Nutrition and Libido
With the rising popularity of prescription drugs that increase sex drive (despite the great increase of deaths and illnesses caused by them) we are reminded how important sex is to a persons lifestyle, relationships, and self-esteem. But who wants to add headaches, visual distortions, blackouts, and long term sexual dysfunctions as potential side effects that traditional medicine sex stimulant prescriptions and surgeries can cause? Caring Medicals approach to midlife medicine uses a more natural way to increase sex drive and sexual function by eating the proper nutrients, eating according to your individual Hauser Diet Type, and living a healthy lifestyle!
People who have a low sex drive or loss of sex drive could be eating the wrong foods. A satisfying sex life requires a healthy body. So if you are looking to improve your libido, remember that natural is better!
Nutrition: the natural medicine approach Sexual function is controlled by the endocrine glands, which secrete specific hormones. The pituitary gland has direct and indirect sexual effects on reproductive functions. Deficiencies in the hormones released by the pituitary may lead to underdeveloped sex organs, early menopause, and impotence in men. The adrenal glands also produce a small but significant amount of sex hormones. Adrenal exhaustion can result in little strength or desire for sex.
In order for these glands to function and produce sufficient hormones, they need specific nutrients that can best be found in foods and supplements. Read below to see how specific nutrients affect sexual function and reproduction:
Vitamin A Plays an essentialrole in reproduction. Good sources of Vitamin A: sweet potato, carrot, kale, mango, turnips, spinach, romaine lettuce, papaya, red bell pepper, and broccoli. These are power foods and should be included in everyones weekly food intake. We love to make sweet potatoes fries (baked), mashed with some butter and cinnamon, or cubed and roasted! Dont let your childhood fod aversions keep you from trying these delicious nutritious veggies!
B-Complex Vitamins (B-1 thiamin, B-2 riboflavin, B-3 niacin) Needed for a healthy sex drive and for energy. Good sources: whole grains, asparagus, raw nuts, bananas, broccoli, and lean meats.
Vitamins B-5, B-6, B-12 Fight stress and balances hormone levels. B6increases fertility in women and B12 helps men with low sperm counts. Good sources: eggs, soy products, salmon, and fish.
Vitamin C Keeps various sex glands healthy and keeps sperm strong by protecting them against free radicals that make them cling together. Vitamin C may improve the sperms chances of fertilizing an egg. Good sources: citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwifruit, peaches, mangoes, tomatoes, and dark green vegetables. Remember, most Hauser Diet Types do not need to consume alot of fruit. So we recommend adding a little here and there as garnish to salads, quinoa dishes, and the like. Choose these types of fruits that give alot of nutrient bang for the calorie buck! Another great way to get adequate Vitamin C in the diet is to use EmergenC powder.
Vitamin E Aids sex hormone production and improves circulation, and also helps in conception. Good sources: nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Many of our child-bearing age patients have improved PMS symptoms, endometriosis, and conception problems by including natural vitamin E supplements in their diets as well. You want to make sure you purchase mixed tocopherols for the full benefit.
Niacin Dilates blood vessels and creates blood flow. Also helps synthesize sex hormones. Good sources: fish, lean meats, peas, and beans. We here at Hauser Diet central have been making a concerted effort to include more fish in our weekly food intake. Recently we shopped at Whole Foods where their organic fish selection is fabulous and loaded up on a variety of delicious fish.This is another great reason to eat more fish! 
**Hauser Diet food tip: Many people are afraid of cooking fish fast and easy fool-proof method: drizzle pain with olive oil, add fish, drizzle fish w/ olive oil, Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, a little garlic powder, and top with a few slices of fresh lemon. Bake for 8 minutes do not overcook.
Zinc Needed to produce testosterone and increase sperm count. Is an antioxidant and too little intake can negatively affect sex drive. Good sources: steamed oysters, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, garlic, and spinach. I dont know about you, but these are some of our absolute favorite foods. If you dont regularly eat them, give them a try! Who knew eating veggies could have such a good effect on you!
**Hauser Diet Food Tip: Easy delicious way to prepare spinach: heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add a couple of cloves of fresh chopped garlic. Add 10 ounce package of fresh washed spinach. Stir to coat and remember it will cook quickly (1-2 minutes). Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Add a few dashes of chili pepper flakes to spice it up or soy sauce for an Asian flare. SO GOOD!
Folic Acid Improves fertility and increases sperm count. Triggers histamine production, which prevents sexual dysfunction. May also prevent birth defects. Good sources: dark green leafy vegetables, whole wheat bread, lightly cooked beans and peas, nuts and seeds, sprouts, oranges, grapefruit, liver, meats, poultry, fortified cereals and enriched whole grain products.
