49 foods to improve your sexual function

If your erectile dysfunction is mild or has been occurring for less than 3 months it is worth attempting to improve your erection the natural way.

Natural ways to improve your sexual function include lifestyle changes and better choices with your diet. Foods that are commonly used to improve your erectile dysfunction are known as aphrodisiacs or superfoods. This article lists the ones that have the potential to help you in the bedroom.

There are 3 types of foods that men should increase in their diet to improve their sexual function:

1. Testosterone boosters

Many men are concerned with low levels of testosterone. Your testosterone naturally falls as you age. Of course, if you feel your testosterone is low, you should talk with a men’s health doctor about testing and treatment. Regardless you should always attempt to eat foods that foster a healthy level of testosterone.

2. Nitric oxide boosters

Nitric oxide is one of the factors that play a key role in the process of an erection. Erectile dysfunction is usually a result of increased oxidation or a decrease in the formation of nitric oxide. (Dean and Lue 2005).

3. Libido boosters

Although libido and testosterone levels are strongly related in men, there are foods that you can consume to increase your libido independently of your testosterone levels.

As with most whole foods and good quality produce many of the foods listed below have multiple benefits for your sexual health and general wellbeing.

Foods to improve your sexual health and performance

Below is a list of common foods that have shown promising results in the bedroom. Foods marked with an asterisk (*) appear in more than one category.

Zinc is among the most important nutrients for your sexual health. It was shown that the supplementation of marginally zinc-deficient elderly men for half a year leads to an increase in testosterone. (Prasad et al, 1996).

1 Oysters
2. Beef
3. Chicken*
4. Pork*
5. Lentils

Oysters have long been considered a natural libido booster.

Omega 3 fatty acids can help you improve your erectile function, especially when it is caused by restricted blood flow. In a long-term study, it was reported that fish oil supplementation improves the semen quality and increases the testosterone levels (Risso et al, 2016).

6. Fish
7. Walnuts
8. Tofu
9. Flax seeds
10. Chia seeds

Curcumin is the primary substance in turmeric and is known for its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It can be used to prevent hypertension-mediated male reproductive dysfunction (Akinyemi et al, 2015).

11. Turmeric

Turmeric can prevent hypertension-mediated male reproductive dysfunction.

Magnesium has properties that help relax your muscles. It helps with muscle and nerve function and regulates blood pressure.

12. Dark chocolate
13. Avocados
14. Nuts
15. Bananas
16. Leafy greens
17. Okra

Arginine can be used to improve fertility (Chen et al, 2017) and has been shown to increase nitric oxide and improve erectile function and protect the sperm (Sudha et al, 2006).

18. Turkey
19. Pork*
20. Chicken*
21. Spirulina
22. Peanuts
36. Chickpeas

Fenugreek has been used as an anti-inflammatory, libido-boosting treatment. It can contribute to the control of testosterone levels and improve libido (Steels et al, 2011) .

23. Fanugreek seed

Lycopene is found in tomatoes and is known for it’s benefit to your heart health. The regular consumption of tomatoes has been proven to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. (Applegate et al, 2019)

24. Tomatoes
25. Guava*
26. Papaya
27. Red bell peppers
28. Watermelon
29. Pink grapefruit

Vitamin E is said to increase blood flow and oxygen to your genitals. It also is a key player in the production of your sex hormones to give you that sex drive boost.

30. Almonds
31. Avocados
32. Spinach
33. Sunflower seeds*
34. Kiwi
35. Broccoli

Almonds can cure erectile dysfunction. — The vitamin E in almonds is said to increase blood flow to the groin.

When combined with Vitamin E, Vitamin C supports your testosterone status.

36. Guava
37. Kiwi
38. Strawberries
39. Bell peppers
40. Oranges
41. Papaya

Vitamin D: It has been shown that men with lowered levels of Vitamin D have a high possibility of lower total testosterone (Chen et al, 2019).

42. Salmon
43. Mushrooms

L-Arganine is an amino acid used to make nitric oxide, a molecule that facilitates the flow of blood to the penis during an erection, and is the most common amino acid found in sexual supplements.

