4 Things That Will Kill Your Sex Drive

A few things can affect your sex drive and make you cringe at the thought of doing it. Stress, hormone imbalance, illness, low self-esteem and lack of sleep are just a few common reasons that could plummet a person’s libido. Who’s got time to think about sex when you’re too tired or caught up with life problems?

What you choose to eat also could negatively impact your sex drive too. Most of us know what aphrodisiacs we should be eating (oysters, anyone?), but it’s also good to know the food that you might want to avoid overindulging in if you don’t want to kill your sex drive. This list of what to avoid is somewhat tailored more towards men, but ladies, don’t be shy and relay this information to the men in your life.

Of course you shouldn’t be banning all of these things from your diet. But maybe you can keep in mind what you shouldn’t indulge in too much if you want to keep the fun in your bed.

Refined carbohydrates

“Foods such as white bread release the sugar more quickly than their wholegrain counterparts and too much sugar is associated with energy slumps,” says Helen Bond of the British Dietetic Association. She adds this means there could be no energy for sex. A diet high in white bread and refined carbohydrates (white rice, white pasta, corn starch, etc.) can affect your sex drive.

Soy

Eating soy products can lower testosterone levels. Here’s a real and somewhat scary case: an article in Nutrition journal described a 19-year-old male who sought treatment for a low libido and erectile dysfunction. The young man had been consuming soy-based products on a vegan diet. He discontinued his vegan diet and within a year, his testosterone levels were increased and were back to normal. His symptoms improved a year after he quit the vegan diet.

Alcohol

How does it make sense that alcohol is on this list? Isn’t alcohol the reason why people hook up at parties for somewhat memorable (or not) sex? If you have too much to drink, you might not even be able to get it up. Alcohol is a depressant which affects the central nervous system. This blocks the connection between the brain and the rest of your body. One or two drinks won’t affect your mojo badly, but an excessive amount of alcohol probably will.

High levels of saturated fat

A lot of beloved food items contain high levels of saturated fat like bacon, sausage, fast food and chips. Most packaged food and TV dinners are high in saturated fat. Saturated fat can clog penal and vaginal arteries and collect plaque. Once this happens, achieving orgasm, let alone arousal, can be difficult.