It’s a long-held belief, or possible truth, that certain foods boost your sex drive. Oysters, with their sensual shape and supposed libido-boosting qualities, have always been the go-to of aphrodisiac foods, but in recent years more foods have been added to the lusty list. These foods include asparagus, bananas, avocados, chili peppers and, even, wheat germ.
So what is the correlation between foods and sex-drive? It’s easy to understand that “sexy” foods like oysters, chocolate and hot peppers might have a kind of arousal effect, but wheat germ? The answer is in the minerals, vitamins and chemicals that certain foods have, and subsequently, could have an effect on your desire. For example, oysters contain high amounts of zinc, and zinc stimulates testosterone, an important hormone in sex drive. Therefore, one could claim that eating something with high amounts of zinc could stimulate your libido. The same goes for wheat germ. Wheat germ contains high amounts of vitamin E, which is required for the synthesis of hormones. Again, your hormones play the main role in your body’s ability to feel aroused, so it could be correlated that a healthy wheat germ intake, keeps your body poised for sex. Yet another example is chocolate. Chocolate contains tryptophan, an essential amino acid that takes part in the production of serotonin. Serotonin is the chemical in your body that relaxes you and makes you feel good, both obvious factors for sex.
But is there any scientific evidence that aphrodisiac foods actually make you want to have sex? We wanted to put this myth to bed once and for all, so we turned to top Expert, Dr. Chip on JustAnswer, to see what he had to say about aphrodisiac foods.
Here’s his response: “The so-called aphrodisiac properties of oysters and avocados are pure myth. There is nothing in either that increases the desire for sex soon after eating them.”
There you have it: False. Aphrodisiac foods don’t increase sex drive, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep enjoying them. And really, isn’t enjoyment the point?
