It’s not secret that food plays a role in erectile dysfunction. However, it is only recently that nutritionists have been able to pinpoint exactly which foods the body needs to create a healthy erection. That’s why we created this blog. We want to help men who want to solve their erectile dysfunction with natural diet changes and exercises.
Food For Erectile Dysfunction
Can Food Affect Your Penis?
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We know pills, pumps, and surgeries work for erectile dysfunction, but what about food? Are there things you can eat that can help with ED? There are reasons to think there may be, even if there is no scientific evidence to prove the potential of the following foods.
Watermelon
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This sweet, refreshing fruit has a compound that can have effects similar to ED meds on your blood vessels. It may even rev up your sex drive, studies say. Most of watermelon is water, but the rest is loaded with lycopene, an antioxidant that’s good for your heart, prostate, and skin.
Oysters
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These shellfish may boost your testosterone levels, and that can help with sex drive. They’re also chock-full of zinc, a nutrient your body needs. But you may save yourself problems by making sure they’re cooked. Make sure you know where they come from, and that they’re cooked properly.
Coffee
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Your morning cup of joe is more than a satisfying pick-me-up. It may give your love life a boost, too. Men who drank two or three cups’ worth of caffeine a day were less likely to have erectile dysfunction, one study found. That’s because caffeine helps boost blood flow. Not a java fan? Many teas, sodas, and sports drinks also have caffeine.
Dark Chocolate
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This treat may have perks below the belt. An ounce a few times a week can help your ticker — and what’s good for your heart could be good for other parts, too. Chocolate is rich in flavanols, plant nutrients that can increase blood flow and lower blood pressure. It also helps your body make more of nitric oxide, which can help with erections and is in many ED medications.
Nuts
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Walnuts have lots of arginine, an amino acid your body uses to make nitric oxide. They’re also good sources of vitamin E, folic acid and fiber. Don’t add more than a few small handfuls to your daily diet, though. Nuts are high in calories.
Juice
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Maybe you enjoy an adult beverage made from grapes, but here’s a reason to drink the stuff kids like. Nutrients in Concord grape juice also increase the amount of nitric oxide in your body. If you’re not wild about drinking grape juice, try pomegranate juice. It appears to have the same effect.
Garlic
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The strong-smelling bulb may help between the sheets. If plaque forms on the walls of the arteries, blood flow could be cut off or reduced. That could cause a problem when it comes to romance. Garlic in your diet may help keep your arteries healthy and clear as you age.
Fish
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Salmon and other fatty fish are great sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which may boost nitric oxide in your body. They’ll lower your blood pressure and your risks for heart attack and blood clots. Aim for 8 ounces of salmon a week. Sardines, fresh albacore tuna, and mackerel are other good sources of omega-3s.
Greens
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Kale is also a nitric-oxide booster. Aside from the possible benefits to your sex life, leafy greens are nutritional powerhouses. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals and omega-3s.
Peppers
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You might spice up your love life by adding some chili peppers to your diet. The stuff in cayennes, jalapenos, habaneros, and other peppers that give them their heat relaxes the arteries — and that helps blood flow to the heart and other organs, including the penis. Chilies can also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol and prevent blood clots.
Olive Oil
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Olive oil may help your body make more testosterone. It’s also full of the good-for-you monounsaturated fat, which can help get rid of the bad cholesterol in your body. Opt for extra-virgin olive oil — that means the olives were pressed without chemicals or high heat, which preserves the healthy antioxidants.
Foods to Boost T-Levels, Sperm Count
The foods you eat provide the building blocks you need to power your body, including the penis and other sexual organs.
However, instead of eating as if your penis needs special attention, you can fill your day with nutritious whole foods that help your blood deliver the nutrients your penis, prostate, and other sexual organs need to function optimally.
Whether your concern is low testosterone levels, erectile dysfunction, or prostate health, these foods may help boost your sexual health and function.
1. Spinach
Spinach worked for Popeye, and it may help you, too.
2. Coffee
Your morning cup of java may help below the belt, as well.
