Top Foods to Put You In the Mood

Posted Mon, Oct 15, 2007, 5:34 pm PDT

 

Just about every food you can think of has made the aphrodisiac hit list at one time or another--and most of it is bosh. But not quite, says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of  Age-Proof Your BodyAlthough there's no proof that any food will consistently boost desire, there is definitely something seductive about these five.

1. Bright foods If someone's diet is a junk-food debacle, their love life may be too, because the quality of our sexual experiences fluctuates with our overall health, says Somer. But reversing the effects of poor nutrition improves energy, mood, and even conception rates. And since brightly colored fruits and veggies are the most nutrient-packed foods you can eat, consuming nine-a-day could rev up your night life.

2. Lite foods Men with romance on their minds should think low-fat. University of Utah School of Medicine researchers found that testosterone levels plunged 50 percent in men after they drank a rich milk shake containing 57 percent fat calories.

3. Chocolate This melt-in-your-mouth delectable has been called irresistible, wicked and divine--no wonder eating it makes us think of other pleasurable indulgences. But there's actually a possible scientific explanation for its effects. "Chocolate contains a compound called phenylethylamine or PEA that stimulates the nervous system, increases blood pressure and makes your heart beat faster--creating feelings similar to being in love," says Somer.

4. Alcohol Wine and liquor may rate as love potions because alcohol depresses higher brain centers, suppressing anxiety and inhibitions. But there's a hitch: More than one or two drinks slows arousal and increases clumsiness. Oops. Even Shakespeare wrote about alcohol's double-edged side: "It provides the desire, but it takes away the performance."

5. And, yes, oysters The belief that oysters boost fertility has some basis in fact: Just one usually supplies the daily requirement for zinc, a trace mineral that's essential for conception. Even a brief shortage of zinc impairs ovulation in women and reduces semen and testosterone in men. However, while getting the recommended 15mg of zinc a day will help sustain normal sexual function, larger doses will not turn a couch potato into Casanova!

Happily, not only is the food of love suprisingly healthy, so is love itself: Long-term loving relationships can make your RealAge as much as 6.5 years younger.

 

Scientists are proving that what's in the foods you eat can effect the chemical composition of your brain. The foods you eat can affect your mood, including your level of alertness and your perception of pain.

What is it about foods that yields this kind of power? It is foods ability to alter the production or release of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry information from one nerve cell to another. Neurotransmitters are responsible for such important bits of information, like "I'm full" or, "AGG! I'm very anxious about this!"

The Theory

Just how does a food affect neurotransmitters? According to Dr. Richard Wurtman at MIT, who is involved in numerous studies on nutrition and the brain, the nutrients in foods are precursors to neurotransmitters, and depending on the amount of precursors present in the food you eat, the more or less of a certain neurotransmitter is produced. Although this process may seem fairly straightforward, it is complicated by the fact that foods most often are made up of more than one nutrient, and how those different nutrients interact will also impact the production and release of neurotransmitters.

The Practice

Despite the complexity, there are certain established bits of knowledge of how food affects your mood that you can put into practice.

• Boost your alertness with protein. Protein foods are broken down into their amino acid building blocks during digestion. One amino acid, called tyrosine, will increase the production of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These neurotransmitters are known for their ability to increase levels of alertness and energy. No one eats pure tyrosine, but eating foods high in protein will give you a slight mental boost. High protein foods include fish, poultry, meat, and eggs. If you can't eat those, try high protein foods that also contain significant amount of carbohydrates, such as legumes, cheese, milk, or tofu.
• For relaxation and anti-stress, eat carbohydrates. Eating carbohydrates will trigger the release of insulin into the blood stream. Insulin goes about clearing all the amino acids out of the blood, with the exception of tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that normally gets crowded out by other amino acids in its attempt to cross the blood brain barrier, but when its competitors are out of the way, it enters the brain en mass. Once in the brain, the tryptophan is converted to serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has the effect of reducing pain, decreasing appetite, and producing a sense of calm, and in too large a quantity, inducing sleep. Research has shown that dieters tend to become depressed about two weeks into a diet, about the time their serotonin levels have dropped due to decreased carbohydrate intake. Healthy carbohydrate foods to turn to for anti-stress include whole grain breads and crackers, whole grain pasta, rice, cereal, and fruits.