The Dirty Diet: How to Eat Your Way to Better Sex
By ASTROGLIDE Team
It’s no secret that a workout regimen and a healthy diet can play an integral role in a great sex life. When you’re looking and feeling great you radiate confidence in a way that is sure to spark attraction. However, getting a hot bod isn’t the only thing to consider when it comes to using your diet to enhance your sex life. You should also be focusing on foods that actually help you BE sexier — by improving not just your physique, but your pleasure and performance as well.
So what can you do to start eating your way to better sex? We consulted the experts and compiled a great list of changes that you can make today to rev up your sex life and start feeling as amazing as you look.
Eat Outside Your Comfort Zone
Henry Ford once said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what yo’ve always got.” When it comes to tips for great sex, we can’t think of a better quote to explain the importance of switching things up — and this goes for your diet as well. If you want to start a diet that will help you have better sex than ever, you’re probably going to have to try some foods that you’ve never had before. Don’t worry, though — it’s a lot easier (and more delicious) than it sounds. We’ve got a list of some essential, albeit unfamiliar, power foods to get you started:
Freekeh
You may not have heard of this protein- and fiber-packed power food, but it has everything you need to boost your stamina for those more intense and athletic sex sessions. Mareya Ibrahim, chef and the founder of Eat Cleaner, explains: “Because freekeh is the end result of working with immature grain, it keeps the high nutritional content wheat plants have in their early stages. Freekeh contains more protein, fiber and minerals than mature wheat, and ranks low on the glycemic index.” These properties make freekeh the perfect food to keep you going through your cardio workouts in and out of the bedroom.
Purple Carrots
When you’re getting hot and heavy with your sweetie, your skin is front and center. There’s nothing more sensual than the feel of skin on skin, and when your skin is soft, clear and radiant, you feel utterly irresistible. That’s why Chef Mareya recommends packing in lots of skin-enhancing, antioxidant-rich foods like purple carrots to get your skin game on point.
“Purple carrots aren’t simply a novelty,” Chef Mayera explains. “Their unique color reflects their healthy phytochemical constituents. Not only do they have the vitamin A and beta-carotene of ordinary carrots, but they’re also rich in anthocyanins, the antioxidant compounds that give blueberries their distinctive color and superfood health benefits.” If you happen to see these funky carrots in the grocery store, make sure to pick them up and give them a shot — your skin might end up thanking you.
Grape Seed Oil
Nothing can zap your sex drive quite like depression and anxiety. If you’re not feeling like yourself, it can be hard, if not impossible, to get in the mood. To promote a sunnier outlook, you may want to consider incorporating grape seed oil into your better sex diet. Chef Mayera explains that according to a study in the Archives of General Psychiatry, “people who ate a Mediterranean-style diet rich in grape seed oil, nuts, whole grains, fish, legumes, and vegetables were 30 percent less likely to suffer from depression, compared to those who had the lowest Mediterranean diet scores.”
While a Mediterranean diet isn’t a substitute for a good doctor when it comes to your mental health, eating foods that may promote an elevated mood is a good way to set yourself up for feeling great. An upbeat attitude not only makes it easier for you to enjoy your intimate moments, but boosts your appeal to your partner. It’s a win-win.
Load Up on Foods Rich in B Vitamins
If you you’re looking to adopt a diet that will help to supercharge your sex life, then it’s crucial that you seek out foods rich in B Vitamins. Sandra LaMorgese, a Ph.D. and author specializing in holistic sexual health, warns that if “you are lacking in any of the B vitamins, a satisfying sex life is almost unattainable.” B Vitamins are essential for energy and vitality — it’s hard to enjoy a really good romp in the sack if you’re feeling fatigued or depressed. Loading up on foods that are rich in B Vitamins will ensure that when it’s time to get frisky, you’ll be rarin’ to go.