One study in over 3,000 men noted that those who self-reported the highest daily caffeine intake (85–300 mg per day, equivalent to 1–3 cups or 240–720 ml of coffee) were less likely to report erectile dysfunction than those with the lowest caffeine intake.
. Apples
Apples have some great all-around health benefits, but one of their lesser known advantages pertains to prostate health.
7 foods that help you stay erect
There are all types of treatments for erectile dysfunction. Pills, penis pumps, implants––you name it.
If you’re looking for a more natural route to treat ED or improve your sex life, you might wonder if there are foods that help you stay erect. The short answer is: yes and no. Maintaining a diet that supports a healthy heart and improves blood flow can bolster your erections.
Food alone won’t work the same way medications like Viagra do, but a healthy diet may help prevent diseases that can contribute to sexual dysfunction.
Can foods help erectile dysfunction?
While there is no one food that instantly fixes erectile dysfunction (ED), long-term dietary choices play an important role in helping you get an erection. ED is a complex condition that makes it hard to get or keep an erection long enough for satisfying sex.
Erections are all about blood flow; if you notice you’re not getting as hard or can’t maintain an erection, it could indicate a larger issue with blood flow in your body. Sometimes, the problem is with the blood vessels that carry blood to your penis; studies have found a link between atherosclerosis (plaque buildup on artery walls) and ED (Tsujimura, 2017).
Diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity are all risk factors for atherosclerosis commonly seen in people with ED (Ibrahim, 2018). Foods that contribute to these health issues (and increase the likelihood of erection problems) include added sugars, trans fats, and processed foods (Selvin, 2007).
Other times, heart problems make blood flow to the penis less effective, preventing optimal erections. Avoiding foods that contribute to heart disease and staying focused on maintaining a heart-healthy diet may help with ED too.
And while there isn’t much research on specific foods helping prevent ED, some vitamins and amino acids like folic acid and L-arginine have been shown to increase blood flow and may improve erectile strength for some people (Zhang, 2021).
Best foods for erectile dysfunction
Foods that stimulate blood flow or increase testosterone production may help support your sexual health and curb erection problems like ED. Here are eight healthy foods to help you get hard.
1. Tomatoes
Red and pink fruits like tomatoes and watermelon are full of lycopene, a natural antioxidant that gives ruby-colored foods their rich hues. Nutrients like these prevent erectile problems by lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease and reducing oxidative stress, which is prominent in diabetes (another contributor to ED).
One study in diabetic rats actually evaluated lycopene as a treatment for ED and found that it may help (Gao, 2012). While more research is necessary in order to extrapolate the results to humans, adding lycopene-rich foods to your diet won’t hurt.
Tomatoes in particular are a great source of lycopene, which is also linked to better sperm production. Research shows that eating tomatoes may lower the risk of prostate cancer and support overall sexual health. Other foods rich in lycopene include pink grapefruit, papaya, and guava.Is erectile dysfunction reversible? In most cases, it’s treatable
2. Leafy greens
There’s evidence that low levels of folic acid (vitamin B9) are associated with moderate to severe erectile dysfunction. Many people who experience ED or premature ejaculation are lacking in folic acid (Karabaken, 2016; Yan, 2014).
And while we only have animal studies to work with here, research has found giving rabbits with diabetes folic acid improved their erectile function (Shukla, 2008).
Dietary sources the highest in folate are foods like asparagus, spinach, and Brussels sprouts. Other good sources of folic acid include (NIH, 2021):
- Eggs
- Beans
- Grains
- Nuts
- Poultry
- Dairy products
3. Peppers
Cayenne, jalapeño, and chili peppers all contain capsaicin. This ingredient is what gives spicy peppers their heat. Capsaicin is a highly useful compound with a range of folk medicinal uses like treating arthritis pain, healing wounds, and even restoring hair health (Basith, 2016).
But what does the science show? One tiny study comparing intraurethral capsaicin injections (injections of a capsaicin solution directly into the urethra) to a placebo found that the spicy-hot chemical improved erectile function for those men. Still, that’s definitely not a reason to go around injecting hot sauce into your junk (Lazzeri, 1994).
