Happy Fall Everyone!
In this addition of News, Updates & Education from WHA, let's start by breaking down some of the foods listed in a previous newsletter, that are good for men's sexual health, physical body and mind. The full list can be found below, under the entry for June is Men's Health Awareness Month. Feel free to peruse the other entries for further enlightenment!
I bring up food again at this time because we're heading into the holidays which can crush anyone's healthy eating habits. We'll tackle that subject in itself, another time. For now, remember the healthy things you eat everyday, even if you blow it out by having a whole pizza for lunch, still count! What I also want to mention is that ladies, these foods are incredibly important for your sexual and overall health as well! So please, read on and consume right next to your guy, your Dad, brother or buddy!
Today, let's start with the top ten from the previous list.
1. Spinach
Beautifully green, leafy and luscious! Spinach contains a lot of appetite-suppressing compounds. It is rich in the minerals magnesium and folate. Magnesium decreases inflammation in the blood vessels which improves overall circulation. Better blood flow increases circulation out to your extremities, this includes the penis and we know, better blood flow into the penis creates stronger, more sustainable erections. We can give note here too, to how much spinach can improve heart health. A concern for males and females alike! Folate, more directly increases blood flow to the genitals. Now, when thinking about only this one aspect (there are so many others) of how eating spinach can improve your health, imagine how good adding it to your diet daily will improve your over all well-being!
2. Coffee
For my Texas patients, family and friends... UT just did a study finding that guys who drink 2-3 cups of the good stuff a day (that is about 85-170 milligrams of caffeine and it can come from any source actually) are 42% less likely to develop erectile dysfunction compared to men who only have 7 milligrams daily. How does your daily stimulant help with preventing ED? Scientists think that caffeine triggers a series of reactions in that body that ultimately will increase blood flow down to the penis. Now here's where I begin to preach, more isn't't always better! If you tend to be an anxious person or have sleep issues, please, don't have more than 1-2 cups a day. Too much coffee or caffeine can have definite negative affects! And if you don't drink coffee, don't start! It's not as important to have in your diet as spinach or other items on this list are.
3. Bananas
Also, good for your heart and circulation is potassium and it's rich bananas! Potassium helps to keep sodium (salt) levels in the body, under control. It can stop your blood pressure from sky rocketing which reduces the risk of heart problems. Other great sources of potassium are oranges and coconut water, if your not one for bananas. It's circulatory benefits are why it made the list for healthy sexual function. Again, this is just as good for you girls as for the guys!
4. Tomatoes
It's been shown that there's an 18% lower risk of developing prostate cancer in men that eat at least 10 servings of tomatoes per week. Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that fights against toxins that cause DNA and cell damage prevalent, in all cancers. Studies have also shown that tomatoes can improve the shape of sperm in men who eat higher amounts of them. Improving sperm shape, improves how well they can swim and hit their target!
5. Hot Sauce
A recent study that came out of France found that the boys who like it spicy, tend to have higher levels of testosterone. The researches found a clear correlation between men who use more or use hot sauce more frequently than the guys who didn't't. The thought is the capsaicin in chili peppers is what causes this increase. It's also been found in animal studies that capsaicin enlarges sexual organs and reduces stomach fat. Now, it's also know that too much hot sauce spikes blood pressure. I haven't personally found any information on how much hot sauce has the affect of increasing testosterone. So as always, everything in moderation!
6. Watermelon
L-citrulline is an amino acid that can help make erections harder and watermelon is chock full of it! In the body, L-citrulline converts to L-arginine (a popular over the counter supplement for ED, I won't go into it here) which stimulates nitric oxide, a major chemical player in the development and maintenance of a healthy erection. The short is, eating watermelon will increase blood flow to the penis by encouraging natural chemical processes in the body.
7. Ginger
Ginger is another tasty way to increase your bodies circulation and improve the health of your arteries. It has also been shown to increase testosterone levels and sperm viability. Eating about a teaspoon of ginger a few times a week is all it takes! Another major benefit of consuming ginger is improvement to your entire digestive system. It'll help settle and balance your stomach whether your suffering cramping, diarrhea or constipation.
8. Pomegranate
Pomegranate juice more specifically, is what keeps blood flowing due to it's richness in antioxidants. It provides good blood flow to the penis as well as the prostate. Pomegranate juice is also recommended at 4-8 oz. daily to help reduce the chances of developing prostate cancer.
9. Green Tea
Green Tea contains catechins which are known to aid in the liver's ability to burn fat for energy. Awesome! Additionally, catechins kill off free radicals that cause damage and inflammation to blood vessels in turn, increasing blood vessels ability to transport blood. Catechins are another compound that too, will stimulate nitric oxide, the chemical involve in getting erections. Catechins will actually increase the size of blood vessels as well again, good for full body and mental health! Green tea is also a benefit to prostate cancer prevention!
10. Dark Chocolate
This one may seem more appealing to my ladies reading this but guys check this out, the cacao in chocolate increases serotonin levels, one of your mood boosting hormones. Higher serotonin levels reduce stress, arouse you desires and make achieving orgasm easier and more pleasurable. This holds true for men and women. This is one of the reasons dark chocolate is an aphrodisiac. Cocoa will also relax blood vessels and increase arterial flow. Both of these benefits are also why you'll see dark chocolate included among things to eat if your depressed. Now, I don't want my guys or gals tearing through an entire chocolate bar though! The calories and sugar aren't't worth it! A little goes a long way!
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Finally, a few reminders. One, if you don't like one of the items on this list, that's ok! I'm giving your the information, you make the choices on consumption. That leads into two, don't over consume! Everything in moderation is a rule to stick too! Finally, these foods are truly good for every aspect of health for men, women and children!
Let's get and stay healthy everyone!
