Boost your Libido - Five Aphrodisiacs to Spice Up Your Love Life

Valentine’s Day is a holiday for lovers. Marketed as the most romantic day of the year, many will celebrate the holiday with a romantic dinner for two, a little champagne, and hopefully a little post-dinner time between the sheets.

Named for the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, aphrodisiacs are commonly known as the foods and drinks that are said to reduce stress, increase blood food, and increase sexual desire. If you’re planning a steamy Valentine’s Day night dinner or even a date night, be sure to include some of these mood-boosting aphrodisiac foods into your menu for a little extra – moral – support.

Here are a few foods with known aphrodisiac properties to serve this Valentine’s Day:

Hot Chilies

Spice up your sex life with a handful of these hot chilies. Chilies are filled with an odorless, colorless oil called capsaicin that stimulates the nerve endings on the tongue and increases the release of adrenaline and endorphins in the body.

Netflix and chili, anyone? Spice up your fish or chicken dishes with diced hot chilies, or just serve some hot salsa and chips to get the endorphins pumping.

Oysters

The aphrodisiac properties of oysters date back for centuries. Legend has it that the famed 18^th century lover, Casanova, fueled up on raw oysters every morning to maintain his stamina before venturing out on his numerous conquests.

Sure, slurping down an oyster’s soft, moist flesh can be a bit more than suggestive, but it also turns out that oysters contain high amounts of zinc, a mineral important in testosterone production. Guess Casanova was onto something…

Watermelon

Watermelon is basically nature's Viagra. Full of citruline, an enzyme that helps relax the blood vessels and known for increasing libido, watermelon is a food meant for seduction.

Chocolate

Chocolate is a go-to Valentine’s Day gift for a reason: it’s delicious and decadent and apparently a natural mood-booster. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a stimulant known for eliciting excitement and a sense of well-being.

Use dark chocolate with at least 75% cacao for a heart-healthy option too.

Strawberries The Romans referred to strawberries as the symbol of Venus, the goddess of love, thanks to the heart-shape. Packed with Vitamin C, which helps keep the blood flowing, chocolate-covered strawberries are the perfect two-for-one aphrodisiac dessert.

Or serve strawberries alongside rich, chocolate fondue. A little chocolate sauce for the strawberries, a little for…well, not the strawberries.

Now, will oysters and strawberries really affect some deep, raw, primal power over us? That is still to be proven.

But, whether the placebo effect is in place or if these foods actually do have natural powers, it’s fun to experiment with these sensual delicacies.

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