5 Foods That Kill Your Sex Drive

by Grant Stoddard

If you or your partner isn't in the mood tonight, it very well might be because of something you ate.

Have you ever been in a car where the driver keeps hitting the brakes? It can be sheer torture, right? That's what these foods are to your sex drive, which is typically fueled by testosterone. We often think of it as a hormone than men have zipping through their bodies. Estrogen, on the other hand, we mainly consider to be a female hormone.

The truth is that both testosterone and estrogen play vitally important roles in the bodies of both sexes and—unless we have a good ratio of one to the other—all sorts of things can get wonky. Men can grow breasts; women can sprout excessive facial hair. But in both cases, an imbalance of testosterone and estrogen can increase or decrease libido—and a surprising amount of research has gone into figuring out which foods can increase or decrease our T and E levels. 

Below are some of the food items could futz with that delicate balance or be a contributing factor to a sputtering sex drive:


1. PROCESSED FOOD

Processing removes most of the nutrients in whole foods, including ones that are important to your desire for hanky panky. For example: When whole wheat is processed into white flour, it loses about three-quarters of its zinc, a mineral essential to men's sexuality and reproduction. Eating refined grains can lead to insulin resistance, the last stop before diabetes.

Diabetes can in turn can accelerate narrowing of the arteries, increasing your risks of heart disease and ED.

2. DIET SODA

Drinking soda on the reg is a terrible idea and, for a slew of other reasons we touch upon on this website, that goes for diet soda too. Artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame, directly affect your serotonin levels. Serotonin is a vital hormone in fostering a sense of well-being or happiness. Low serotonin, say researchers, is associated with lower libido in both men and women. 

3. MICROWAVE POPCORN
 

Dinner and a movie can be a precursor to sex, but if you like to pair your movies with microwaved popcorn, your main feature could be a flop. See, chemicals like perfluorooctanoic acid found in the bag’s lining can kill your sex drive—and, over the long term, even cause prostate problems.  

4. MARIJUANA

Cannabis is already legal in several states and could soon be legal from coast to coast. Many people like to add the drug to food, particularly baked goods. Whether you smoke it or eat it, studies show that in addition to fueling long stories with no ending, marijuana depresses testosterone levels for up to 24 hours.

5. ALCOHOL

A glass of wine or a cocktail can get you in the mood, but drink much more than that regularly, and your libido will pay the price. Alcohol is a depressant that can play havoc with a man’s ability to achieve and maintain an erection and dampen libido for both sexes. Slow down when it comes to drinking and you may find that you rediscover your sexual sparkle. To help do this, nutritionist Dana James suggests drinking a 2-to-1 ratio of water to alcoholic beverages. 

6. SUGAR

 

This stuff is everywhere, so don’t think that you’re safe just because you don’t spoon it into your coffee. The sweet stuff increases levels of the hormone insulin, which can cause you to store belly fat, lose muscle mass and causing your testosterone levels to drop. In men, belly fat raises estrogen levels, which can result in low libido and erectile dysfunction; one study found that glucose (sugar) significantly reduced total and free testosterone levels. Making an effort to get rid of the sugar you consume—knowingly or otherwise—could be just what the love doctor ordered.