Puja Gokarn
Who hasn’t heard the age old saying ‘The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’? That, my friends, is true in more ways than one! It is said that stirring things up in the kitchen can certainly spice things up in the bedroom. Set the table with this food of love and watch it whet the appetites at the table.
1. Chocolate
It has phenylethylamine and serotonin, two chemicals that light up pleasure areas in the brain. This is why you never consider buying your girl chocolates a mundane task.
2. Oysters
Oysters are high in zinc, which is good for stimulating men. Raw oysters are also high in D-aspartic and N-methyl-D-aspartate, which may be effective in releasing hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen. That, my friends, is why oysters seem so indispensable to the perfect date with a candlelit dinner.
3. Strawberries
These magical fruits contain the most Vitamin C in berries, a good amount of potassium, folic acid, iron and fibre that are known to increase blood flow and libido. That, my friends, is why strawberries are the other indispensable thing on that perfect date.
4. Papaya
Papayas are oestrogenic, which by now pretty much speaks for itself. They contain compounds that act as the female hormone. They are used to facilitate menstruation, lactating, childbirth and also increase sexual appetite.
5. Honey
In ancient Persia, couples drank mead, a fermented drink made from honey, every day for a month after marriage, to ‘set the mood’. This was why it was called the honey-month or as we more famously know it, honeymoon. This philtre contains B vitamins that aid testosterone production, as well as boron that helps the body metabolise and use oestrogen.
6. Garlic
Garlic increases blood circulation and is very famous for stirring up passions. So those who eat garlic before their date and have the breath on them are not insensitive. No, they are just really eager for that special intimacy with you. Well, some of them anyway. The rest are just insensitive and repulsive.
7. Celery
Yes, chewing celery is an age old suggestive move, but you know what else? Chewing celery releases androstenone and androstenol odour molecules into your mouth that travel up the back of your throat to your nose. Once there, the pheromones boost your arousal, turning you on and causing your body to send off scents and signals that make you more desirable to women. This piece of wisdom to men has been passed on by Alan Hirsch, MD, author of Scentsational Sex. Pay heed, men and women who can pass this on to your men!
8. Cardamom
This aromatic spice, besides garlic, has found its way into many Indian preparations such as the Biryanis, the curries and even other meat preparations for a very good reason. It is high in cineole, which increases blood circulation thereby stirring up the urge.
There you go! You have the list, now go and stock up your kitchens. If you make sure these are never off your shelves, then in Rachel Greene’s words ‘it’s never off the table!’
