A crappy diet can do more than wreck your waistline—it can also sink your erection, too.
Think about it: Some of the smallest blood vessels
and nerves in your body can be found in your penis, says Jamin
Brahmbhatt, M.D., a urologist at Orlando Health. So if you’re slamming
down junk like pizza and fries every day, your blood vessels down under
may be some of the first to get clogged up with fat and cholesterol.
This restricts blood flow to your penis, preventing you from getting hard when you’re ready for action and even putting your heart health at risk down the road, too.
It may sound wacky, but you should treat your penis
like a luxury car, says Dr. Brahmbhatt. To keep your ride running
smoothly, you need to fill it with the recommended fuel and keep up with
the suggested maintenance. Well, your penis needs the same—like healthy
foods and plenty of exercise—to keep it going strong, he says.
Filling up with the right foods can boost your testosterone, strengthen your sperm, and supercharge your erection. So, what would we recommend as premium fuel? These 15 foods are a good place to start.
Related: The Men’s Health Guide to Erectile Dysfunction—Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Erection Hard For Life
FOOD FOR YOUR PENIS: COFFEE
Your morning coffee may protect you from going limp later, according to a study of more than 3,700 men from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Those who downed the equivalent of 2 to 3 cups of a coffee a day—between 170 to 375 milligrams (mg) of caffeine—were less likely to report erectile dysfunction (ED) issues than men who skipped their cup of Joe.
Why? Caffeine
triggers a series of effects in your body that help the arteries in
your penis relax and blood flow to increase, producing an effect similar
to ED drugs like Viagra, the study authors explain.
Related: 6 Signs You Are Addicted To Your Morning Coffee
FOOD FOR YOUR PENIS: SALMON, EGG YOLKS, AND FORTIFIED MILK
Your D needs vitamin D, suggests one Austrian study—and the foods above are great sources of it.
After researchers had men take either 3,332 IU of
vitamin D or a placebo per day for a year, they found that free
testosterone levels—the powerhouse behind your sex drive—significantly
increased in guys loading up with vitamin D.
Related: 8 Ways Low Testosterone Affects Your Body
Plus, insufficient D levels may also increase your risk for erectile dysfunction,
Italian researchers found. When you don’t get enough vitamin D, you
produce free radicals that decrease nitric oxide in your body, a
compound that helps your blood vessels function, the researchers say.
Without it, your blood vessels can’t relax,
hindering the flow of blood to your penis. That makes it difficult for
you to get hard, says Men’s Health urology
advisor Larry Lipshultz, M.D., chief of male reproductive medicine and
surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. (Here’s another reason you should
get your vitamin D levels checked.)
So how much D do you really need? That’s still up for debate: The National Institutes of Health recommend getting 600 IU daily, while the Endocrine Society notes
that some people may need to go much higher with 1,500 to 2,000 IU a
day. Talk to your doctor to find out what works best for you.
Related: The 6 Best Supplements For Men
FOOD FOR YOUR PENIS: PISTACHIOS, ALMONDS, AND WALNUTS
Need a snack? Choose nuts, researchers from Turkey suggest. After 17 men with ED ate 100 grams of pistachios for three weeks, they all
reported a significant improvement in their erectile function, ability
to orgasm, libido, sexual satisfaction, and overall happiness in life.
As a bonus, they all had higher HDL, or “good,” cholesterol and lower
LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol, too.
Pistachios contain a high amount of an amino acid
that boosts nitric oxide in your body, the researchers say. And like
almonds, walnuts, and most other nuts, they’re a great source of healthy
fats, which are good for your heart and therefore your penis, says Dr.
Brahmbhatt.
Related: 4 Foods That Can Naturally Lower Your Cholesterol
FOOD FOR YOUR PENIS: BLUEBERRIES AND ORANGES
Only 13 percent of Americans eat enough fruit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Big mistake: Eating enough of the right ones can work wonders below the belt.
In a 10-year study of more than 25,000 men, Harvard University researchers found that men who ate foods packed with certain flavonoids—anthocyanins,
flavanones, and flavones—had a lower ED risk than guys who didn’t eat
as much of them. The effect was particularly strong among those under 70
years old.
In fact, men who ate flavonoid-rich foods—like
blueberries, strawberries, apples, and citrus fruits—a few times a week
reduced their ED risk by 9 to 11 percent compared to those who ate them
less frequently. The researchers speculate that flavonoids found in
these foods may help improve the health of your blood vessels by
relaxing your arteries.
Bonus points if you like to break a sweat: Men who were physically active (consider that 2 to 5 hours of brisk walking a week) and ate flavonoid-rich fruits reduced their ED risk by 21 percent.
So make sure you‘re fitting enough in your diet: The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming two cups of fruit every day. (This handy chart can help you figure out portion sizes.)
FOOD FOR YOUR PENIS: LEGUMES, WHOLE GRAINS, AND OLIVE OIL
Since the Mediterranean diet is good for your heart, it’s not exactly surprising that it may benefit your penis, too. Heart disease is actually one of the most common causes of ED. Once plaque starts to build up in your blood vessels, the ones in your penis are the first to get blocked up.
So to truly test the diet’s benefits, Italian
researchers had 35 men with diagnosed with ED and metabolic syndrome—a
group of factors linked to heart health problems—load up their plates
with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and fish.
Another 30 men with metabolic syndrome followed a control diet.
After 2 years, about one third of the men following
the Mediterranean diet regained normal sexual functioning and saw lower
levels of inflammation in their bodies.
Researchers aren’t exactly sure why the diet could
help men with ED, but they believe the combination of eating more
fiber-filled and antioxidant-rich foods may have anti-inflammatory
properties, which helps promote healthy blood flow, the study authors
say.
And you don’t have to be dealing with heart
problems to notice the diet’s benefits in the bedroom. Men who eat lots
of monounsaturated fats (a Mediterranean diet staple), like fish and
nuts, also have the highest levels of testosterone, research suggests.
FOOD FOR YOUR PENIS: PEPPERS, PEACHES, AND SPINACH
Vitamin C is key for healthy sperm, according to research from the University of Texas Medical Branch.
In the study, researchers divided 75 men—all heavy
smokers with poor semen quality— into three groups. One group took 200
mg of vitamin C, another took 1,000 mg, and the last group took a
placebo.
After four weeks, the 200-mg group improved their
sperm quality by 15 percent, meaning they not only had a higher sperm
count, but their sperm were able to swim more efficiently and survive
longer, too.
What’s more, the 1000-mg group more than doubled
that by 40 percent. Vitamin C seems to protect your sperm’s DNA from
cell-damaging free radicals, the researchers say. That's important,
since damaged sperm might mess with your ability to conceive when you’re
ready to have a kid.
Related: 7 Things You Do Every Day That Destroy Your Sperm
Aim for a minimum of 90 mg
and no more than 2,000 mg of vitamin C a day, suggests the National
Institutes of Health. While the participants in the study popped a
supplement, you can easily get your daily dose through vitamin-C rich foods, like yellow peppers, peaches, and spinach.
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