For general male
sexual wellness,
she recommends
oysters (no,
it's not a myth,
she claims),
which are high
in zinc. "It is
often low in men
who
have sexual
dysfunction.
Adding foods
high in zinc,
like oysters, as
well as pumpkin
seeds and pine
nuts, is
essential for a
healthy sex
life." As are
oats, the bane
of many a
childhood
breakfast. "Oats
boost sex drive.
They contain
zinc, proteins
and minerals
needed to
produce
healthy seminal
fluids. Men
should eat a
bowl a day."
They should, Kamhi also instructs, use ginger and
cayenne pepper in
their food before sex. "They are warming herbs and
increase circulation
to the genitals."
And now for the don'ts: carbs, fats, alcohol and
fish and chips. "When I was in London in May, I was
shocked how much bread and fat the English eat.
Carbs and fats lead to hardening of the arteries,
which decreases circulation to the genitals." Fried
foods, she argues, particularly a regular diet of
fish and chips, contain trans (hydrogenated) fats,
which decrease testosterone and increase abnormal
sperm (in animals). Alcohol, she points out, lowers
sexual response, although most men know this. "If
men want great sex they should stick to a diet high
in vegetables and fish and low in carbs and fats.
And they should eat oats."
Women mercifully are spared a return to porridge but
Kamhi says there
are foods and herbs they too should ingest daily to
increase or restore
sexual health.
"Unlike men, women have a real shift towards a
decreased sex drive as
they age due to the decline in hormones," she says.
"But there are
foods and herbs that can increase libido and support
the production of
oestrogen to reduce hot flushes, just like HRT."
Soya, of course, is considered a magic pill for
women in menopause but Kamhi warns them to tread
lightly. "One ounce a day of soya milk or foods is
fine. But too much can interfere with thyroid
function." Much better is to have one pomegranate a
day, a fruit which she says contains a form of
oestrogen called oestrone.
Similarly, fennel contains oestrogen-like oestragole.
When it comes to great sex, Kamhi says that along
with soft lighting and a Barry White CD, herbs and
minerals are a woman's best friend. She believes the
mineral arginine can increase arousal of
post-menopausal women. And that the herb damiana,
taken daily, can help a 50-year-old feel like a
newlywed.
But when daily maintenance isn't enough and it's
time to break out the
nuclear weapons, Kamhi says that directly before sex
women should
partake of yohimbe: "It can increases circulation to
the genitals,
elevating sexual response. And magnesium before sex
increases
circulation to female sex organs and can stimulate a
stronger orgasm,"
she claims. Vitamin E, she swears, is a woman's best
friend when it
comes to vaginal dryness. "Women should eat
avocados, rich in vitamin E, and can use it
intra-vaginally (using bottled oil) for
lubrication."