As you probably already know, there’s more than just one type of B Vitamin. To make things easier, Dr. LaMorgese offers the following quick-and-dirty guide to how each of the B Vitamins can help you have better sex and which foods pack the biggest punch for these important nutrients:
Vitamin B1
Better Sex Boost: Converts carbohydrates to energy and fights depression
Food Sources: Nuts, seeds, fish, pork, bran
Vitamin B2
Better Sex Boost: Aids production of vital hormones by the adrenal glands
Food Sources: Liver, eggs, spinach
Vitamin B3
Better Sex Boost: Enhances sex by dilating blood vessels for blood flow to the brain and sexual organs
Food Sources: Salmon, chickpeas, brown rice
Vitamin B5
Better Sex Boost: Helps relieve stress, depression, and anxiety
Food Sources: Whole wheat, beef, eggs, fish
Vitamin B6
Better Sex Boost: Helps relieve irritability and PMS
Food Sources: Wheat germ, bananas, whole grains, pork, chicken
Vitamin B12
Better Sex Boost: Aids production of red blood cells and increases sex drive
Food Sources: Fish, dairy, eggs, beef
Once you start incorporating more of these energizing foods into your diet, you’ll be ready to keep your partner up all night. Just don’t forget to grab your free sample and a coupon for $1.00 off of a full-size bottle of ASTROGLIDE to keep you and your partner comfortable during your marathon sessions.
Eat More Dark Chocolate
Who says that a diet needs to be all celery sticks and rice cakes? When you are eating to increase your pleasure and have better sex, chocolate is a fantastic food to add into the mix. Nichole Dandrea, a registered dietitian and owner of the high-quality, vegan chocolate company Nicobella Organics, says that “if you are looking for foods to boost stamina, get you in the mood and improve libido, a good quality dark chocolate does all of that!”
Don’t worry — the sexual health benefits of dark chocolate aren’t just wishful thinking — there’s plenty of science to back it up. “Chocolate contains theobromine,” Dandrea explains, “which has been reputed as an aphrodisiac. This natural chemical substance dilates blood vessels and stimulates blood flow, which boosts energy, mood and libido.”
Dark chocolate doesn’t just provide a boost to your energy and libido, it can actually increase your pleasure. “Chocolate contains PEA, also known as phenethylamine,” Dandrea continues, “which may stimulate the nervous system and trigger the release of dopamine, a neurochemical associated with pleasure.”
Obviously, chowing down on too much chocolate can have a negative impact on your health, but when eaten in moderation dark chocolate can be a guilt-free addition to your healthy diet — and it can even help you have better sex. That’s the best news we’ve heard all day!
Avoid the Foods That Bring You Down
While you’re focused on including all of these great sex-enhancing foods into your diet, there are also certain foods that you should avoid. Carol Queen, Ph.D., Good Vibrations staff sexologist and author of The Sex & Pleasure Book: Good Vibrations Guide to Great Sex for Everyone, offers some insight on foods that can cramp your bedroom style.
For instance, if you’re concerned about how you taste down there, your diet could be playing a role. Queen says, “In general, foods with strong flavors make you taste worse (though to some degree this depends on the person doing the tasting, of course).” In this case, you really are what you eat, so if you’re sensing that something might be a little amiss in that department, Queen advises that “meat, garlic, asparagus, cigarettes, coffee, or prescription medications” might be the culprit. 
Also keep in mind that it’s not enough to just eat foods that boost your energy and sex-drive — you also need to avoid foods that make you feel lethargic. Foods that are rich, heavy, and full of the wrong kinds of fat can leave you feeling tired instead of frisky. Queen also advises that while a couple of glasses of red wine can help to get you and your partner in the mood, “too much alcohol makes it difficult to respond sexually,” which can put a serious damper on your romantic night in.
Are there any foods that you eat to spice up your sex life? Are there foods that you avoid before heading off to the sack? Make sure to sound off by tweeting us @ASTROGLIDE.
Images are for illustrative purposes only.