Sex drive s a major concern in our society today and it’s been a cause of many breakups when it’s low. Many factors such as biological factors, psychological factors (stress, happiness, moods), and social factors (intimate relationships, breakups). These factors aside, the food you eat has a great impact on your sex drive with some foods improving while others destroying it.
Foods such as processed meats, alcohol, fried foods, foods with a lot of added sugar, pizzas, mint
, bottled water, deli meats, canned foods, and energy drinks can cause damage to your sex drive.
To begin with;
What is sex drive?
The sexual drive combines libido, stamina, and the whole process of sex. Usually, sex drive is measured by desire which is referred to as libido and stamina or time spent during intercourse.
while sex drive is greatly influenced by hormones, other factors such as social, psychological, and physical factors play important roles too.
When talking about both male and female sex drive, testosterone makes a big segment in the topic. Testosterone is the hormone mainly produced by the testicles and it plays a number of functions such as:
- Development of the genitals.
- Bone mass and muscle development.
- Sperm production.
- Production of red blood cells.
- Puberty growth stages such as deepening of the voice.
All these factors contribute to sexual drive and the time spent in bed which I will call stamina.
The food you eat affects your sex drive. This brings us to the quote ‘’you are what you thy eat’’. Some foods help improve sex drive while some foods ruin it.
Foods that promote testosterone production, proper blood flow, and promote general body health are good for sex drive while foods that decrease testosterone levels, disrupt blood flow, and increase health risks such as diabetes, blood pressure, obesity, and others are bad for sex drive.
What can you say is a normal sex drive?
Sex drive is one’s desire towards sexual activity and therefore what is referred to as a normal or healthy sex drive is simply that with which one is comfortable.
According to our society, people of different ages have sex at different times in a week.
On average, people between the ages of 20-30 tend to have sex twice a week on average while between the ages of 40-50 have sex once a week. There are couples who have 12 to 14 times a week and therefore sexual drive may not necessarily be measured using numbers but the satisfaction.
As long as you feel the desire to have sex and get satisfied, you have a healthy sexual drive. People who lack the desire or have a decreased desire from what they used to have surely are having a decreased sexual drive.
How can you effectively increase your sex drive?
Increasing your sex drive involves a lot of things and the best approach being natural means.
Some of the natural ways to boost sexual drive are;
- The use of herbs.
There are a lot of herbs that can increase testosterone, libido, stamina, and overall sex experience. Herbs such as Yohimbine, mondia whitei roots, maca, red clover, Korean red ginseng, and others.
These herbs will bring back the spark and make you more effective during sex.
- Use stress control measures.
Since stress is a major killer of sex drive, the use of stress control measures can help improve the sex drive. Yoga exercises, mediation, playing sports, and other measures can help overcome stress.
- Get quality sleep.
Quality sleep is uninterrupted sleep time of about 8 hours. When the body is well-rested, it will function properly. Naps during the day can also help boost energy levels and keep you happy.
- Reduce your alcohol intake.
Alcohol can decrease your sexual drive if it’s too much. Limit yourself to one glass of wine in order to stay on the better side of sex drive.
- Eat sex drive friendly foods.
The foods you eat greatly affect your sex drive. Fruits and vegetables are usually great for sex drive while deep-fried foods and junk foods ruin your sex drive.
- Talk to your doctor.
Consulting a doctor about your condition can help you get a solution and, in most cases, figure out the cause. If you have a medical condition, the doctor will then recommend the best medicine to heal your condition.
Foods that lower sex drive
The foods that you eat can ruin your sex drive by decreasing the testosterone levels, here are the worst foods for your sexual drive and you should avoid them.
1. Processed foods.
While processed foods are easy to prepare, last longer, or are more delicious, eating them brings no good results to your sexual stamina. During processing, most of the nutrients in the food are stripped off. This produces food with less nutritional value.
