Love Life
9 Foods to Heat Up Your Love
Life
By Joe Wilkes
From the Team Beachbody Club - Join Today and Workout to
Win!
 Named for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, aphrodisiacs have
been the stuff of legend and song throughout history. Lovers looking for a leg
up in the libido department have gone to their shamans, medicine men, and
herbalists for centuries, searching for the magic ingredient that will kick
their mojo into high gear. And today the search has gone to the Internet.
Anyone with a lackluster spam filter has probably scanned the hundreds of
emails that arrive every day, advertising powdered rhinoceros horn or some
unpronounceable chemical that promises to goose your or your partner's desires.
The efficacy of these miracle products is extremely dubious (and in the case of
the exotic animal parts, illegal), but there are plenty of products that you
can find right in your grocery store or farmers' market that can
potentially increase the heat between the sheets. Here are some common
foods and why they might be able to put a little extra oomph into that special
evening. And over half of them are in
the top
two tiers of Michi's Ladder, so you can have your cake and eat it, too!
(Well, not cake, but asparagus and bananas!)
 Oysters. These are perhaps the
classic aphrodisiacs of all time. The legendary lover Casanova reportedly
consumed 50 oysters every day to keep his . . . um . . . stamina up. But until
recently the powers of these bivalves were only backed up by anecdotal evidence
and testimonials by mollusk-loving Lotharios. Recently though, studies have
shown that oysters and their shellfish brethren including clams, scallops, and
mussels, all contain chemical compounds that may aid in the release of
testosterone, estrogen, and other sex hormones in both men and women. Oysters
are also full of zinc, a deficiency of which can cause impotence in men,
another reason they can be man's best friend in the bedroom. And then of
course, there's the conventional wisdom that if you'll eat an oyster, you'll
eat anything.
 Chocolate. What's more associated
with Valentine's Day than chocolate? The ancient Aztecs considered chocolate to
be an aphrodisiac for both men and women, and when the Europeans got wind of
its inhibition-lowering properties, it wasn't long before the candy treat
became a must-have when pitching woo. Casanova and famed Louis XV courtesan
Madame du Barry were reported to be great believers in the powers of chocolate
and there may have been something to it. Chocolate contains the chemicals
phenylethylamine and serotonin, which are also naturally occurring chemicals in
the brain, usually released when we are happy or in love. Its chemicals can
literally cause your heart to beat a little faster. Add to that a boost of
caffeine and sugar, and it can be a pretty good pick-me-up with a small side of
euphoria.
 Figs. Maybe it wasn't just the apple
in the Garden of Eden that got things going. Remember, Adam and Eve ended up
covering themselves in fig leaves. And, it was also the favorite fruit of
Cleopatra, who was certainly no slouch in the ways of love. In ancient Greece,
fertility rituals would often follow the first fig harvest and Greek portrayals
of bacchanalia usually also included some fig action. In some European
countries, figs are thrown instead of rice at newly married couples (ouch!) as
symbols of fertility.
 Bananas. In the Islamic version of
the tale, Adam and Eve covered themselves with banana leaves rather than fig
leaves. Bananas are also considered a fertility symbol by the Hindus. Bananas
can really get you going with high levels of potassium and B vitamins which aid
production of your hormones. Bananas also contain the protease bromelain, which
is believed to help circulation.
 Asparagus. It is rich in vitamin E
which is critical to production of hormones. It also contains a lot of folic
acid which the body needs to produce histamines. And histamines are the
chemical compounds that cause muscle contractions. A word of caution though,
too much asparagus can cause flatulence, which might make the whole romantic
plan backfire (no pun intended).
 Avocados. The Aztecs referred to the
avocado tree as Ahuacuatl or "testicle tree." Apparently, the fruit
usually hangs in pairs. There appears to be little besides anecdotal evidence
to support its claim as an aphrodisiac, though it is rich in many nutrients
like vitamins B6, C, and E. The California Avocado Commission conducted a
Valentine's Day survey in 2000 of experts, 63 percent of whom concluded that
the avocado does have some aphrodisiac qualities, some of which could be
attributed to recently discovered phytochemicals.
 Caviar. This fish-egg delicacy has
been enjoyed by lovers for centuries, including, of course, Casanova (which
increasingly leads me to believe a lot of women were just sleeping with him to
get to the buffet). Caviar is known for its silky texture. Naturally, eggs are
common fertility symbols, but there may also be some chemical reasons they are
rated so highly on the love-maker's diet. Like oysters, they are high in zinc,
and also are rich in vitamins A and D and omega-3 fatty acids. They also are
high in arginine, an amino acid which acts as a vasodilator, widening blood
vessels and increasing blood flow.
 Truffles. Not the chocolate kind
(although those count under "Chocolate") but the expensive underground mushroom
kind that pigs and dogs root out of the ground. Unlike other foods, it is the
musky scent of the truffle that is believed to be what gets us going.
Scientists have recently discovered that black truffles contain the pheromone
androstenol. There is some debate over how much human beings are affected by
pheromones, but truffles have been considered to be aphrodisiacs for centuries,
and this could be one explanation why.
 Champagne. When we think of romantic
beverages, the list pretty much begins and ends with champagne. Most of the
effects of champagne seem to be largely psychological though. The purchase of
an expensive beverage may set the mood for a special evening, and a mystique
has been built in the media about the drink and its drinkers from Marie
Antoinette to Marilyn Monroe. But scientifically speaking, its amorous effects
seem to come from the same place as most alcoholic beverages. But alcohol
appears to have no positive effect on sexual function and when overindulged
will usually move you in the other direction. It does however lead to a loss of
inhibition and a decrease in judgment—in other words, a prelude to a kiss.
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