Move over, oysters: these seven Paleo foods are the strongest natural aphrodisiacs to increase your sex drive!
Sex hormones help regulate your libido. For women, the two major sex hormones are estrogen and progesterone; for men, the major sex hormone is testosterone.
Did you know sex hormones are also responsible for regulating your immune system? Your immune system is designed to be one of your first lines of defense against disease, and with today’s lifestyles we unnecessarily take shots at our own defense.
Think – making a habit out of anything that gives you stress, inhaling all those processed foods you impulse-buy, not getting enough sleep, refusing to exercise, etc.
Unhealthy lifestyle and diet choices can attack your immune system and consequently, diminish your sex drive.
While your libido may thrive during your 20s and 30s with these poor lifestyle habits, the glitz and glam won’t last forever. Unhealthy lifestyle and diet choices can attack your immune system and consequently, diminish your sex drive.
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to turning to the medical field for ways to raise your sex drive, but before modern medicine took up your shelves, Mother Nature had gifted us with quite a few edible aphrodisiacs:
1. Watermelon
This dreamy-eyed summer fruit has the power to relax your blood vessels and increase your blood flow, two extremely important factors in boosting your arousal.
Watermelon contains an amino acid called citrulline. Citrulline gets converted into another amino acid called arginine which can raise testosterone levels, as well as dilate your blood vessels to benefit your heart and circulatory system.
Watermelon rinds have a higher concentration of citrulline than the flesh, so try including the rind the next time you use your juicer if you’re looking to get the citrulline boost.
Watermelon is also packed with vitamin B6. Your body puts B6 to work producing feel-good neurotransmitters, or brain communication chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin.
2. Garlic
There’s nothing like going in for a kiss and getting a mouthful of garlic breath (kidding!). Garlic is a natural blood thinner and possesses high levels of allicin, a chemical compound known to improve blood flow directly to your sexual organs.
To maximize these benefits, make sure to chop or crush the garlic into pieces and let it sit around for a while so it has time to release its enzymes.
3. Avocados
Avocados contain vitamin B6, also known to boost progesterone levels and regulate estrogen metabolism in women. Monounsaturated fats found in avocados are known to naturally increase testosterone levels in men.
Another testosterone booster in the green testicle-like mix is vitamin E, which is additionally believed to enhance blood circulation and improve sperm quality and motility. Additionally, avocados are packed with potassium and folic acid which enhance energy and stamina.
4. Meat
Get some meat on your plate to get a surge in your carnitine, arginine, and zinc intake. Zinc regulates estrogen, helps increase progesterone, and raises testosterone. Zinc is also a crucial player regulating dopamine, one of your neurological messengers for sexual desire.
Carnitine and arginine are important amino acids that get your blood flowing, boost your sexual responses, and have effectively treated erectile dysfunction.
However, be aware of your meat sources, as other components could outweigh these benefits. Make sure you opt for grass-fed, organic meat that’s free of antibiotics and added hormones when possible. Moderation is also key.
5. Chocolate
Chocolate contains phenylethylamine or “PEA” – PEA is a psycho-stimulant that has the ability to imitate the feeling of falling in love or sensations of euphoria. PEA is the key to releasing norepinephrine and dopamine, chemicals that are imperative to pleasure and excitement.
Methylxanthines found in chocolate increase your body’s sensitivity to help get your buttons pushed; arginine is present in chocolate as well.
Eat with caution, however; not all chocolate is created equal. The more processed the chocolate (i.e. through alkalizing, fermenting, roasting, and other means), the more of the good stuff will have evaporated. Raw cacao and dark chocolate are the best in terms of minimal processing.
6. Figs
Voted favorite fruit by Cleopatra, figs are high in magnesium, a key ingredient in estrogen and androgen (testosterone is a type of androgen) production, as well as dopamine production. Figs are high in tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin, and aids increased pheromone secretion that trigger sexual attraction.
7. Honey
Honey contains boron, a mineral that helps increase testosterone levels in men and facilitates estrogen use in women. You can also find high vitamin B6 content in honey that’s good for your libido-related neurotransmitters and hormones. Try drizzling some of this sticky, sweet sensation onto your figs.
Liz Lang is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the Southern California Institute for Research and Education in the field of Gastroenterology. Liz graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Public Health Sciences. She has an insatiable thirst to learn how the human body works in order to keep people healthy. When Liz isn’t in the clinic, she enjoys exploring nature, yoga, and trying new things (especially food!).
