Just like your workout sessions require strength, stamina, and endurance, the same is also necessary for your workout sessions in the bedroom! A crappy diet can not only impact your overall health, but it also leads to poor sexual functioning, including low testosterone levels, lower libido, erectile dysfunction and also poor quality of sperms.

Erectile dysfunction is a man’s inability to get an erection firm enough for sex. There could be two factors contributing to the same, which are psychological and physiological. While psychological factors include stress, anxiety, depression, physiological factors are those that prevent sufficient blood flow to your penis, required for an erection.

They have medical conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or even hormonal issues. What you eat is makes a significant impact on these physiological factors. A healthy diet can ensure that your blood vessels stay in good health, thereby providing a good flow of blood to all your organs, including your penis.

Thus a poor diet that is rich in sugar, carbs, unhealthy fats and lacks the essentials nutrients, is not only bad for your health but your sexual functioning as well. Here is a list of foods to avoid for a healthy sex life!

• Sugar Rich Diet: Sugar is a sex life killer. Researchers have found that high glucose levels reduce the levels of nitric oxide ( a potent vasodilator) in the blood vessels, which eventually leads to high blood pressure and narrowing of blood vessels. Also, studies have linked high levels of sugar, to low levels of testosterone, which is a hormone that fuels your sexual desire.                             A study conducted on a group of men between ages 19 and 74, showed that those who consumed 75gms sugar, their testosterone levels went down by 25% for the next 2 hours, leading to a lower libido.
• Alcohol: Although a drink or two can help build up your mood for a good session in between the sheets, too much alcohol results in numbing the sexual stimulation. Also known as ‘Whiskey Dick” an excess of alcohol causes temporary erectile dysfunctioning.                                                                               It is because heavy drinking brings down your testosterone levels which leads to lower libido and numbs your sexual sensations, thereby putting your little guy off to sleep!
• Red Meat: As indicated by medical evidence, eating red meat in excess does lead to clogging up of arteries going to all the organs, just not the heart. So instead of red meat, a Mediterranean diet that is rich in fish would be beneficial for both your health and sexual functioning.                                                  Because most fatty fish are a good source of omega-three fatty acids, which helps boost nitric oxide in your body. It helps to ensure healthy arteries with proper blood flow to all organs, including the penis.
• Fatty Foods: A diet rich in fat, is responsible for excessive weight gain, especially tummy fat. This interferes with sexual functioning in many ways, including the body’s ability to supply a sufficient amount of blood to the penis, required for an erection. A low-fat, high protein diet is what will ensure good health, including excellent sexual health as well.
• Low Vitamin D: Vitamin D deficiency is probably one of the first few things that a doctor looks for when you complain of erectile dysfunction. If you don’t get a sufficient quantity of vitamin D, your body doesn’t produce enough amount of nitric oxide, leading to damage of blood vessels. But the good news is that Vitamin D supplements are readily available, which can boost your intake.

A bad diet can affect more than your energy level. No one is asking you to forget about that loaded cheese pizza or those much-loved chicken nuggets. However,  always keep in mind that including too much of these foods will affect your health in all ways. So, do pop a bottle of your favourite alcohol but don't forget to eat enough greens the next day to flush out the toxins.

Medically reviewed by Rishabh Verma, RP