Hardly a week goes by that new scientific research doesn’t confirm the sensual health benefits of certain foods.

“There’s a growing body of evidence that some of the vitamins and components in foods can enhance sexual function and sexual experience,” says Jennifer R. Berman, MD, director of the Berman Women’s Wellness Center in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The sexual health benefits key foods become repetitive. Our list focuses on foods that fine-tune the machinery of sex—reducing cholesterol buildup, enhancing blood flow to sex glands in both men and women, stimulating the release of feel-good brain endorphins, and promoting strong erections in men.

Eating a healthy diet is never exclusively good for your sex life and not your overall wellbeing. Libido and sexual desire are highly impacted by good health, including psychological stress and body image perception.

Diet, Body Image and Sexual Desire

A spring 2011 study of 4,000 Brits found that 29% of women cited feeling they looked fat as their reason for avoiding sex, with a further 23% blaming embarassment about their wobbly bits as the reason. The figures for male respondents were 8% and 11% respectively.

The biggest passion killer was tiredness, a reason cited by 72% of women, followed by 34% unattractive, 33% illness and 32% citing stress.

We know that these reasons for avoiding sex are often inter-related, with diet and lack of exercise being at the core of the problem.

In one of the most dramatic research studies on the intersection of sexual desire and diet, losing just 10% of your body weight can improve the quality of your sex life, explains Martin Binks, PhD, of the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center. “We find that among overweight women, they bring their negative self-talk and body image issues to the bedroom, and it negatively impacts their sexual well-being.”

Participants in Dr. Binks’ research at Duke University reported disproportionate increases in sexual desire, even when they remained obese but on a diet. The sense of personal accomplishment alone was enough to increase both sexual desire, sexual satisfaction and an overall positive sense of increased wellbeing.

Inspired and feeling good about themselves has a positive effect on sticking to diet goals. As always, the intersection of food, psychology and sexual pleasure is holistic — especially in women.

Bad News Food