Libido. Break this word down and you’ll find the influences of many different languages.
And that’s because no matter what time period you live in, sex is pretty darn important to all of us, isn’t it?
In Latin, it is “lubido”—which means to love with “sexual eagerness” — and in other languages, like Hebrew libido’s root words mean a “desire to love” as well as” to kindle” or “to set aflame.”
These meanings are still pretty accurate in modern times. For us, libido is that feeling of hot desire we experience when we want to have sex. Period.
But sometimes in our life, we all feel less than “aflame,” don’t we?
If you’re finding yourself suffering from increasing periods of low libido, both in length or frequency, you need to address this.
Low libido can wreak havoc on your love life, your self-esteem, and can lead to a horrible back and forth cycle, with depression causing even less desire to have sex and this lack of desire causing worsened depression.
Low Libido: Increasingly on the Rise Today
In the 21st century, more and more people are beginning to complain of a low libido at earlier and earlier ages.
Researchers blame this low libido epidemic today from everything from something labeled the 21st Century Syndrome (adrenal fatigue), a condition also called hormonal burnout that is caused by constant, unceasing stress depleting our stores of fight or flight hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
Others blame this younger onset of low libido we’re seeing today on the psychological, emotional, and physical effects of our increasingly isolated existences, as we all live in our own little bubbles of technology, pulling more and more away from one another and more and more toward our Facebook page, our cellphones, our Instagram accounts, and soul-killing apps like Tinder. See article.
Others blame lack of sex drive on an increasingly toxic world that poisons our endocrine glands, causing hormonal imbalances, heavy metal toxicity, and a general poisoning of energy levels, including our energy for love, because all of our positive energy is being spent fighting off all these toxins. See study.
Then there are the conventional causes of low libido, which are common between both men and women:
The Silver Lining Part
The good news is that no matter what the cause of your low “desire to love” you can not only recapture your sex drive with lifestyle improvements and healthy foods and supplements, you can enhance your libido and sexual prowess in bed no matter what your age or hormone status.
You don’t have to give up that hot jungle sex like “bang bang gorillas” that we all want to have just because you’re getting a little long in the tooth.
In fact, if you combine the healthy habits and supplements I tell you about today and take a good, evaluative look at your lifestyle, eliminating as many negative factors as you can, you can tap into a level of libido and sexual performance that is better than any 17 year olds.
So, let’s go!
Libido and Your Diet: They’re Really Connected
Foods that are bad for your body, especially, your hormones, are going to impact both your libido and your performance in bed. Why?
Well, consider this. Pesticides containing DDT – as most of them do like Roundup, for example, actually change the sex of frogs from male to female. So, imagine how pesticides used outside in your yard or on the food you buy at the store will impact your hormones as well.
This means avoiding any non-organic produce as well as any products containing hormones. This means, no conventional dairy, meat, or poultry. Cows are injected with hormones to make them produce more milk and chicken and poultry are fed poor quality feed from heavily pesticide-treated crops as well.
These hormones are not just bad for men either, folks. They impact both estrogen and progesterone, as well as testosterone, leading to estrogen dominance, and many other weight gain-promoting, libido-decreasing effects.
Foods to Avoid Like The Plague if You Want a Healthy Sex Life
Fish from Mercury-Contaminated Waters
Mercury causes infertility in men and women alike. Both farmed fish and fish oil capsules have been found to contain an abundance of mercury and other toxic compounds. So, avoid these like the plague. Anything that kills fertility kills libido as well. See study.
Trans Fats, Fried Foods, And Industrial Seed Oils
Trans fat and foods fried in industrial seed oil can be death to libido. In fact, female rats fed foods fried in palm oil, fertility declined 55%. See this important and lengthy study on fertility –what to eat and not to eat by Nancy Dunne, N.D., especially if you’re trying to conceive.
Trans fats can also inhibit the healthy activity in cell receptors that are involved in inflammation, glucose metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. A study led by Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found that this suppression can lead to low fertility and can also manifest itself as PCOS.
For men, trans fats can decrease testosterone and increase the number of abnormal sperm, which is just one contribution to male factor infertility.
GMOs (Genetically Modified Foods)
Studies on animals and even plants reveal that GMOs greatly inhibit reproduction and fertility. Just how much these genetically engineered hybrids, especially in soy, which you should avoid like the plague for a good libido, is not yet proven.
Studies evidence time and time again that the estrogen compounds in soy’s isoflavones greatly impact testosterone production in the male body and can cause male breast enlargement as well.
In a new case study, one 19-year-old male who switched to a vegan, highly soy-based diet, began suffering with low sex drive and erectile dysfunction—even at 19! See study. In another study in China, researchers found that genistein, an isoflavone in soy beans, can alter the enzymes involved in sperm production as well.
Again, anything bad for fertility is also bad for the sex drive.
Other foods that negatively impact libido
Exercise and Libido
There’s absolutely nothing better you can do to keep you performing your best in bed – and everywhere else — than to be maximally healthy, to have good muscle tone, and to have great cardiovascular fitness as well (think Energizer Bunny energy!).