Kelsey Alea, is a certified nutritional therapist at PaleoHacks. She is the author of the Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook. The cookbook features 80 mouth-watering Keto slow cooker recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. It is a perfect cookbook for those who want to indulge, save time in the kitchen, and stay in ketosis.
A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.
We have lots of hormones operating within our bodies, but some have a bigger impact than others. Here is an introduction to the four most influential hormones, and the importance of hormone balancing.
Hormones are chemical messengers that are responsible for controlling many bodily functions – from appetite to emotions, reproduction to metabolism, and many things in between.
Hormones are synthesized, or made, in endocrine organs. Endocrine organs are also known as glands, and the hormone-producing glands include the pituitary, parathyroid, thyroid, hypothalamus, thymus, pancreas, adrenal glands, pineal gland, ovaries, and testes.
4 Hormones That Have a Big Impact on Your Health
There are numerous hormones within the body, but certain hormones have a bigger impact on overall body function than others. In this blog post we will cover four of the major influencers: cortisol, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.
When hormones are working properly, they help the body function at optimal capacity. When they are overproducing or under-producing, they can have life-altering and major consequences.
Steroid hormones, like cortisol, are fat-soluble, and can actually cause changes within cells because they can pass through cell membranes. Cortisol production is controlled by the hypothalamus, adrenal glands, and pituitary gland. Cells all across the body have cortisol receptors since it influences a number of body functions, and it is a hormone critical for overall wellness and health.
Cortisol can become unbalanced, either overproduced or under-produced, in response to excessive stressful situations, as well as in response to other hormone imbalances, an autoimmune disorder known as Addison’s disease, or a tumorous condition known as Cushing’s syndrome.
Cushing’s syndrome occurs when a tumor in the pituitary or adrenal glands forces overproduction of cortisol, resulting in high blood levels of the hormone. Symptoms can include excessive weight gain in the abdomen, chest, and face, but not elsewhere. Cushing’s syndrome, however, is a rare condition. Imbalanced cortisol levels can lead to Cushing’s syndrome or Addison’s disease.
Addison’s disease is the opposite of Cushing’s, where not enough cortisol is present. Addison’s disease is also quite rare, and is typically autoimmune in nature. It causes damage to the adrenal glands and can result in debilitating symptoms like fatigue, mood changes and depression, muscle degeneration, and skin disorders.
While these two extreme conditions are rare, cortisol problems are most frequently seen in conjunction with excessive stress. Initially, when stress responses happen, cortisol is produced to help address the problem. This is commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” response. However, modern stress doesn’t typically involve life-threatening circumstances, and so the stress doesn’t always naturally resolve itself.
Over time, as cortisol continues to be overproduced in response to lifestyle stress, the adrenal glands become tired, and cortisol production eventually begins to burn out, resulting in chronically low cortisol levels.
When cortisol is off balance, it can drag other hormones into chaos with it, especially reproductive hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Hormone health relies on a careful equilibrium, and when that is disrupted, the problem needs to be addressed from the source, not simply from trying to fix a single hormone.
Testosterone
Testosterone, an androgen hormone, is the primary reproductive hormone in men. It triggers puberty and facial hair growth, as well as the development of lean muscle mass and strength.
However, while testosterone is often thought of as the male sex hormone, it’s also present in women, and required for proper hormone balance in both sexes. Testosterone is present in both men and women, enhancing libido and regulating reproductive health.
In men, testosterone is produced in the testes; in women, it is synthesized by the ovaries. The adrenal glands in both sexes also produce testosterone. Its job goes beyond reproduction and manliness, however.
Testosterone tells the body to make new blood cells, enhances libido for both sexes, and regulates the production of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in women, playing a crucial role in the menstrual cycle and reproductive health.
Estrogen
Commonly known as a women’s hormone, estrogen is actually found in both women and men. However, women have much higher levels.
Technically, there are three kinds of estrogen.
Estradiol: The most common kind of estrogen in women of reproductive age.
Estriol: The form of estrogen produced to help nourish a pregnancy.
Estrone: The form of estrogen produced in women of menopausal age.
Estradiol in women triggers puberty, prepares the uterus for pregnancy, and regulates menstruation. It also helps to regulate cholesterol and maintain bone health.
In women, estrogen is primarily produced in the ovaries, where eggs are also produced. Estrogen is a crucial hormone for fertility and reproductive wellness.
