7 x food that is not good for your sex drive

In my previous article about ‘libido’ I wrote that scientists prefer not to use this word anymore and that libido actually doesn't even exist. For convenience, I have replaced the word libido with ‘sex drive’. That sounds a lot more appealing, doesn't it?

Well, our sex drive is influenced by various factors, including a healthy lifestyle and therefore also nutrition. Unfortunately, some delicious things that we all love are not the best choice to get in the mood. Below, I will share the culprits with you. I must say that I am quite a bit disappointed by the list, because let's be honest: choosing between sex or fries is really an impossible task?

1. Cheese

A cheese platter for dessert is not an option for now. Cheese can disrupt male and female hormones: testosterone and estrogen. If these hormone levels are lower than normal, it can have adverse effects on your sex drive. What a shame, do we have to skip the pizzeria too? I think we need to weigh our options a bit.

2. Red meat

Fortunately, I don't eat this very often, and it would only be better for the world if we all stopped. Not so bad to spread this information about red meat. Many types of red meat contain hormones and antibiotics, which can lead to hormonal imbalance in men and women. Well, we've taken that step towards vegetarianism.

3. Drop

I'm really bummed about this because I love candy. Especially the Red Band Dropfruit Duo's, I wouldn't want to miss them for anything. But well, licorice contains substances that affect testosterone, so I fear we have to cut back, because unfortunately, we women also have testosterone in our bodies.

4. Microwave popcorn

It goes from bad to worse: microwave popcorn. But what should we eat during a movie? Microwave popcorn is of course the tastiest, because it contains kilos of salt. But apparently, there are certain chemicals in microwave popcorn packaging that can reduce your sex drive. By the way, I already have the solution for this: making popcorn in a pan, that shouldn't be too difficult, right?

5. Fried food

I find this very upsetting. We all understand that fatty food is bad for our health, but it's even so bad that it lowers men's sperm production. Unfortunately, the fat also affects fertility in women. Oh well, a fries every now and then can't hurt, and we still have the oven-bitterballen, which are also quite tasty.

6. Mint

Peppermint and gum are perhaps the first things you think of when going on a date, but it's better not to go overboard with the amount of Wilhelmina mints you stuff in your mouth, because the menthol in peppermint leads to a decrease in your testosterone levels, which in turn leads to a reduced sex drive. Maybe we should switch to salmiak balls? Those fall into the licorice category too, and that wasn't great for our mood either. Quite tricky, this.

7. Cornflakes

I prefer to eat Kellogg's Coco Pops without milk, just straight from the cardboard box as a snack. However, this is an absolute culprit, just like all processed breakfast cereals. They contain a lot of quick sugars and few nutrients, which gives us a quick sugar spike but then leaves us with little energy. And little energy is not good for our sex drive. It's not rocket science, we could expect this.

Sources: Cosmopolitan, Bedrock, Menshealth