Essential nutrients to spice up your sex life!

Liji Varghese

Food and sex are inextricably linked to each other. Having a balanced and nutritious diet not only helps you keep fit and healthy but also improves your performance between the sheets. Certain vitamins and nutrients act as the perfect fuel to your sexual appetite and also add spice to your sex life by regulating your hormonal cycle to improve fertility. Read on to know, which vitamin or nutrients you need to energise yourself for the whole night-long `love-a-thon`. Vitamin A Helps maintain the health of the Epithelium, or epithelial tissues, which line all the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body, including the linings of vagina and uterus in women. Best sources: Carrots, butter, liver and egg yolk Vitamin B Deficiencies of vitamin B2 and folic acid have been linked with infertility. Eating food rich in folic acid helps women in conceiving. Best sources: Chicken, watercress, lean meat, fish, beans and pulses, wheatgerm, brewer`s yeast, peanuts, bananas and green leafy vegetables Vitamin C Vitamin C helps boost fertility, particularly for men by increasing the number and quality of sperm produced. Intake of this vitamin also helps prevent ‘agglutination`, the clumping of sperms. Best sources: All fruit and vegetables – particularly strawberries, kiwi fruit, blackcurrants and peppers Vitamin E This vitamin is a powerful antioxidant, which protects ova from damage. Best sources: Sunflower, safflower oils and some vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, margarine, wheatgerm and avocados. Zinc This nutrient helps enhance your libido and sperm count. Best sources: Shellfish, particularly oysters, wholemeal bread, brown rice, dark green leafy vegetables, lean red meat and turkey. Selenium Selenium helps produce healthy ova and sperms. Best sources: Lean meat, offal, brown rice and porridge oats Manganese Lack of this mineral reduces fertility in women as manganese is responsible for the metabolism of female hormone oestrogen. Best sources: Spinach, chestnuts, tea, oats, wholegrain cereals, wheatgerm, raisins, pineapple, beans, peas and nuts Essential Fatty acids Linoleic acid is important for sperm production. Best sources: Sunflower and vegetables oils and nuts contain plentiful amounts. Phytoestrogens Phytoestrogens prevent growth of tumours, especially protect against prostate cancer. Best sources: Soya bean and soya products, such as soya drinks and tofu Antioxidants Antioxidants neutralise harmful substances produced by body and enhance sexual pleasure. This nutrient is important for the body as its lowers the risk of cervical cancer. Best sources: Fruits and vegetables, Aubergine, ginseng, prunes, aniseed, onion and garlic, ginger, artichokes