Adrenal glands also produce small levels of estrogen, which is where it’s produced in men. Fat tissue can also have some effect on estrogen production, which is why obesity can often lead to estrogen dominance and imbalances in other hormones.
A woman’s menstrual cycle is a constant shuffling of hormone levels. In the early stages of the cycle, estrogen levels begin to rise and peak at the middle of the cycle, when ovulation occurs. After that, estrogen levels slowly decline as progesterone increases. Estrogen levels are at their lowest level during a woman’s period.
Progesterone
Progesterone is the other primary female hormone that is commonly associated with reproduction and pregnancy. As estrogen falls after ovulation, progesterone rises.
Progesterone, like cortisol, is a steroid hormone. Progesterone is produced by the corpus luteum after ovulation. If the eggs get fertilized and pregnancy happens, progesterone production is eventually taken over by the placenta. If pregnancy doesn’t occur, the corpus luteum breaks down and menstruation takes place, beginning a new cycle.
Just as estrogen is vital for a healthy menstrual cycle, so is progesterone. When estrogen dominance occurs, progesterone levels tend to be low. When elevated progesterone levels are present, they can prevent ovulation.
Either hormone being out of balance can dramatically impact a woman’s menstrual cycle, and, ultimately, her reproductive health and total body wellness. Even women who are not trying to conceive need to be aware of their hormone health to promote general well-being
What Causes Hormones to Get Out of Whack?
What causes hormones to get out of whack? They’re so finicky and sensitive that the answer could be just about anything. But the fact is, there are some key triggers that are commonly found to be at the core of hormone disruption:
While there is no specific diet that addresses every single hormone, there are some general eating guidelines for hormone balance.
Foods to eat:
Lots and lots of vegetables, any and all kinds. They help the liver and other detox organs break down old hormones, and also aid in reducing the body’s toxic load. Vegetables are also loaded with fiber and nutrients that help promote digestion and cellular health.
Quality sourced proteins. While it isn’t so much the ratio of protein to other nutrients that is important, it’s the principle of blood sugar balance. Hormones are very sensitive and respond to other body imbalances, and blood sugar is a good place to start.
Quality Paleo fats, which promote proper hormone production in males and females.
Foods to avoid:
Processed foods, which contribute an additional toxic load to the body.
Vegetable oils and trans fats, which contribute to excess adipose tissue and which can perpetuate hormone imbalances.
Grains and legumes, which are rich in phytates and lectins, are also known as “anti-nutrients” that are harder to digest and which can bind with minerals, ushering them out of the body.
Dairy products, which can perpetuate hormone imbalances (especially estrogen).
Soy products, which are controversial for their estrogenic properties, and which also contain anti-nutrients.
4 Common Hormone Imbalances & Ways to Fix Them
While hormone problems can be complex and multifaceted, there are some common hormone problems that seem to impact people the most.
Low Estrogen / High Estrogen
Estrogen balance is critical for proper reproductive health, bone health, and general mood balance. When estrogen is produced in too little or too high amounts, the ensuing symptoms can include hot flashes, reduced libido, weight gain (especially around the midsection), dry skin, cystic breasts or fibroids, and worsened PMS symptoms.
Even men need estrogen in appropriate levels, and when they don’t have enough they can suffer from excess fat around the middle and a decreased sex drive. Men with excess estrogen are prone to development of fat around breast tissue and may be unable to maintain an erection. Men with too much estrogen can suffer from a decreased sex drive.
Strategy: Estrogen balance is best addressed in men and women by eating a diet rich in vegetables and by avoiding grains, soy, and dairy. Since the liver helps to clear estrogen, following a liver cleanse for 21 days or longer can help to aid in the reduction of estrogenic imbalance. A liver cleanse includes cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, other low-starch vegetables and fruits, and easily digestible proteins like turkey, chicken, and salmon.
Perimenopause and Menopause
Perimenopause and menopause present special challenges for women. As reproductive years’ end, estrogen production dramatically shifts. The body begins to produce more estrone instead of estradiol, and progesterone levels also decrease. Symptoms resulting can be anything from hot flashes to mood swings, dry skin to night sweats, and a number of things in between.
Perimenopause, which starts in a woman’s late thirties or early forties, is the period of transition from reproduction to menopause. It typically lasts about a decade, but can be shorter or longer. Menopause occurs when a woman stops producing eggs and having menstrual periods completely.