Among the many nutrients stripped from whole foods during processing are those nutrients that promote sexual drive and increase stamina. For example, when wheat is processed into white flour, almost 3 quatres of zinc is lost. Since zinc is essential for the sexual and reproductive health of men, getting less zinc will make manhood weaker and lowers the time spent in bed.
Another reason why processed foods may be bad for your sexual drive is the fact that they contain huge amounts of salt, sugars, and fats that ruin your sexual drive and stamina.
Examples of processed foods are breakfast cereal, sausage rolls, microwave meals, soft drinks, cheese, tinned vegetables, bacon, ready meals, and many others.
2. Alcohol.
While there is a popular belief that sex is more enjoyable while drunk, the bitter truth is that alcohol actually ruins your sexual drive.
In men, it can cause difficulty in getting and maintaining an erection. While many men choose to do alcohol to last longer, this delayed ejaculation may cause sex uncomfortable for both parties and may make your body used to alcohol so that you can last longer.
In women, too much alcohol may make sex drive undesirable, reduce lubrication and make it harder to have an orgasm.
While drunk, you are more likely to take sexual risks that you may regret. While this is not directly related to your sexual drive, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, or a time in jail will ruin your sexual drive.
On the more health side, too much alcohol can damage the liver which is responsible for the production of sexual drive hormones such as converting androgens into estrogens. When the liver is ineffective in producing these hormones, the sexual drive and stamina can drop.
3. Fried foods.
Deep-fried or greasy foods not only hurt your general health but can ruin your sexual drive and stamina too. The trans-fats found in fried foods are known for reducing libido in both men and women. Talking of trans-fats, they increase total blood cholesterol while lowering good cholesterol which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease.
Since men’s sexual stamina greatly relies on proper blood flow, attacks on the heart will decrease sexual drive when the penis doesn’t get enough blood supply.
Examples of fried foods are French fries, most junk foods, deep-fried meats, and fried foods. Usually, fried foods become unhealthy when they are fried with oils such as palm oil, coconut oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and cottonseed oil.
Read also: The best spices for heart health.
4. Added Sugar.
Besides ordinary table sugar, added sugar is found in many foods we consume every day. Although you may choose to limit the intake of table sugar, foods such as candy, cakes, pies, sweet rolls, ice cream, yogurt, soft drinks, sports drinks, ketchup, protein bars, and others expose you to a lot of sugars that aren’t good for your sexual drive and stamina.
Added sugars can cause weight gain, increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, and a lot of health risks that make the body weak to have satisfactory sex.
Blood sugar imbalances can make getting and maintaining erections difficult and have become a major cause of erectile dysfunction most especially in diabetic men. Too much sugar can cause leptin resistance a hormone that controls eating and monitors sexual drive. Leptin resistance can cause increased testosterone levels impacting your libido in the process.
Have you been told that sugars can lead to stress? Sugars can elevate cortisol a stress hormone and when you are stressed, your sexual desire, libido, and drive decrease.
More on the health side, added sugars can cause fatty liver, and since the liver is responsible for the manufacture of some sex hormones. Therefore, poor health of the liver will cause ineffectiveness in the production of those hormones thus decreasing your sexual drive.
5. Chocolate.
You will find contradicting information about whether chocolate is good or ruins your sexual drive. Cocoa found in chocolate can increase blood flow as well as increasing the feel-good chemicals.
However, these benefits come from the consumption of healthy chocolate which is probably dark chocolate.
Choosing other types of brands of chocolate that have huge amounts of added sugar and trans fats ruins your sexual drive and stamina.
6. Pastry, and most pizzas.
Foods such as Cakes, pies, cookies, rolls, white bread, donuts, cookies, made from processed flour carry less nutritional value and, in most cases, pastry and baked foods have a lot of added sugars to them. Combining processed flour and added sugars produces unhealthy foods for your sexual drive.
Pizza on the other side is made from processed flour, has added sugars, and has huge amounts of trans fats all of which affect sexual drive.
