Nothing quite suggests “your place or mine” like ordering a few dozen oysters on a date… or does it?
Nothing quite suggests “your place or mine” like ordering a few dozen oysters on a date… or does it?
Despite the fact that they look like anaemic organs and that they will leave you with fish breath, a plate of oysters is treated with the same anticipation of sexual pleasure as a plunging neckline and sneaky flash of delicate lace.
Yes, oysters are high in zinc, and zinc is understood to produce healthy sperm, but somewhere along the way, the barnacled mollusk has also earned the reputation of being the great aphrodisiac of the natural world.
Since the time of Casanova (the Venetian explorer who attributed his stamina in bed to eating oysters for breakfast), couples have been attributing wild nights between the sheets to slurping back a dozen oysters beforehand. But, in the words of President Donald Trump, that is WRONG.
The aphrodisiac connection was more recently attributed to a study that actually did not find anything to support their Viagra-like qualities. Italian scientists found an amino acid known as D-aspartic acid inside some mollusks. In a separate, completely unrelated study, D-aspartic acid was once found to increase sex hormone levels in lab rats. But they never proved that D-aspartic acid triggered a surge in sex hormones in humans, and didn’t even test oysters at all, only mussels.
This means that reports from couples on the link between oysters and stimulated sexual desire is likely based on a placebo effect, or perhaps the result of the champagne they washed their meal down with.
Check out the section on the left for other food myths we have been led to believe, based on no evidence other than that our grandmother told us it was so...
Dairy products will make your cold worse
Maybe it’s that milk and yoghurt have a similar consistency to mucous? The truth is, scientists have found no evidence suggesting dairy makes you more clogged up. In fact, dairy products are a great source of vitamin D, which can help to boost your immune system, energy and cell growth.
Coffee is dehydrating
You know how you make coffee with water? That actually counts towards your water quota for the day. Researchers found that coffee has no influence on one’s hydration status. While coffee is a diuretic (meaning it makes you pee more), the amount it would take to dehydrate you would be more than your body could handle.
It takes seven years to digest gum
Your body cannot digest gum, that’s true, but according to the Scientific American, it will pass through your body, just as anything else will.
Carrots improve your eyesight
Yes, carrots are high in vitamin A, which helps you maintain good eyesight. But you don’t need more than a normal portion. According to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, half a cup of raw carrot sticks will provide 184 percent of your daily needs. Too much beta-carotene, which is the compound that converts to vitamin A, can actually turn your skin orange!
Foods that might actually improve your sex life
Chilli
It gets your heart racing, stimulates endorphins and makes you sweat… mimicking how you feel when you’re aroused!
Watermelon
Move over, oysters! This pink treat might actually have a Viagra-like effect on the body, as it relaxes blood vessels and improves circulation.
Pomegranate
According to The Male Clinic in California, all those antioxidants support blood flow, which has been proven to help erectile dysfunction.
Dark chocolate
As every woman knows, it causes a spike in the pleasure chemical, dopamine.
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