificial sweeteners. Avoid the risk of headaches by avoiding
artificial sweeteners.
Coffee, according
to recent studies, will increase your blood levels of an amino acid known as
Homocysteine. Homocysteine will actually cause your body to lay plaque in the
blood vessels and clog up the vessels. Studies have been done giving
participants equal amounts of caffeine from coffee and from other sources, such
as tea. The participants who did not drink the coffee did not have a significant
rise in their Homocysteine levels. No one knows just what it is in coffee that
raises the Homocysteine levels in blood but there is a direct correlation
between coffee and Homocysteine.1
At this point,
you may be thinking that all the fun foods are bad for romance, so, what can I
eat? There is plenty of real good news when answering that question. Now that we
have removed alcohol, meat, sugar, dairy, coffee, soda and artificial sweeteners
from the menu, we can replace them with foods that will light up your nights (or
afternoons or mornings). The following are a few suggestions that can start you
on your way to learning how to eat for more reasons than to satisfy hunger.
The way a food
looks is very important. It has long been suggested that certain foods not only
look erotic but also have nutritional value to support romance. Known as the Law
of Similarities, the theory says that if something looks like or is suggestive
of another, it will enhance, improve or aid that which it looks like. This would
mean that if a food looks erotic, it will improve or aid in eroticism. Examples
may be Asparagus or Cucumbers. Not only is there visual appeal, but foods like
Asparagus are loaded with Phosphorous, Calcium, Vitamin E and Potassium. These
can boost energy and help in hormone production.
Hot peppers are
vaso-dilators, which means they will open up blood vessels and increase
circulation. They get the heart pumping, more oxygen racing through the body,
which gives you more energy. All these reactions can certainly heat up an
evening.
Avocados are not
only high in essential fatty acids but the smooth, creamy texture is very
stimulating to the lips and mouth. Often times, the texture of a food is very
stimulating. Combine a pleasurable texture with a high quality nutritious food
and the results can be very nice. Artichokes are a very romantic and fun food,
which are also loaded with nutrients. Dig in with both hands and enjoy the warm
and slippery leaves.
Figs are a food
often overlooked in modern society but are very wonderful foods for a number of
reasons. Many times when we are not feeling well or functioning well, it is due
to too much acid in our systems. A quick way to lower our acid is to eat
alkaline foods. Figs, along with Spinach and Celery, are among the most alkaline
foods and have been known to help normalize the body functions. Be sure not to
eat figs that are packed in sugar. Sugar is an energy zapper and that is what we
are trying to avoid.
Try this new way
of eating for a few days or weeks and see how you feel. Maybe you will have a
less than quality meal with lots of sugar and fat once in a while. See how you
feel compared to dining on a meal based on fruits, vegetables, grains or nuts.
With over 120,000 edible plants on this earth, I am sure you can find something
to eat out of those choices. I have helped thousands of people make better
choices in their eating habits and the results are always fabulous. As you eat
healthier you will begin to realize how much of life you have been missing in
and out of the bedroom.
1
January 1997 study in "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"
Copyright®
1985 - 2008. All rights reserved.
The information provided herein is privileged and may not be copied,
printed or disclosed to any
person (s) or organization
(s) without the written permission of
Dr. Joseph L. Esposito.
Last Update:
03/10/08 10:51:19 AM
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