Valentine’s Day is around the corner and if you’re not feeling particularly romantic, you’re probably not alone. The enforced togetherness of lockdown can put a strain on the strongest relationship.
Being stuck indoors with your significant other for weeks on end can be a recipe for tension and frustration. But what if, instead of seeing this as a time to just get through, you decided to put energy into reviving the most intimate aspect of your relationship?
Sexual health therapist Christine DeLozier believes the secret to turbocharging a romantic relationship is a sex diet. “And I don’t just mean using chocolate and strawberries in interesting ways, but something much more scientific,” says DeLozier, who’s treated couples with problems ranging from mismatched libidos to performance anxiety. “The fact is, what we eat directly affects our ability to have good sex.”
You can improve the quality of your sex life by eating foods that regulate and boost libido and increase the intensity of your orgasms. Some foods increase levels of a molecule called nitric oxide, for example, which causes vasodilation, or the widening of blood vessels. When we eat these foods, our arteries deliver more blood to our sex organs.
Of course, a handful of walnuts or a green salad at lunchtime won’t provide an instant Viagra-like boost. But the right food can undoubtedly improve performance over time, leading to better sex in the long run.
This extract from DeLozier’s book Diet for Great Sex: Food for Male and Female Sexual Health shows you what to stock up on.
STRENGTHEN LIBIDO WITH SPINACH
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William