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Eat Your Way to a Spicier  Life

Forget perfume, the keys to spicing up your sex life may already be in your kitchen.

Researchers say the smell, taste, and even appearance of certain foods can act as potent aphrodisiacs that not only get you in the mood for love, but also may even make you a better flirt and lover. And knowing what foods are appropriate at each stage of the sex and mating process can maximize these effects.

"Different foods have different nutrients and substances that affect the body physiologically in different ways, that's why different foods work for different stages," says clinical sexologist Ava Cadell, PhD. "Some foods lower inhibitions, some get the blood flowing directly to the genitalia, and some foods release happy hormones."

Cadell has grouped aphrodisiacs into three groups based on the physiological effects they have on the body and how those effects can enhance sexual performance at each stage of a person's sex life.

Foods for Flirting

When looking for a potential mate, Cadell says it's important to choose foods that secrete chemicals and hormones that make you happy in order to increase self-confidence, lower inhibitions, and make you a better flirt.

Flirt-friendly foods include:

• Chili peppers. Spicy foods get the heart pumping and induce sweating.
• Bananas. They contain chemicals that reportedly have a mood-lifting effect on the brain and raises self-confidence.
• Carrots. Their phallic appearance and high-fiber content induce sexual desire.

Foods for Seduction

In the next stage, seduction, aphrodisiacs can help trigger the release of sex hormones, such as testosterone, provide a quick energy boost, and increase blood flow to the genitals to get the body "in the mood" for love.

At this stage, Cadell says it's important to create a visual stimulation with foods that look like the genitalia, such as oysters, fresh figs, or carrots.

"Anything that is visually erotic is automatically going to set your brain in motion," says Cadell. "Second, certain foods release hormones, like testosterone in women that makes them more sexually aggressive and adventurous."

Other foods for seduction include:

• Shrimp. High in iodine, shrimp and other types of seafood are vital to the thyroid gland, which is vital for energy.
• Chocolate. Not only does chocolate provide a jolt of caffeine, the plant has a flower that looks like sex organs.
• Ginger. This root reportedly increases blood flow to the genitals in both men and women.
• Olives. Green ones are believed to make men more virile, while black ones increase women's sex drive.
• Tomatoes. Known as "love apples" by Puritans, they have a reputation as a sexual stimulant.
• Apples. Since Adam and Eve, this fruit has been synonymous with temptation.

"My favorite thing is that when you're with someone is to feed each other with the most seductive foods you can find," says Cadell, "like an asparagus where one person can start at one end and another at the other end and you meet in the middle." The chocolate is even better.

Cadell says not only is asparagus a sexy, long, phallic-looking food, but it's rich in potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin E that can aid in hormone production and raising energy levels.  continue to page 2