What you eat can have a tremendous effect on your sex life. Foods like raw oysters are known as aphrodisiacs for their sensual texture and ability to boost testosterone levels. Unfortunately, some foods can have as negative an effect as others have a positive. Eating the wrong foods--particularly before a sexual encounter--can cause a sharp drop in your sex drive. Knowing what foods to stay away from can keep your libido piqued for when the time is right.
Caffeinated Beverages
Caffeine--particularly high levels--can decrease cortisol levels in your body. This hormone affects your ability to handle stress. As you lose cortisol, adrenal gland fatigue sets in and hormones are not produced at an adequate level. This impairs your body's desire for sex due to back a lack of hormones as well as energy.
High-Cholesterol Foods
Consuming foods that are high in cholesterol and saturated fat, such as fried foods, fast food, pre-packaged foods such as frozen dinners and vending machine food increases your body's blood cholesterol levels. This creates a thin lining of fat along the blood vessels near your heart, but it can also cause the same development in the blood vessels of your penis. This impairs circulation in the penis and can inhibit the physical response to sexual stimulation, which can reduce your libido--it's not likely to impress your partner either.
Alcoholic Beverages
Drinking alcohol may be a go-to tactic by many people seeking sexual encounters without inhibition, but alcohol is a depressant that can impair your libido. In men it also creates a reaction similar to estrogen, a female hormone that can reduce sex drive. Heavy drinking can lead to a shrinking of the testes in men as well as the potential for impotence.
