Health
Flirting might grab the attention of the object of your affection, but the way to reel them into your life is through the stomach.
And we’re not just talking about men. Food has a real impact on our feelings in both genders—so much so that picking the wrong foods can mean the difference between walking down the aisle or sobbing to a sad Taylor Swift song.
Before you panic and trash half of your pantry, we have good news: How food affects your love life isn't a mystery! You can help move your relationship along by hacking into the love-boosting properties of your favorite foods. Here's what you need to do.
1. Combine the Right Foods to Amp Up Love Hormones
Oysters have a reputation for being an aphrodisiac that’s much more than myth. These happy hour half-shells are chock full of zinc, a vital nutrient shown to help boost testosterone, the most important hormones that affect sex drive, in both men and women. Pumpkin seeds, spinach, cashews and chocolate are all exceptional T-boosters, too. Omega-3 and omega-6 also help amp up your libido by increasing your hormone receptor's ability to equalize adrenal levels. But to make it a memory your paramour won’t soon forget, you’ll also want to make sure they leave feeling good — and there’s a food for that. Some foods, like bananas, strawberries and red meat, naturally boost dopamine levels in the brain thanks to an amino acid called tyrosine. Make sure they make the plate at your next dinner date.
Eat This! Tip
Plan your next date-night meal using as many of these love- and sex-boosting foods as you can. For example, a meal made of salmon (full of omega-3s) and spinach (zinc) topped off with chocolate-covered bananas for dessert (tyrosine and zinc) to create the optimal environment for love in your brain and body—and your date's, too.
2. Keep 'Hanger' at Bay
You might think skipping meals is the way to get the slim look you long for, but hanger doesn’t look good on anyone. And the last thing you want to do is lash out at a date over drinks. One reason this hunger-induced rage happens is because your blood sugar drops off when you’ve gone too long without eating, says Josh Davis, Ph.D., neuroresearcher, food expert and author of Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done. Eating for balanced blood sugar levels will help you maintain a good mood and stable energy levels and make it easier to concentrate on the important task at hand: the object of your affection.
Eat This! Tip
Keeping your blood sugar on an even keel isn’t as difficult as it sounds. "Stabilize blood sugar by having [good] fats in your meals—healthy oils or avocados, for example—eat small meals more frequently rather than large ones with many hours in between and avoid high-glycemic carbohydrates, like pastas, breads, cakes and candies," advises Davis.
3. Spike Meals with Spices to Get Juices Flowing
Spice things up in the kitchen to turn up the heat in the bedroom. There's a reason your face gets flushed when you eat foods laced with spices like cayenne pepper, saffron, ginger, or nutmeg. Those spices are shown to stimulate blood flow, allowing more blood to rush to intimate areas when the night gets steamy. And it’s worth getting to know the maca root—a plant native to South America and a member of the mustard family— which is believed to help boost sexual function. It's even called "nature's Viagra," though its effects have yet to be proven through scientific research. Though its flavor leaves something to be desired, adding it to green smoothies helps make it more palatable.
Eat This! Tip
Mix a few spices in with your nutrient-infused meals and you'll boost the love-enhancing effects of your meal. Use cayenne pepper as part of a rub on meats like chicken and beef, or go international with some saffron-spiced paella.
4. Use Cooking as Foreplay
You don’t have to choose certain foods to hack your way to a healthy relationship. The simple act of preparing food together is enough to build a better bond. Working together to tackle a recipes forces serious teamwork and planning—all important factors in a successful (and loving) relationship, says relationship expert Dana Michel.
Eat This! Tip
"It doesn't matter if you’re foodies or not," says Michel, "Experiment with different spices and cuisines from around the world. The process of joint discovery creates a fun shared experience and a lasting memory, which is an aphrodisiac in itself.”
Food Hacks That Will Supercharge Your Love Life
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
0
Flirting might grab the attention of the object of your affection, but the way to reel them into your life is through the stomach.
And we’re not just talking about men. Food has a real impact on our feelings in both genders—so much so that picking the wrong foods can mean the difference between walking down the aisle or sobbing to a sad Taylor Swift song.
Before you panic and trash half of your pantry, we have good news: How food affects your love life isn't a mystery! You can help move your relationship along by hacking into the love-boosting properties of your favorite foods. Here's what you need to do.
1. Combine the Right Foods to Amp Up Love Hormones
Oysters have a reputation for being an aphrodisiac that’s much more than myth. These happy hour half-shells are chock full of zinc, a vital nutrient shown to help boost testosterone, the most important hormones that affect sex drive, in both men and women. Pumpkin seeds, spinach, cashews and chocolate are all exceptional T-boosters, too. Omega-3 and omega-6 also help amp up your libido by increasing your hormone receptor's ability to equalize adrenal levels. But to make it a memory your paramour won’t soon forget, you’ll also want to make sure they leave feeling good — and there’s a food for that. Some foods, like bananas, strawberries and red meat, naturally boost dopamine levels in the brain thanks to an amino acid called tyrosine. Make sure they make the plate at your next dinner date.
Eat This! Tip
Plan your next date-night meal using as many of these love- and sex-boosting foods as you can. For example, a meal made of salmon (full of omega-3s) and spinach (zinc) topped off with chocolate-covered bananas for dessert (tyrosine and zinc) to create the optimal environment for love in your brain and body—and your date's, too.
2. Keep 'Hanger' at Bay
You might think skipping meals is the way to get the slim look you long for, but hanger doesn’t look good on anyone. And the last thing you want to do is lash out at a date over drinks. One reason this hunger-induced rage happens is because your blood sugar drops off when you’ve gone too long without eating, says Josh Davis, Ph.D., neuroresearcher, food expert and author of Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done. Eating for balanced blood sugar levels will help you maintain a good mood and stable energy levels and make it easier to concentrate on the important task at hand: the object of your affection.
Eat This! Tip
Keeping your blood sugar on an even keel isn’t as difficult as it sounds. "Stabilize blood sugar by having [good] fats in your meals—healthy oils or avocados, for example—eat small meals more frequently rather than large ones with many hours in between and avoid high-glycemic carbohydrates, like pastas, breads, cakes and candies," advises Davis.
3. Spike Meals with Spices to Get Juices Flowing
Spice things up in the kitchen to turn up the heat in the bedroom. There's a reason your face gets flushed when you eat foods laced with spices like cayenne pepper, saffron, ginger, or nutmeg. Those spices are shown to stimulate blood flow, allowing more blood to rush to intimate areas when the night gets steamy. And it’s worth getting to know the maca root—a plant native to South America and a member of the mustard family— which is believed to help boost sexual function. It's even called "nature's Viagra," though its effects have yet to be proven through scientific research. Though its flavor leaves something to be desired, adding it to green smoothies helps make it more palatable.
Eat This! Tip
Mix a few spices in with your nutrient-infused meals and you'll boost the love-enhancing effects of your meal. Use cayenne pepper as part of a rub on meats like chicken and beef, or go international with some saffron-spiced paella.
You don’t have to choose certain foods to hack your way to a healthy relationship. The simple act of preparing food together is enough to build a better bond. Working together to tackle a recipes forces serious teamwork and planning—all important factors in a successful (and loving) relationship, says relationship expert Dana Michel.
Eat This! Tip
"It doesn't matter if you’re foodies or not," says Michel, "Experiment with different spices and cuisines from around the world. The process of joint discovery creates a fun shared experience and a lasting memory, which is an aphrodisiac in itself.”
Source:MSN
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