44. Turkey
45. Pork*
46. Chicken*
47. Spirulina
48. Peanuts
49. Chickpeas

Easy recipe to boost your sexual health

Here is an easy Turmeric Chicken recipe to boost your sexual health.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, about 1.5 kg
300 gr. coconut milk
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 cloves of garlic
salt & pepper
juice and zest of 2 limes
4 capsicums (assorted colours)

Instructions

Preheat the oven on- air 180^οC Celsius.
Cut the chicken in 10 pieces
In a bowl, mix the chicken, coconut milk, chilli flakes, curcumin, garlic gloves, salt, pepper, the juice, and zest of the limes.
Cover it and put it in the fridge of 3-4 hours.
Cut the peppers into strips and put them on the bottom of your tray.
Put the marinated chicken on top of the peppers.
Bake it for 50-60 minutes.

Easy turmeric chicken recipe to boost male sexual health and cure erectile dysfunction. — Easy turmeric chicken recipe to boost male sexual health.

References

Akinyemi AJ, Adedara IA, Thome GR, et al. Dietary supplementation of ginger and turmeric improves reproductive function in hypertensive male rats. Toxicol Rep. 2015;2:1357-1366. Published 2015 Oct 13.
Applegate, C., Rowles, J. and Erdman, J., 2019. Can Lycopene Impact the Androgen Axis in Prostate Cancer?: A Systematic Review of Cell Culture and Animal Studies. Nutrients, 11(3), p.633.
Chen, C., Zhai, H., Cheng, J., Weng, P., Chen, Y., Li, Q., Wang, C., Xia, F., Wang, N. and Lu, Y., 2019. Causal Link Between Vitamin D and Total Testosterone in Men: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 104(8), pp.3148-3156.
Chen, J., Li, Y., Li, Z., Lu, H., Zhu, P., & Li, C. (2018). Dietary l-arginine supplementation improves semen quality and libido of boars under high ambient temperature. Animal, 12(8), 1611-1620.
J Sex Marital Ther. 1998 Apr-Jun; 24(2):139-43.
Da Cruz, A., Guerra, N., de Souza, K., de Castro Eleutério, I., da Silva, L., Otoni, E., Alves, M. and Regis, W., 2017. The action of herbal medicine on the libido: aspects of nutritional intervention in increasing sexual desire. Nutrire, 42(1).
Dean, R. and Lue, T., 2005. Physiology of Penile Erection and Pathophysiology of Erectile Dysfunction. Urologic Clinics of North America, 32(4), pp.379-395.
Glade MJ and Smith K. Oxidative Stress, Nutritional Antioxidants, and Testosterone Secretion in Men. Ann Nutr Disord & Ther. 2015;2(1): 1019
Kenjale, R., Shah, R. and Sathaye, S., 2008. Effects ofChlorophytum borivilianum on sexualbehaviour and sperm count in male rats. Phytotherapy Research, 22(6), pp.796-801.
Risso A, Pellegrino FJ, Relling AE, Corrada Y. Effect of Long-Term Fish Oil Supplementation on Semen Quality and Serum Testosterone Concentrations in Male Dogs. International Journal of Fertility & Sterility. 2016 Jul-Sep;10(2):223-231.
Shim JS, Kim DH, Bae JH, Moon du G. Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Erectile Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Atherosclerosis-induced Chronic Pelvic Ischemia. J Korean Med Sci. 2016;31(4):585-589.
Shukla, K., Mahdi, A., Ahmad, M., Shankhwar, S., Rajender, S. and Jaiswar, S., 2009. Mucuna pruriens improves male fertility by its action on the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis.Fertility and Sterility, 92(6), pp.1934-1940.
Steels E, Rao A, Vitetta L. Physiological aspects of male libido enhanced by standardized Trigonella foenum-graecum extract and mineral formulation. Phytother Res. 2011;25(9):1294-1300.
Sudha Srivastava, Prashant Desai, Evans Coutinho, Girjesh Govil, Mechanism of Action of L-arginine on the Vitality of Spermatozoa is Primarily Through Increased Biosynthesis of Nitric Oxide, Biology of Reproduction, Volume 74, Issue 5, 1 May 2006, Pages 954–958,
Thakur, M. and Dixit, V., 2007. Effect of Some Vajikaran Herbs on Pendiculation Activities and In vitro Sperm Count in Male. Sexuality and Disability, 25(4), pp.203-207.
Thakur, M., Loeppert, R., Praznik, W. and Dixit, V., 2008. Effect of Some Ayurvedic VajikaranRasayana Herbs on Heat Induced Testicular Damage in Male Albino Rats. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, 5(1).
Tocharus, C., Smitasiri, Y. and Jeenapongsa, R., 2006. Butea superba Roxb. enhances Penile erection in rats. Phytotherapy Research, 20(6), pp.484-489.