Best Diet for Male Sexual Functioning
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Our Ayurvedic Nutrition course is in full swing, and you’ll soon have a chance to join the Self-Paced version via our website. So, while we’re thinking about diet, let’s take a few minutes to discuss the best diet to support male sexual functioning. With 18 million men just in the US affected by erectile dysfunction, it’s a subject worth considering.
So, what is the best diet for male sexual functioning? Well, it’s not actually rare steak and beer, much as we tend to associate meat eating with manliness. In fact, over the course of time, tucking into a lot of red meat will rob you of optimal sexual functioning.
A 2017 meta-analysis coming out of Europe points to the value of the Mediterranean diet in sustaining sexual functioning for the long term. This diet includes extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, fruits, beans whole grains, nuts and fish. You can also do an Ayurvedic version of this diet, with the inclusion of dal and of spices such as turmeric, cumin and cinnamon for potentially even better effects.
And a 2022 analysis of the Health Professionals Follow Up Study demonstrates that a plant-based diet can significantly reduce your risk of developing ED. However, this has to be a healthy plant-based diet, consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. An unhealthy plant-based diet, based on processed foods such as white bread, a lot of pasta, French fries and sugary drinks will actually increase your risk of ED.
While you may not be ready to cut out all meat and dairy products, any shift away from that not-so-manly Standard American diet will help. Try Meatless Mondays to start off with, and gradually reduce the amount of red meat, processed cheese and ice cream in your diet. You can also try the Alternative Healthy Eating Index diet, adjusting your weekly food pyramid to include a higher intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, polyunsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids, and lower intake of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, trans fatty acids, and sodium. Did you know that cooking is also manly? Look how many top chefs are men. And you can still grill—just grill veggies instead of burgers or steaks.
And remember, ED is considered the canary in the coal mine for heart disease. Your penis will be the first to suffer from poor arterial health, but in the course of time, your coronary arteries will suffer too, not to mention your brain, which requires excellent blood flow. So, preserve your sexual functioning, your cognitive performance and your longevity by cutting back on red meat and increasing your fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.
Visit our website for great plant-based recipes!
https://bjui-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/bju.15765