From elevating sugar levels, causing obesity to increase the chances of erectile dysfunction, baked foods can destroy sexual drive and stamina.
7. Diet soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, and most sweetened beverages.
A lot of added sugars are enemies to your sexual drive and stamina. Artificial sugars have a direct negative effect on serotonin a hormone responsible for libido in both men and women. The lower the serotonin levels the lower the libido.
Added sugars are also to blame in some cases of erectile dysfunction as they cause improper blood flow. A poor blood flow means that the penis will not get enough blood to fully erect or maintain a firm erection.
Additionally, another reason to avoid soft drinks, sodas, and energy drinks is the fact that they can cause metabolic syndrome which in turn can lead to erectile dysfunction.
A metabolic syndrome is a group of health conditions such as obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar.
8. Mint.
While mint has got a lot of health benefits, towards the sexual drive, mint doesn’t deliver excellent results. The menthol in mint lowers testosterone a hormone responsible for sexual desire, drive, and stamina.
The lower the testosterone levels the lower the desire, and drive of sex.
9. Bottled water.
There is a great concern with bottled water towards both male and female fertility. It is not about the water but the bottles in which water is.
Bisphenol (BPA) a chemical component that is used in manufacturing water bottles has negative effects on health and sex drive the most. BPA can lower sperm count, concentration, and vitality in men while it causes the production of less viable eggs in women.
Besides plastic bottles, plastic food contains that you keep your food in also carry harmful BPA and other chemicals. Things get worse when you use these plastic food containers in a microwave when heating the food.
Read this article: Why you should never use plastic food containers
10. Deli meats.
Deli meat is packaged in is made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride) a chemical component that leach into the meat.
PVC has got negative effects on your sexual drive as it causes hormonal shifts or imbalances.
11. Canned foods especially soups.
These are usually high in dietary sodium which increases blood pressure and reduces blood flow to certain body parts such as the genitals.
High sodium in the body is attributed to lots of other dangers such as enlarged heart muscle, heart failure, and others.
Other sex drive killers.
Besides foods, there are other sex drive killers and they include;
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stress
Stress can ruin your body in many ways with sex drive being among. When you are stressed, the body will less of the hormones responsible for sex drive leading to a decrease in libido and sexual stamina.
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Partner problems.
Having marriage problems or a quarrel with your loved one will cause a decrease in sex drive due to the decreased desire.
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Too little sleep.
When you don’t get quality sleep, the body will be exhausted and stressed. In this way, it will not be able to make hormones responsible for sex drive. Additionally, too little sleep leaves the body exhausted which makes it hard to enjoy sex.
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Kids.
You may not lose sex drive when you are a parent but parenthood will take a lot of time you would have been having sex. Many parents say that the times they used to have sex before having kids reduced by around 80%.
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Medications
Some medications can decrease sex drive as they may interfere with the production of sex hormones. Additionally, medications may also make the body weak and make sex difficult leading to loss of drive.
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Lack of self-confidence.
When a person doesn’t feel attractive or sexy, he/she may lose the sex drive. This is a self-inflicted condition when the person loses the sex drive due to negative feelings towards oneself.
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Obesity.
Being overweight or obese will make sex unenjoyable, difficult and the various health conditions associated with obesity such as heart disease and others leads to a decrease in sex drive.
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Erection problems or Cumming early.
When men get worried about their performance during sex, they tend to lose the desire to have sex.
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Menopause.
When women hit menopause, the body produces less of the sex hormones and they start losing sex drive slowly and slowly. With conditions such as vaginal dryness and pain during sex, they lose the desire to have sex and therefore a decrease in sex drive.
What foods increase sex drive
While some foods can ruin your sexual drive and stamina, other foods cans improve it. These are foods that increase blood flow to the genitals, stabilize hormones, and other ways that improve sexual drive and stamina.
Here are the best foods for sexual drive and stamina.
