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.
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.
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.
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!)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Breakfast Cereal
The benefit: Put some snap, crackle, and pop into 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 watchingEverybody 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.
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 reignite 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.
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.