Nobody wants “quick” in the bedroom, especially the ladies, fellas, and without good muscles, you can’t really throw your lover around, can you. Plus, without good cardiovascular fitness, you’ll tire out before they do, or worse, disappoint.
Both cardio workouts and strength training improve your overall fitness and enhance circulation, which is good for libido, erections, and lots of orgasms, gentlemen and ladies!
There are all kinds of exercises and strength training moves and stretches that can help both women and men have stronger orgasms, too. Men, click here. Ladies, click here.
Foods to Enhance Libido
There are all kinds of natural aphrodisiacs that work to boost your libido that are super healthy for the skin and body overall.
One of my favorite teachers used to say, “Behind all myths, there lies some truth.” This is especially true of oysters and libido. In fact, scientists have just discovered that bivalve mollusks of all kinds, including oysters, are rich in hard to find amino acids, specifically D-aspartic acid and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate), that trigger increased levels of estrogen and testosterone. See study. So take your S.O. out for a mollusk feast and then take them home for a fondue-like dessert feast that you just know will lead to sensual kisses and clothes hitting the floor fast.
Figs contain magnesium, a mineral critically important for the production of both androgen hormones in men and estrogen I women. They also boost libido by enhancing blood flow to all the extremities of the body.
Vitamin E is often called the “sex vitamin.” That’s because avocados are packed with monounsaturated fats, libido-revving vitamin B6, folic acid, and vitamin E, which, like magnesium, boosts circulation to the penis/vaginal area. See study.
4.watermelon
Watermelon is literally the Viagra of fruits. In fact, research conducted by Texas A & M scientists reveals that lycopene, beta-carotene, and citrulline, all chief phytonutrient in watermelon, help relax blood vessels and can help in the bedroom for all kinds of reasons. Study.
The Best Supplements for Becoming a Sexy Beast in the Boudoir
We all want to be a good lover, don’t we??—to give our lovers mind blowing sex that keeps their skin glowing and eyes sparkling. Here are the best supplements for being all that you can be, sexually and showing your lover the best time you can.
Libido-Enhancing Supplements for Women
Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng)
Want to feel more in the mood for sex, ladies? Try panax ginseng. Panax ginseng is great for all kinds of things for the fairer sex from balancing hormones, giving you heightened energy, and for enhancing arousal and desire, even in post-menopausal women. In one study, in fact, women began to see improvements in sexual desire in just two weeks. See study.
Tribulus terrestris
Tribulus is a Mediterranean plant which produces spine covered fruits. In countries around the Mediterranean sex, people use the fruit, leaves and roots as medicine. It has also been found to enhance desire in women with low libido. After supplementing with just 7.5 mgs of tribulus terrestris for 4 weeks, women said they not only felt more desire for sex, they also experienced more frequent and stronger orgasms, but that they had less pain during sex and lubricated more easily as well. See study.
Maca
You’ve probably heard of maca by now. Also known as Peruvian ginseng, this herb is a wonderful antidepressant and libido booster. It’s a root vegetable that’s eaten as a food in some countries, so you can take this with reassurance that it’s healthy.
Libido Enhancing Supplements for Men
L-arginine is an amino acid, and is THE building block of protein, and hence is very important for developing lean muscle mass. It turns into nitric oxide in the body, and has been found to help men to overcome erectile dysfunction and improve the quality of their erections as well. In one study, 1/3rd of men who took 5 g. per day for 6 weeks had improved erections.
The reason L-arginine works so well for ED is because it helps widen blood vessels, meaning more and stronger blood flow to the penis. This is one supplement to try for your ladies, guys. I’ll tell you from personal experience, good, high quality L-arginine from a trusted supplier will make you – and her – smile, in this respect. It also helps you maintain erections longer. See study.
Niacin
Niacin has proven to be a wonder-supplement for men with erectile dysfunction. In one study, men with moderate to severe ED who took 1,500 mgs a day for 12 weeks saw great improvements in their ability to experience erections. See study.
Yohimbe
I recommend this next supplement with some hesitation. Although Yohimbe can improve the quality and length of erections, even in men with ED, it can also cause some negative side effects that are very risky as well, including high blood pressure, heart palpitations, anxiety, and dizziness—so take a high-quality supplement and use it as recommended on the label ONLY. See study.
SAM-e
Sam-e is wonderful for depression, which is linked with erectile dysfunction, as I mentioned earlier. In fact, low libido and depression go hand in hand for both men and women.
SAM-e is a chemical your body makes naturally. In one study, men with major depressive disorder who’d had little success with antidepressants, had much luck with SAME-e and stated it helped improve both arousal and erections. See study.
However, do not mix this supplement with anti-depressants without checking with your doctor first. Mixing this with certain antidepressants can have very serious side effects and can cause nausea, insomnia, headache, and dizziness.
I hope the advice I have given you today helps you experience a better sex life, more sexual confidence, and all the happiness you can experience with your loved one(s).
Good luck and all my best,
Jackson