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To prevent such a misfortune, Fischer prescribes a low-fat diet that is based
on the medical findings of Dean Ornish, MD. His research has shown that heart
disease can be reversed with a low-fat diet, moderate exercise, and stress
management.
Fischer's diet follows Ornish's vegetarian 10%-fat diet, but adds
some meat to the regimen. Overall, a week of the Better Sex Diet would involve
eating lots of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, getting 10% of calories
from fat, 5% from saturated fat, and 75% from carbohydrates.
Six weeks of this can reportedly enhance your sexual vitality,
potency, and health. Sound too good to be true? Maybe not. While none of the
experts contacted by WebMD endorsed Fischer's diet, all of them said that a
program that's friendly to the heart should also be good for sex. In fact,
anything that promotes whole body health can apparently also enhance action in
the bedroom.
"A diet that's healthy for you overall will be healthy for your sex
life -- period," says Julie Walsh, MSRD, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic
Association.
Myths and Truths
People throughout history have used aphrodisiacs, believing that
certain edibles heighten pleasure between the sheets. Oysters and alcohol are
two popular examples in today's society. There are also reports, such as a
recent MensHealth article, that single out foods such as eggs, vanilla
ice cream, and celery as helpful aids. Another television news piece from
Florida says grapes, cereal, and blueberries can do the trick.
Many of these claims are based on the idea that particular vitamins
and nutrients in some foods can boost an aspect of sex. For example, the
vitamins in eggs can supposedly reduce performance anxiety and premature
ejaculation, the calcium in vanilla ice cream evidently makes orgasms more
powerful, and the folic acid in cereal keeps arteries clear, enhancing blood
flow to the right places.
Food science professional Mary Ellen Camire, PhD, encounters all
sorts of theories about why certain edibles improve sex life, and sometimes she
just has to laugh. She says it's true that some vitamins and nutrients have
particular benefits, but too much of one thing can also have a negative effect
on the body. Blueberries, for instance, have been touted as a good aid for
improving blood flow to the genitals. Consuming too much of the fruit, however,
can cause diarrhea.
Camire recommends a healthy diet, regular exercise, and a good
attitude. "If you're having a nice meal and you're with a partner you like,
that's all you need," she says. "It's as much in the mind as with anything
else."
Barnaby Barratt, PhD, president-elect of the American Association
of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, couldn't agree more. He says a
happy sex life ultimately depends upon ridding oneself of shame, guilt,
anxiety, and inhibition. "Sex is first and foremost a psychological issue," he
says. "Above and beyond that, things to do with food, diet, and so forth will
be useful, but they're not going to provide magical answers."
Psychology is so powerful, notes Barratt, that for some people who
believe in aphrodisiacs, specific foods may very well make them feel sexually
alive and vigorous. Others may also find great pleasure in playing with food
(such as licking whipped cream off of a partner's body) that it enhances the
sexual experience.
The Sweet Smell of Sex
The mere scent of food and other items may be enough to sexually
arouse men and women, according to research by Alan R. Hirsch, MD, FACP,
neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation
in Chicago. Hirsch conducted two studies that measured men and women's reaction
to different smells. One study measured blood flow to the penis, and the other
to the vagina.
The results: Men appeared to be turned on most by a combination of
smelling lavender and pumpkin pie, and women by Good and Plenty candy and
cucumber.
There's no surefire explanation for the findings, says Hirsch, who
theorizes that the favored smells may remind people of their childhoods. Such
nostalgia can supposedly reduce anxiety and inhibitions, thereby increasing
blood flow to the genitals.
Previous research has shown that smells are important in
attraction, says Barratt, but those studies have mainly focused on people's
scents. "Clearly, we do know that how people smell has an effect on the sexual
desire of a partner," he says, noting that a body's scent has a lot to do with
the person's diet.
By Dulce Zamora
Reviewed By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, July 25, 2007.
Originally published March 24, 2003.
Medically updated July 25, 2007.
SOURCES: Lynn Fischer, The Better Sex Diet
. Julie Walsh, MSRD, spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association. MensHealth
: "The Sex-For-Life Diet." WESH.com: "Eat Better to Improve Your Sex Life."
Mary Ellen Camire, PhD, professor of food science and human nutrition at the
University of Maine. Barnaby Barratt, PhD, president-elect, American
Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. Alan R. Hirsch, MD,
FACP, neurological director, Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation,
Chicago.
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