Food for Love

Food and romance have already been intricately woven together for years and years, and what better time than Valentines Day to have a closer understand this intriguing relationship. In this post, Manchester based nutritional therapist, Elizabeth Harfleet discusses aphrodisiacs to provide you with food for thought!

The candlelit dinner of gourmet cuisine, against a shimmering backdrop of sweet violins, conjures up a cosy image of romantic contentment. However, in bygone times, prior to the advent of eateries, women and men had to get alternative methods to tantalise their tastebuds and desires!

Those who've studied the annals of aphrodisiacs will undoubtedly be aware our ancestors would enjoy such delicacies as a pint of honey, taken with vast levels of pine nuts to improve their success in the love stakes. The effect was a supposedly unforgettable night; it isn't difficult to assume why!

In newer times, chocolate, oysters, asparagus and also celery have earned a reputation because of their supposedly aphrodisiac qualities. Indeed, nutritional therapist concur that a higher intake of fruit and vegetables, especially those abundant with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, have an energising effect and a confident effect on performance.

Chocolate is in a group of its. Despite from the cocoa bean, a chocolate bar is hardly a vegetable! Chocolate, especially the plain varieties, contains iron and anti-oxidants along with less helpful caffeine, fat and sugar. Its mix of hormone-mimicking ingredients can induce a feel great factor, increasing its appeal. This explains why we would crave chocolate when we're feeling a little down, or about menstruation. In the event that you must eat it - choose the darker varieties. They're much richer, which means you will have a tendency to eat much less. Or on top of that, try carob, an alternative solution that includes a chocolaty flavour.