There can be a handful of reasons why you may feel like not engaging in sex with your partner tonight.

You might have skipped some sleep, had a busy day at work, or need to cater to your children instead. You also could be taking certain medications, have had a recent surgery, or have unbalanced hormones that could be contributing to your low sex drive.

If you’ve been feeling left out in the cold when it comes to heating things up with your significant other, you may want to take a look at your diet. There are many foods you may be eating that could be hurting your sex drive without knowing. Fortunately, there are many more foods that can boost your libido right back up.

Foods that Cause Diminished Sex Drive

Perhaps the biggest sex drive killer is processed food, especially baked goods. Foods high in fat content or sugar can cause your blood sugar to spike, drastically lowering libido. Having a lot of fat in your diet can clog arteries and reduce the flow of oxygen to sexual organs.

For the same reasons as processed foods, dairy should also be kept to a minimum. High fat content can be hidden in foods like ice cream and milk. Sharing a tub of ice cream while curled up on the couch may sure sound like a romantic way to spend an evening with your partner, but the added fat and sugar can give you an unpleasant surprise later when you try to get intimate.

Improving Your Libido through Diet

One of the biggest libido boosters is a classic aphrodisiac – oysters. They are packed full of zinc, which raises sperm levels, increases testosterone, and releases dopamine into the brain, resulting in a heightened sex drive. If you’re not crazy about oysters, other foods that can be good sources of zinc include pumpkin seeds and almonds.

The libido-cranking foods don’t stop there:

• Avocado: Interestingly enough, the Aztecs used to call avocado trees “the testicle tree.” The abundance of folic acid gives more energy and helps metabolize protein, while vitamin B6 improves male hormone production. Combined with potassium, which regulates the thyroid, you have a great combination for bringing positive results to your sex drive.
• Ginseng: Studies are ongoing, but promising. Ginseng can be used in tea, and may help improve overall circulation, which in turn will lead to an easier time getting aroused.
• Celery: Pheromones are odorless chemical signals that are released through your sweat glands, and can affect the behavior of a person with who you may be chemically “in tune.” Celery has been found to increase the secretion of pheromones, so if you are looking for the love of your life, be sure to eat more of it.

Of course, perhaps the most popular aphrodisiac this time of year is chocolate. Everyone loves it, and the magnesium can relax you, releasing the same endorphins that are triggered during sex. In fact, if you eat enough dark chocolate, you could have the same levels of endorphins flooding your brain, making a positive association.

As surprising as it may seem, your diet can certainly have a huge influence on your libido. If you are not satisfied with your current drive and feel it could be improved, take a closer look at what you’re eating to determine if a simple diet change could affect it.

Foods to Boost Sex Drive:

• Oysters
• Watermelon
• Chocolate
• Almonds
• Eggs
• Oatmeal
• Dark Chocolate
• Celery
• Figs
• Black raspberries
• Avocado
• Ginseng

Foods that Kill Sex Drive:

• Dairy
• Processed foods
• Baked goods

In the related interview, Abbie Gellman, MS, RD, discusses what foods you should be eating to boost your sex drive, as well as which foods might be killing your libido.