Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and if you've failed to snag a restaurant reservation for you and your significant other, then perhaps whipping up a homemade feast would be your best shout.
A quick Google search is likely to bring up traditional romantic meals, such as succulent seafood starters, steak dinners, and decadent malted chocolate fondants.
However, one health expert has made a serious case for breaking the mould.
She suggested selecting dishes with ingredients that have the ability to get you in the mood for some bedroom-based activities.
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These foods, known as aphrodisiacs, may surprise you by increasing your sex drive and prepare you for pleasure this Valentine’s Day.
What is an aphrodisiac?
“Aphrodisiacs are foods that are believed to heighten arousal and desire, but most don’t work in an immediate, dramatic way,” Emmy Clinton, a Colorado-based nutritionist, told greetings card marketplace thortful.
The expert say that rather than flipping the switch on arousal, they work by boosting energy levels, promoting blood flow, and making you feel happier and more relaxed.
Traditional aphrodisiacs include mandrake plant and yohimbine, according to a study published in *Pharmacognosy Reviews,* as well as oysters and dark chocolate.
However, Clinton warns that for oysters to do the trick, you would need to ‘eat too many’ and that while chocolate tastes indulgent, the ‘actual chemical effects of promoting desire are minuscule’.
Best aphrodisiacs for women
This year, it’s advised that women ditch the tried-and-tested aphrodisiacs and choose to eat dishes made with whole, healthy ingredients.
These include recipes using thyme and even butternut squash.
Clinton has also made a case for spicing things up with chilli peppers, or sweetening the deal with pomegranates and strawberries.
“Saffron may help improve mood and arousal; beetroot helps support circulation; maca root is known for boosting energy and desire; asparagus is linked to pleasure-related chemicals in the body; and nutmeg is known to be a mild stimulant,” she explained.
Recipes that thortful and Silvia Mocsari from Honey Heaven suggest making this year include: a CBD honey super salad, butternut squash orzo, and fudge brownies made with unsweetened applesauce and raw cacao.
Should you eat sweet or savoury dishes this Valentine’s Day?
If you’re hoping that a meal may set the precedence for the rest of the evening, then you may be wondering whether you should select a sweet or savoury dish.
However, Clinton believes that both have their place when it comes to getting it on.
“Savoury dishes create a feeling of comfort and relaxation,” she explained “Sweet food triggers feelings of indulgence, pleasure and sensuality.”
Her final piece of advice: start with savour, finish with sweet, and let the mood do the rest.
Ella Scott