Chocolate-covered strawberries and vanilla-scented candles may seem like ideal items to have in the bedroom, but they actually do very little to boost your sex drive.

Things like ginseng and flaxseed may not seem like the sexiest of foods, but they are densely packed with vitamins, minerals and other health benefits that will do wonders for your sex life, as well as your personal health. And when health is boosted, so too is sexual performance.

Efficiency is always important, after all.

For instance, it turns out that vegetables are great for getting it on. Celery is packed with androsterone, which can act as a pheromone to trigger female attraction. Celery also has mood-elevating effects in women, according to the Journal of Fertility and Sterility. Broccoli is loaded with vitamin C, which is great for females because it increases blood circulation to the organs, stimulating the female libido.

So ladies, if you’re looking to turn things up a notch, eat plenty of these veggies. But don’t forget the spices.

Ginger, whether you are spicing up food or drinking it in tea, will not only enhance your libido but also help combat the running noses and flu-like symptoms prevalent in the wintertime. Cloves and nutmeg are natural hallucinogens, so sprinkle some onto some food to help you relax a little.

Ginseng, as a University of Hawaii study determined, upped female sexual productivity within a month of incorporating it as a supplement. A University of Guelph study showed that saffron did the same. Rumor has it Cleopatra put saffron in her bathwater to spice up her sex life, and the spice is mentioned as an aphrodisiac in the Bible. Just don’t overdo it, because many spices can be harmful in high quantities.

Eating fruit is another great way to stock up on nutrients and increase your sexual appetite. Berries, for example, are packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals that contribute to overall health, while the B vitamins and potassium in bananas convert carbohydrates into energy and increase testosterone levels in men. Figs can help with the secretion of pheromones — quickly.

Feel free to indulge in honey, dark chocolate and flaxseed as well. Flaxseeds are high in fatty acids (omega-3s and omega-6s), which are vital for sex hormones. Taking a small amount of flaxseed every day will improve testosterone levels in men.

Much like bananas, honey contains a lot of B vitamins to help testosterone production, but it also contains boron, which contributes to the use of estrogen in females. Dark chocolate, on the other hand, has phenylethylamine, which may boost serotonin and endorphin levels. Dark chocolate’s other ingredients — anandamide, theobromine, tryptophan and caffeine — are highly stimulant as well. In large, large quantities, of course.

And let’s not forget oysters, however clichéd that may be. It’s possibly because they are, visually, a sexually suggestive food, but the high amount of zinc and iron found within oysters does help male potency.

But remember, some foods can also kill your libido, and generally these are foods we should eat in very small quantities anyway. Baked goods are energy-zappers: The amount of sugar and refined flour in these can really do damage to your activity levels and depress endorphins. Avoiding refined carbohydrates works well for men, as the bleached white flour can depress testosterone levels. Also, processed dairy contains chemicals that can greatly interfere with the body’s ability to build natural hormones.

And then there’s alcohol. Too much alcohol can make the act difficult to finish — or even get going in the first place.

And that is just the opposite of efficiency.

Jillian is a magazine, newspaper and online journalism graduate student. Her column appears every Wednesday in Pulp. Despite enjoying the taste of oysters, she finds them to be a rather unsexy food. Email her at jathaw@syr.edu and follow her on Twitter @jathaw.

Published on November 5, 2013 at 9:31 pm