Recently I was asked to contribute to an article on the 10 foods to avoid before intimacy. Seemed to me to be quite straight forward; just use some good old common sense, search the internet and the answers are found. There is nothing new about what I wrote, but it did raise a bigger question: Why do we partake of romantic meals in hopes of opening the gateway to intimacy? If food and sex don’t mix why a dinner date?
Intimacy on a full stomach surely is asking for a disaster. Digestion takes blood away from the genitals, making it more difficult for a man to get and maintain an erection, and for a woman to get aroused. Women can feel bloated, so when in the missionary position this can be a potential problem. Digestion is a process that demands time. So when it comes to intimacy starting with a big heavy undigested meal and then having sex is not the best course of action.
Basically what you want to avoid is anything that causes gas, indigestion and bloating. Here is my list
Ten Foods to avoid
1. Steak and heavy meat — heavy protein — it takes longer to digest heavy protein. Blood is pulled away from the extremities and towards the digestive tract making it more difficult for a man to get and hold an erection
2. Dense heavy carbohydrate like rolls and bagels. These cause bloating.
3. Crucifers such as broccoli and cabbage — gas producing foods
4. Sugar — also produces gas in the intestinal tract
5. Artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol — gas and diarrhea
6. Citrus is a cause of indigestion — avoid lemons, oranges
7. Garlic and Onions sulfur forming foods that create fowl smells on the breath
8. Fried foods lower testosterone and block circulation
9. Tofu or for that matter a vegetarian dinner can actually lower the sex drive
10. Skip dessert — heavy rich sugary dessert gives us a quick lift and then a swift let down. Mood is an important factor when it comes to intimacy so avoid the mood swings of sugar.
Now this tells us foods to avoid, but it doesn’t answer the question of why we mix romance and food?
Feeding and courtship are always somewhat linked. The praying mantis may take it to an extreme by eating her mate after the sex, but many species use food as bait for romance. In species such as humans the ability of the male to provide for the female both while she is pregnant and after when she is nursing the babies is very important. A man’s ability to provide is an indicator of his suitability. It also indicates his investment in the females’ offspring.
While studies show that men universally go for looks women are more concerned with finding a mate that can provide. So the romantic dinner is used as the prelude to mating. However, it needs to be done with a little forethought and not disastrous hindsight. So what foods should you eat before a night of intimacy?
Ten Foods to Eat
1. Salmon, fish or shellfish — easy to digest lean protein
2. Spinach or any dark green — good source of sex minerals
3. Mango and papaya — good source of niacin — the touch mineral
4. Carrots and sweet potatoes — vitamin A for hormone production
5. Chicken and turkey — tryptophan — mix with complex carb and improve serotonin the feel good transmitter- set the mood
6. Cinnamon and cloves — manganese to support reproductive health
7. Hot chili peppers — improve circulation
8. Asparagus — boost histamine levels necessary for sex
9. Burrata cheese — good fat and cholesterol necessary for hormone production
10. Chocolate and vanilla — antioxidants and the stimulation of PEA the romance neurotransmitter
Eat light and healthy before a night of romance. It’s not so much that the food will bring on the spark of romance, but it is true that you are what you eat. Eat heavy and you will feel like a bloated boring oft. Eat light allowing the flirtation and seduction of the dinner to usurp digestion. With blood circulating, the hormones flowing, touch heightened and the mood enhanced the seduction of the food is sure to lead to romance.
The sharing of food is at the heart of human intimacy. Food has always been used as a means of seduction. The dinner date is an opportunity to discover love. Don’t ruin it with over indulgence in foods that weigh you down. The food is as much a part of the ritual of courtship as the stolen kisses and flirting glances. Used wisely food is at the heart of seduction, providing sustenance and health and this makes the dinner date the gateway to intimacy.
Doctor Lynn
http://www.facebook.com/DrLynnAnderson
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Originally published at medium.com