‘You are what you eat.’ It’s an old saying, and like many old sayings, there’s a lot of truth in it. How does eating apply to erectile dysfunction? Well, in two ways really. Often, potency problems may have an underlying medical or nutritional contributory factor.
Your lack of erection may be a sign of other problems, rather than just something on its own, so you need to look at your whole lifestyle and find out if you can improve things at that end. And of course, some foods are actually known to have aphrodisiac properties, so it’s worth including those in your diet.
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Why Your Diet Matters
If you think diet is just something that women have to concern themselves with, think again. If your eyes glaze over at the thought of nutrition and other boring stuff like that, it may help to think of your in the same way you think of your car.
After all, your body is an amazing machine too, and it deserves your love and devotion just as much as your car — even more so, actually, because your car doesn’t have to last you a lifetime, but your body does, so it needs to be treated with respect to get the best performance out of it in all departments. See where this is going?
Reduces Erectile Dysfunction Factors
First and foremost, a healthy diet reduces the risk of many factors which can impact on erectile dysfunction. This is because one of the physical reasons for the condition is vascular problems which restrict the flow of blood to the penis.
This blood flow is important in achieving an erection and sustaining it through lovemaking, so it’s important to address your diet and see if it is heart healthy, because basically a diet that is good for the heart is also good for the penis!
Recent research suggests that in 80% of erectile dysfunction cases, the problem is vascular. Not only does this create problems in the bedroom, it could be an indication and a warning sign of a more serious condition such as heart disease. Following the right diet can help minimize the risk factors for heart disease, and at the same time, it can help with your potency problems.
The Mediterranean Diet
Many doctors and dieticians recommend the Mediterranean Diet as one of the healthiest in the world. More a healthy eating plan than a diet as such, it’s high in the antioxidants that help to prevent heart disease and other chronic conditions.
What the Research Show
Recent research in Athens, Greece has concluded that men who follow the Mediterranean Diet are likely to have healthier vascular systems and fewer problems with erectile dysfunction.
Remember this is not a problem that is the exclusive preserve of older men — young men have the problem too, and in the majority of cases, it’s down to vascular health.
The Mediterranean Diet consists of fresh, in season foods, with the emphasis on fish and low fat proteins such as poultry and eggs. Olive oil is at the heart of it, and it’s one of the healthiest oils there is.
Following the Mediterranean Diet will boost your metabolism and help you to lose any excess pounds you may be carrying, as well as lowering your blood pressure and regulating blood glucose levels. All of this is great news for your vascular system.
Eat Natural Foods
The Mediterranean Diet involves eating natural foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, limited red meat, plenty of heart healthy oily fish and some dairy products such as yogurt and cheese. Healthy fats come from nuts and olive oil in moderation. You can also enjoy a little wine.
One aspect of the diet is that it’s good for kidney health, and that may also help to solve the problem of erectile dysfunction, since as well as vascular issues, men may also have problems with urination which may be contributing to the condition.
High in Fruit and Vegetables
Because it’s high in fruit and vegetable consumption, the Mediterranean Diet is also high in antioxidants. That’s the nutrients that mop up the free radicals in the system which can cause cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions.
Studies suggest that around on third of men with erectile dysfunction can get back to fully functioning within two years, simply by following the Mediterranean Diet and incorporating more exercise into their lives.
A number of factors contribute to this success. Perhaps the main thing is that a healthy diet can help men lose excess weight. Too much belly fat is known to lower testosterone levels, which can contribute to loss of sexual function. Also, many fresh foods have anti-inflammatory properties, and people who are overweight often suffer from internal inflammation, which can impact on general health as well as sexual performance.
Foods That Can Help Overcome Erectile Dysfunction
As well as following a healthy diet like the Mediterranean Diet, there are certain foods that can help overcome erectile dysfunction due to their specific nutrients.
Eating healthily can take care of your general health, including your vascular health, which is an important component of addressing your potency problems, so that‘s a great start.
Now let‘s look at some of the foods that can help, and why they are so important in your diet. These are not necessarily aphrodisiac foods, but they do contain vitamins and nutrients that can improve your sexual health, so put them on your shopping list, if you don’t already have them in the house.
Beans, Seeds, Legumes and Other Proteins
Protein is a very necessary nutrient. It’s needed for just about every bodily function, including cell repair and renewal, and it helps build muscle and keep you feeling fuller for longer, which is great when you’re trying to lose excess weight.
The thing with proteins, whether it comes from animal or plant sources, is that it contains amino acids which may not be essential for health, but can certainly bring about improvements in your physical condition.
Arginine
Arginine is one of these amino acids. It’s essential for children, but not necessarily for adults. However, one important function of arginine is that it helps to increase blood flow by dilating the blood vessels. As has already been mentioned, that’s important for vascular health and normal sexual function in males.
How does that work? Simply put, arginine helps the body to produce nitric oxide, which is instrumental in relaxing the blood vessels, making for more efficient circulation and better overall health, as well as improving sexual function.
So if you can include plenty of arginine containing foods in your diet, you can help yourself to a more satisfying sex life. Foods that are high in arginine are mostly protein-based, so eat more beans, legumes and seeds, lean meat and poultry, dairy products and oily fish. Top arginine containing foods are tuna, salmon, trout, sesame seeds and walnuts. It’s in green peppers too, as well as quinoa, oats and wheat or rice based cereals.
