by Natasha Burton
Next time you’re out on a hot date, steer clear of these common anti-aphrodisiacs. They can leave you bloated, gassy, sleepy, and with zero sex drive. So…not sexy.
BEANS
Beans are a pre-sex no-no not just for the gas factor—they also make you super-bloated. Beans contain a sugar that isn’t digestible, according to a study published inNutrition Journal, so once they hit your stomach you’re sure to puff up.
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
While they have zero calories, artificial sweeteners can contain hard-to-digest ingredients like sorbitol, which can cause major bloating.
BROCCOLI
Also on the sure-to-bloat-you-big-time list are veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, which all contain a sugar that’s similar to the one in beans, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine’s health library. To digest them, your body needs to use methane-releasing bacteria—and if there’s one thing you don’t want to be releasing right before or during sex, it’s methane.
RED MEAT
While a steak dinner might sound like a romantic date, eating a fatty piece of red meat causes your body to go into overdrive when it’s time to digest it, which can end up making you feel super sleepy—aka not ready for action.
BLACK LICORICE
Oddly enough, this candy was found to bring on hormonal changes and can lower sex drivein both women and men, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. While you’d have to eat a lot of it to feel the effects, you should def hold off on noshing on licorice before jumping into bed.
CHEESE
Seventy-five percent of people in the world are lactose intolerant. (Crazy, right?!) Since most of us have trouble breaking down dairy products like cheese and milk—because they contain the enzyme lactase—you might want to skip having pizza on a big date if you’d like to avoid gas and bloating later.
ALCOHOL
Sipping on a cocktail to loosen up is one thing, but knocking back shots certainly won’t put you in the mood to get busy later. A known depressant, alcohol can make you sleepy if you have too much. If your drink of choice is beer, you’ve got another factor working against you— gas caused by the carbonation.
CHEESE
Seventy-five percent of people in the world are lactose intolerant. (Crazy, right?!) Since most of us have trouble breaking down dairy products like cheese and milk—because they contain the enzyme lactase—you might want to skip having pizza on a big date if you’d like to avoid gas and bloating later.
ALCOHOL
Sipping on a cocktail to loosen up is one thing, but knocking back shots certainly won’t put you in the mood to get busy later. A known depressant, alcohol can make you sleepy if you have too much. If your drink of choice is beer, you’ve got another factor working against you— gas caused by the carbonation.
GUM
Okay, so it’s not technically a food, but it’s important to know that while chewing gum might give you kissably-fresh breath, all of the air you’re swallowing while smacking away may also give you gas, according to the Mayo Clinic. And that could kill the mood no matter how minty your mouth is.
(via Cosmopolitan)