Apples: with a lot of nutrients, great water content, and quercetin. Quercetin can promote proper blood flow and help reduce the risk of Prostatitis which is the inflammation of the prostate gland that sometimes causes testicular discomfort and pain with ejaculation.
Bananas: are excellent foods to boost sexual drive.
Tomatoes: are like natural Viagra as they are packed with lycopene a powerful antioxidant that relaxes blood vessels and improves blood circulation.
Chili pepper: these are rich in vitamins such as E, A, K, B6, B3, and other nutrients such as iron, copper, and manganese all of which are responsible for sexual drive and stamina.
Chili pepper can also increase testosterone levels as well as increasing blood circulation to the genitals to help get erections quicker as well as maintain it.
Ginger: including ginger in your diet can help you have a lot of health benefits that improve your sexual drive. Ginger can boost and improve heart health, and ensure steady blood around the body and genitals.
Pumpkin seeds: these are some of the best zinc sources. Since zinc is essential in the production of testosterone, having pumpkin seeds can help the body meet its zinc requirements thus a healthy sex drive and stamina.
Meat, pork, and chicken: these are rich in nutrients such as carnitine, L-arginine, and zinc nutrients that contribute to the steady blood flow around the body.
Legumes: These include foods such as peanuts, g-nuts, peas, and beans. Legumes are excellent sources of B-group vitamins, iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium.
Avocado: is a libido booster and is packed with plenty of nutrients that improve sex health.
Mondia whitei roots: this is a sexual wonder herb that helps improve libido, sexual drive, and stamina.
When is sex drive high or low?
Normal sex drive ranges from one person to another and what may be considered high for one may be low for another and vice versa.
Therefore, estimating high or low sex drive is a bit complicated but too high a sex drive can be seen from the following factors.
- Increased desire for sex that you can’t stop, limit or control.
- When nothing can fulfill your desire for sex when you substitute for other activities.
- When sex has become an escape from your problems such as anger, stress, loneliness, anxiety, and others.
- Difficulty establishing a stable relationship due to your sexual behavior.
- When your sexual behaviors or desires have a negative impact on your work, friends, health, relationships.
What causes high sex drive?
The causes of a high sex drive in both men and women don’t differ so much. Both male and female share factors that cause a high sex drive and they are;
- Exercises.
Workouts and exercises can improve overall body health and brain making the body fully functional. The body then produces huge amounts of sex hormones leading to an increased sex drive.
- Drugs.
Many drugs can increase sex drive when used.
- Testosterone.
The increase of testosterone levels in the body can increase sex drive.
- Reduced stress levels.
When you are happy with lower levels of stress, your libido is likely to increase.
- Good sex.
When you have good sex that you enjoy, your body will crave more of that good sex leading to an increased sex drive in the process.
How does sex drive change with age in men?
Sex drive changes with age due to a number of factors but the most responsible factor is hormones.
In men, testosterone a hormone needed for sexual arousal and activity is usually high in the 20s so is the sex drive. But as time goes go and men’s testosterone levels tend to decrease with an increase in age.
Testosterone starts to decrease at the age of 35 and typically drops by about 1% per year but can be faster in some men. When combined with other factors such as work, family, stress, and others, testosterone levels can drop depending on how great you cope with these factors.
At the age of 50 and beyond, sex becomes less frequent as at this age erections happen less often and are less firm. Erectile dysfunction is likely to happen. If you happen to have heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity, sex drive becomes much more affected decreasing gradually.
It should however be noted that testosterone alone is not responsible for your sexual drive and therefore, taking good care of your health and lifestyle does impact your sex drive.
The bottom line.
Since foods have a major impact on your sex drive and health, be selective in the foods you eat most especially when you are looking to have a stable relationship or trying to have a baby.
We have quite a number of articles about sex and fertility that can help you stay on the safe side of amazing sex. Read the articles here;
Healthy foods to improve erectile dysfunction in men.
How to cure erectile dysfunction naturally
10 natural foods to help you last longer in bed
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