Strategy: During this time of transition, women can find it harder to lose weight and easier to gain it. Focusing on a clean, Paleo diet rich in vegetables and backed by healthy fats and lean proteins can help to prevent menopausal weight gain and help ease other unpleasant hormonal symptoms.
Women should aim for seven servings of vegetables daily, favoring leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables over starchy ones, and two or three servings of berries or apples, pears, and avocado.
Low Progesterone
While low progesterone occurs in menopausal women, it can also commonly occur in women of reproductive age.
When a woman’s menstrual cycle is disrupted due to high estrogen or other reproductive disorders like PCOS, endometriosis, or fibroids, ovulation can be impacted. When a woman isn’t regularly ovulating, no corpus luteums are produced, and natural progesterone production is impacted and reduced.
Strategy: While food can’t specifically increase progesterone, managing hormone imbalance with diet is possible. By eating foods to help balance estrogen, progesterone will naturally be supported.
Specifically, focus on foods rich in magnesium (dark leafy greens, nuts, and seeds) and vitamin C (fruits and vegetables), avoid foods that can interfere with healthy hormone balance like alcohol, caffeine, sugar (processed or natural), and eat nuts and seeds in moderation.
High Testosterone / Low Testosterone
While men will rarely have negative symptoms from high testosterone levels, women who experience excess testosterone will have symptoms that can include acne, increased body and facial hair, hair loss, and possibly PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), a condition associated with infertility.
Low testosterone for men, however, is a problematic situation. It can contribute to infertility, increased body fat, decreased libido, and mood disturbances, including anxiety and depression. It can also contribute to muscle loss.
Strategy: Balancing testosterone levels in men and women can be influenced positively by reducing highly refined foods in the diet and increasing vegetables, healthy proteins, and quality sourced fats.
Sample Hormone-Balancing Foods
While there is no one-size-fits-all diet for all hormone balancing problems, the same basic principles apply. Foods that are good balancers for men and women include:
Proteins like eggs, chicken, grass-fed beef
Healthy fats like avocado, coconut oil, salmon
Leafy greens like spinach, chard, romaine
Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts
Anti-inflammatory foods like garlic, beets, ginger, and turmeric
Aimee McNew is a Certified Nutritionist who specializes in women’s health, thyroid problems, infertility, and digestive wellness. She ate her way back to health using a Paleo diet, lost 80 pounds, and had a healthy baby after numerous miscarriages. She focuses on simple nutrition practices that promote long-lasting results.
Kelsey Alea, is a certified nutritional therapist at PaleoHacks. She is the author of the Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook. The cookbook features 80 mouth-watering Keto slow cooker recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. It is a perfect cookbook for those who want to indulge, save time in the kitchen, and stay in ketosis.
A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.
The researchers extracted cells from rats and injected them with various flavanol compounds derived from cocoa.
While the cells injected with a complete cocoa extract and with oligomeric or polymeric procyanidin-rich extract showed no improvement in function, those treated with a monomeric catechin-rich extract immediately started producing more insulin.
To verify their findings, they fed this monomeric catechin compound to rats on a high-fat diet and compared them with rats not given this substance.
The treated rats had lower blood sugar levels and were less obese than the untreated ones… despite the bad diet.
There are a few problems with simply eating cocoa, however.
1. When they used a complete cocoa extract, it failed to work, which probably means that the amount required to stimulate your beta cells is higher than you can obtain when eating cocoa or cocoa chocolate. It was only one component of cocoa (monomeric catechin) that improved diabetes.
2. Cocoa is bitter and normally becomes appetizing only once you mix it with a lot of sugar. Sugar obviously increases blood sugar and compromises insulin secretion the most, which is then completely self-defeating for a diabetic to consume.
So, if you’re going to consume cocoa, try to get very dark (preferable over 90%) chocolate.
Then, combine that chocolate with other foods high in monomeric catechin, such as green tea, apples, pears, red wine, guavas, blackberries, raspberries, and cherries.
The fact is, artificial sweeteners are not any better. Studies have shown that diet sodas are just as bad for high blood pressure as sugary sodas and may indeed be worse for obesity.
No sweetener comes close to having the health benefits of honey.
It can be consumed in drinks, foods or deserts. Or, it can be applied to the skin or added to your bath water.
Honey has been used for centuries as a natural antibacterial and antifungal medicine. How many of us had our mothers brought warm milk or hot lemon water with honey in it when we had the flu as kids?