Selenium Increases sperm count in men with low sperm count, minimizes the risk of birth defects, and acts as an antioxidant. Good sources: red meat, tuna, chicken, enriched pasta and whole grain breads.
**Hauser Diet Food Tip: Tuna is a nutrient packed food! Its easy to prepare, loaded with good fats and protein, and very tasty. We prefer to purchase organic albacore tuna (a little more expensive) and serve it with a little Veganaise and chopped veggies, or atop some dark greens, or in a casserole where the white sauce is made with soy milk. Check out the Hauser Diet book for more great recipe ideas.
The better you eat, the higher your sex drive. Now thats an added benefit, right?
Foods that Lower Sex Drive You will want to avoid these foods so that they do not counteract the beneficial effects of all of the good foods you just ate to help enhance your libido. Take a look at these things. You may be surprised what you find! Caffeine Drinking too many caffeinated drinks can lower your sex drive by causing adrenal fatigue. Excess caffeine causes stress on the body which, in turn, decreases cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that helps you to deal with stress. If you drink too much caffeine your body will become over stressed and eventually use up your entire cortisol supply, causing adrenal fatigue. As we have already discussed, if your adrenal gland is not producing adequate hormones, you will have less desire for sex and very little energy or strength for sex.
Saturated/hydrogenated fats People readily accept the link between high intakes of saturated and hydrogenated fats, elevated blood cholesterol levels, and fatty plaque build-ups on the blood vessels around the heart. Its less well understood, however, that similar plaques develop on the myriad tiny vessels in the penis. Without free-flowing circulation, the penis cannot physically respond to messages from the sex drive. Nearly all packaged foods, TV dinners, fast foods, and vending machine foods contain high levels of hydrogenated and saturated fats.These are things you should avoid.
instead, consume an abundance of fresh, good fats like cold-pressed vegetable oils, avocado, and organic nuts. A safe daily intake of fresh, organic saturated fat will depend on your particular Hauser Diet Type.
Restrict alcohol and knock out nicotine Excessive alcohol lifts behavioral inhibitions, but this liberating effect may be canceled out by its depressant effect. Alcohol also has an action similar to the female hormone estrogen, which can have a devastating effect on masculinity, causing impotence and shrinking of the testes in men who drink heavily. Alcohol can also deplete Vitamin B stores, diminishing all of the benefits listed above. Nicotine, on the other hand, is an enemy of the arteries. Nicotine not only promotes the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in the penile blood vessels but also constricts them.
Other ways to increase sex drive Exercise Another way to get your hormones flowing is to exercise. As you know, we are huge proponents of exercise- and this is just one more reason why you should do it! If you exercise you will have more energy, be able to stay up later, and last longer in the bedroom. If you have trouble finding time to exercise or do not have the energy just yet, try buying weights that you strap onto your ankles or wrists. You can wear these while you are at work or while you are doing your daily activities around the house. This will help you to build your endurance and build muscle strength to keep up with your partner.
Supplements Eating healthy foods and taking vitamins with additional supplements can also help increase your sexual desire and reproduction. Remember that you cannot substitute food with supplements, you still need to eat the right foods. Taking a supplement is just an added bonus that should enhance your health. Our supplement store, www.benuts.com offers a wide array of supplements from multivitamins, to hormone enhancing supplements. So you may need that extra boost from supplements. It is best to come in to receive a natural medicine evaluation from Dr. Hauser in order to know what supplements are most recommended for you.
Testing procedures done at Caring Medical:
Diet Typing Diet Typing tests your blood pH and oxidation rate. These two tests can determine a perfect diet for your body chemistry. Since everyone is different, everyone needs their own specific diet. Knowing a persons blood pH can determine which foods they need more of and which foods they need less of. After taking this test the doctor will prescribe one of five Hauser diets for you. This will be a diet especially designed for you and your body chemistry. Eating right according to your Diet Type has helped many of our patients overall health improve, including their sex lives and their abilities to conceive!
Hormone Testing The hormone panel blood test is used to determine the sex hormone status of a patient and monitor patients receiving hormone replacement therapy. Sex hormones play a vital role in the overall health of a person. Low sex hormone levels can cause a lack of energy, decreased libido, poor memory, low muscle mass in men and bone loss.
In summary, if you want to boost your sexual response, start by boosting your nutrition, supplement, and exercise plans. This is the safest, easiest, and cheapest way to solve your sexual problems. To get started on a program, give us a call to set up an appointment at 708-848-7789. Dont just sit around in misery make an appointment we can help!
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