It may be a little difficult to ensure you’re getting enough arginine, since it’s not something that’s listed on the nutrient panels of various foods. However, if you aim for a minimum of 56 grams of protein each day, you should be getting enough arginine to promote vascular health and dilate those blood vessels.
Fruits and Vegetables
I’m going to make this easy, simple and quick. Now, if you enjoy eating your greens “bon appetite”. But, if you are like me, I don’t — never have. You can take a greens supplement or you can drink them. Sometimes I will go to the grocery store and buy spinach, broccoli, radishes, carrots, apples, bananas and oranges and blend them.
Mostly I buy them in a firper greens powder and mix with water and drink them. Of course you should have a balanced diet but for the purpose of this post, your erection – Green Vegetables should be the #1 Food in your diet.
• Spinach, Carrots, Celery, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Chili Peppers, Potatoes
• Bananas, Watermelon, Pomegranate, Cherries, Goji Berries, Avocados, Strawberries,
• Salmon, Chicken Breast, Liver, Beef (Grass-fed), White Fish, Clams, Turkey Breast, Herring, Blue Mussels, Oysters,
• Fortified breakfast cereals (According to the USDA, healthy cereals such as KeHogg’s A1l—Bran, Special K, Smart Start and Whole Grain Total provide a full day’s allowance).
• Coffee, Green Tea, Eggs, Oats, Greek Yogurt Pine nuts, Brazil Nuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Walnuts, Peanuts Wine, Honey, Dark Chocolate, Garlic, Ginger, Hot Sauce, Peanut Butter
The one thing you must have are vegetables, especially green. If you’ve ever been tempted to buy drugs online to address your erectile dysfunction issues, or if you’ve thought about asking your doctor to prescribe them, you should know something. Most of the drugs for this condition are based on the action of nitrates in the body, and their ability to relax the blood vessels, allowing for better blood flow into the penis.
The good news is, unless you have a problem with nitrate absorption, you can get all you need from eating the right kinds of vegetables. Leafy green vegetables such as spinach and celery are high in nitrates, and so is watermelon.
Lycopene is also good for relaxing those pesky blood vessels, and you can get that from tomatoes and pink grapefruit, among other things. A word of caution though — if you’re taking statins for high cholesterol, or anti coagulants such as warfarin, steer clear of grapefruit.
For everyone else, lycopene works best when combined with oily foods, so why not make up a salad with tuna, avocado and tomatoes, and fight erectile dysfunction in a tasty, healthy, and above all natural way?
Cranberries are good to go for enhanced sexual health as well. They can help clear up any urinary tract infections or inflammation which may be exacerbating your performance problems.
Shellfish
Oysters have been talked up as an aphrodisiac since time immemorial. And the reason why is that they’re high in zinc. Zinc is necessary for producing testosterone, and if your levels are low, that could be contributing to your potency problems. The truth is, oysters and other shellfish can bring on that loving feeling in both men and women, so go ahead and tuck in.
Not keen on oysters? They are probably the best source of zinc — just one oyster can provide the recommended daily allowance. Don’t fret if you don’t like them though — other seafood such as crab, clams, lobsters and mussels are also good sources of zinc.
Organize a seafood treat at least once a week. On the days you don’t go in for seafood, meat, nuts and seeds and fortified cereals can help keep your zinc levels topped up to testosterone producing levels. And of course, they’re all foods you’ll be eating anyway if you’re following the Mediterranean Diet.
Dark chocolate
Lots of recent studies have come up with good reasons to eat dark chocolate — especially high quality dark chocolate. It seems that this former guilty pleasure can also help with erectile dysfunction, due to its high flavonoid content.
Flavonoids are the substances that repair cell damage in plants, and they’re pretty good for humans too, since they can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, both of which can have an adverse impact on sexual health as well as general health.
Of course, you need to remember that even though it’s good for you, chocolate is still high in calories and fat, so don’t be too indulgent.
While no particular food can prevent or treat erectile dysfunction, it’s clear from nutritional knowledge and recent studies that a healthy diet can work wonders in improving general health and vascular health in particular.
Remember around 80% of erectile dysfunction cases have nothing to do with age, strength, sexual prowess or anything else. The root cause is problems in the blood vessels that supply the penis. Following a heart healthy diet like the Mediterranean Diet can go a long way towards addressing those problems, and set you on the way to improved sexual health, particularly when a healthy diet is combined with regular exercise.
Foods that are high in nitrates can b as effective in treating erectile dysfunction as many of the drugs prescribed for the condition, since their main function is to improve circulation to allow unrestricted blood flow into the penis to achieve and maintain an erection. Wouldn’t you rather eat yourself back to sexual health than pop pills which may have unwanted and unpleasant side effects?
Take a long look at your diet, and make the necessary changes, and you‘ll soon get your mojo back.
Worst Foods for Your Penis
• Soy, White Bread and Processed Carbohydrates, Too Much Alcohol, Non Grass- Fed Beef, Canned Soup, Flavored Soda, Farmed Fish, Microwave Popcorn, processed Meats, Dairy, Pizza
I eat many of the foods on the “Best” list and sometimes, some of the foods on the “Worst” list. It is important the make the best choices for your health. The most important things for your erection are green vegetables.
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