Can you eat your way to a healthier sex life?

Forget the old clichés of chocolate and oysters - the key to spicing up your sex life is a more long-term approach including eating more chilli peppers, ginger and olives, say researchers....

Forget the old clichés of chocolate and oysters - the key to spicing up your sex life is a more long-term approach including eating more chilli peppers, ginger and olives, say researchers.

They have found that the smell, taste, and even appearance of certain foods can act as potent aphrodisiacs that not only get you in the mood for love, but also may even make you a better flirt and lover.

Chocolate would seem an obvious choice, however the NY Times reports that a 130-pound person would have to eat 25 pounds of chocolate in one sitting to significantly alter his or her mood.

‘Different foods have different nutrients and substances that affect the body physiologically in different ways, that's why different foods work for different stages,' says clinical sexologist Ava Cadell, PhD. ‘Some foods lower inhibitions and some foods release happy hormones.'

Cadell has created groups based on the physiological effects they have on the body and how those effects can enhance sexual performance at each stage of a person's sex life.

When looking for a potential mate, Cadell says it's important to choose foods that secrete chemicals and hormones that make you happy in order to increase self-confidence, lower inhibitions, and make you a better flirt. Flirt-friendly foods include chilli peppers - spicy foods get the heart pumping - and bananas, which contain chemicals that reportedly have a mood-lifting effect on the brain and raises self-confidence.

In the next stage, seduction, aphrodisiacs can help trigger the release of sex hormones and provide a quick energy boost. At this stage, try ginger and olives, in particular black ones which are said to increase female sex drive.

There are also foods to avoid: a study, conducted by the Smell and Taste Research Foundation in Chicago, found that the aroma of cherries caused a sharp drop in sexual desire among women, as did the smell of meat cooked over charcoal.

What foods put you in the mood for romance? Let us know below...

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