The Best Aphrodisiac Foods for Valentine’s Day
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it's the time of year to be thinking about romance and how to wow your date with an exceptional meal that sets the tone for your big date night. Throughout history, a myriad of foods have been used to ‘help’ boost sexual desires, with some more scientifically supported than others. Some aphrodisiacs work by stimulating certain areas of the brain, which can lead to increased sensitivity or simply make you feel happier, while others have a more historic and symbolic meaning that is deeply rooted in our cultural memory. Whether you are looking to light a fire within or just hoping the night runs without a hitch, we’ve got libido-boosting foods to help get you into the mood.
So sit back and relax and let us take you through the most potent aphrodisiacs to include in your Valentine’s Day plans…
Chilli
Red wine works in a number of ways to stimulate desire. Firstly, the ethanol from the alcohol stimulates your hypothalamus - a small but crucial part of your brain that is responsible for releasing hormones and sending them to your organs, therefore controlling your sexual drive.
Research has found that men who drink two glasses of wine per day had a significantly increased level of testosterone when compared to men who hadn’t drank any wine. This is thought to be due to the quercetin that is found in wine which blocks the production of an enzyme meant to flush the testosterone out of your body. A little extra testosterone means a whole load more sexual desire! However, red wine isn’t just one for the men. No matter your gender, consumption of red wine leads blood to rush to the surface of your skin, leaving you flushed. This effect doesn't stop with your rosy cheeks, instead rushing blood to your erogenous zones all over your body which increases sensitivity and arousal.