It has also been used traditionally as antibacterial protection on open wounds. It can also be put on the face to heal wrinkles and bring out a healthy shine in skin.
Sugars and high fructose corn syrup are what we call empty calories. They are sweet, but include no nutrition whatsoever. Honey on the other hand, is loaded with nutrition, vitamins and minerals. Its antioxidant qualities are well known to enhance overall health, remove cholesterol buildup and even improve type 2 diabetes.
Honey seems to interact differently with the body than regular sugars; moderate consumption of honey doesn’t have to cause weight increase. Some studies have even indicated that consuming honey will help you lose weight.
One of the most detailed studies on honey for high blood pressure involved a study on rats. The scientist learned that the blood pressure of rats who supplemented with honey dropped while the comparison group stayed the same.
The wonderful thing to take away from this is that we don’t have to deprive ourselves of the sweet things in life. Just make small adjustments to choose honey over sugar and you’ll not only be avoiding the negative effects, you’ll also reap the benefits.
Want to learn more about tackling different diseases naturally? Check out:
Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which your body becomes resistant to insulin. Since insulin is meant to regulate the amount of glucose in your blood, your glucose levels rise when your body no longer responds properly to insulin.
When you eat sugar, your liver converts it to glucose. This glucose is then available for your body to use as energy.
In a study published in a recent edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, scientists demonstrate how sugar, or to be more precise fructose, causes insulin resistance.
Mammals have a protein called carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein, or simply ChREBP, in the metabolic tissue throughout their bodies.
In a study on a large group of mice, the scientists discovered that this protein is activated in the liver the moment fructose is eaten or injected.
This ChREBP then stimulates the liver to produce glucose, regardless of the amount of insulin that the pancreas produces to regulate it.
In other words, the insulin tries to regulate the amount of glucose your liver produces, but the ChREBP causes your liver to produce huge amounts of glucose, a bit like the Grimm brothers’ magic pot that kept on cooking porridge until it filled the whole house, and the whole street, and the whole town.
The pancreas then responds by making more and more insulin, a process that eventually causes the rest of the body’s metabolic tissue to become resistant to insulin.
The scientists first discovered this process in mice, and then verified it by taking autopsy samples from human livers.
Incredibly, even when they genetically modified the mice to activate their livers’ insulin signalling pathways to the maximum, thereby creating mice whose livers should not have been able to produce glucose, fructose still triggered excessive glucose production by their livers.
Interestingly, according to the research, the ChREBP triggers this process only when we eat fructose, not glucose itself.
So what contains fructose?
The only healthy forms in which to consume fructose are in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. It is healthy in these forms because it is not the main ingredient.
Fruit, vegetables, and whole grains also contain plenty of fiber that stops your body from absorbing the fructose too quickly. As a result, your liver is not drowned in huge quantities of it.
Other sweeteners like beet and cane sugar contain combinations of glucose and fructose without any fiber to slow down their absorption by your body. Even honey, which many people consider a healthy option, is packed with glucose and fructose.
Most commercial sweeteners that are added to food contain almost pure fructose, as manufacturers have discovered that pure fructose is significantly sweeter than mixed fructose and glucose.
Worst of all is added high-fructose-corn syrup.
This means that you should cut down on sodas, many commercially available fruit juices, ice cream, desserts, sandwich spreads, bottled and packaged sauces, pickled products, and a wide variety of other processed foods.
In fact, if you have full-blown Type 2 Diabetes, you should cut down as much fructose as possible.
This post is from the 3 Steps Diabetes Strategy Program. It was created by Jodi Knapp from Blue Heron health news that has been recognized as one of the top-quality national health information websites.
In this program, Jodi Knapp shares practical tips and advice on how you can prevent and cure diabetes naturally. She also dispels myths commonly associated with diabetes, like for example, diabetes being a lifelong condition. There are also lots of information going around that is simply not true and she’s here to correct it.
Diabetes is a disease, and it can be cured. This is just one of the important tips Jodi reveals in her program. Also, she included several ways in preventing the onset of disease, choosing the right food to eat, recommended vitamin supplements, the right time of the day to take the blood sugar and many more.
But the most amazing thing would have to be her program which only takes 3 simple steps to help you to control & treat type 2 diabetes. What it does is cure diabetes without having to rely on expensive drugs, diets that make sufferers crave for even more food they are not supposed to eat, and exercise programs that make people feel tired and depressed.