Opting for sweet peppers (like bell peppers) might be a better idea. They’re full of antioxidants called flavonoids that support heart health and circulation. Flavonoids may also be associated with fewer erectile problems. One study found that men who ate a ton of fruit had a 14% reduced risk of ED (Cassidy, 2016).
Other dietary sources of flavonoids include tea, wine (not too much), apples, soybeans, onions, and cherries (Janabi, 2020).
4. Oysters and other omega-3s
Seafood (oysters in particular) have landed a name as aphrodisiacs. And while that may be an old wive’s tale, these foods are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats are tied to many benefits for your heart and potentially libido (sex drive). One study found that these natural fatty acids improved erectile function in rats, although more research is needed (Shim, 2016).
Shellfish also may aid sexual function due to their high zinc content. Zinc levels have a significant effect on testosterone, a hormone crucial to male sexual health.Sexual dysfunction: what is it, causes, treatments
5. Nuts
A handful of nuts won’t solve all your problems, but research suggests regular nut consumption may help you stay erect.
Nuts contain high amounts of L-arginine, an amino acid used to make nitric oxide. This gas plays a critical role in getting and maintaining erections by relaxing smooth muscles in the penis and letting blood flow in (Burnett, 2007).
Studies suggest that supplementing a healthy diet with mixed nuts (like the Mediterranean diet, for instance) improved sexual function in men (Salas-Huetos, 2019). Walnuts, almonds, and pecans are all good options for heart-healthy nuts.
6. Coffee
We know that caffeine has benefits like improving blood flow. And as you’ve gathered from this article, better blood flow equals better erections. So does that mean a cup of caffeinated coffee is the missing link? Maybe, maybe not.
Researchers have found some connections between caffeine intake and ED. In one study, men who drank around 2–3 cups of coffee a day (a caffeine intake of 170–375 mg) had lower rates of ED. That said, the evidence wasn’t super clear, and the results didn’t hold true for people with diabetes (Lopez, 2015).
For now, don’t expect your healthcare provider to write you a prescription for a cappuccino any time soon.
7. Dark chocolate
Moderation definitely applies to this one, but yes: dark chocolate is among foods that may help you get hard.
If you remember flavonoids, these antioxidants are linked to a reduced risk of ED. And they aren’t limited to fruits and vegetables. Believe it or not, cocoa has one of the highest flavonoid contents of any food (Katz, 2011).
That means products that contain cocoa (like dark chocolate) may support sexual function. There’s a catch with this one though: you have to choose chocolate with a minimum of 70% cocoa to reap any benefits. Milk and white chocolate are high in fat and added sugars, which can lead to negative health outcomes.Exercise, weight, and fertility: what’s the connection?
Worst foods for erectile dysfunction
If there’s a list of the best ED foods, there’s also a list of the worst. A poor diet on its own is unlikely to cause ED, but it is a risk factor for medical conditions that lead to erectile dysfunction.
Here are some food categories to steer clear of that may negatively impact sexual health:
- Fried foods: Sadly, some of the best-tasting foods are the worst for us. Trans and saturated fats found in many fried and processed foods up the levels of “bad” cholesterol. Eating too much unhealthy fats also contribute to atherosclerosis, impacting blood flow to the penis (Monguchi, 2017).
- Foods with added sugar: The trick with sugar is getting it from whole, natural sources like fruit. Consuming too many sweet drinks and foods with added sugar can wreak havoc on blood sugar levels. High blood sugar can speed up the progression of atherosclerosis and lead to other health conditions like diabetes that can harm blood vessels and nerves crucial for getting and maintaining an erection (Aronson, 2002).
- Alcohol: Many people have erection problems after too much alcohol. Chronic drinking messes with testosterone levels and blood circulation. Lots of people have experienced the effects of one drink too many on their sexual performance, a condition aptly named “whisky dick.” Alcohol may have additional side effects that impact sexual health, like lowering sex drive or contributing to premature ejaculation (Arackal, 2007).
Lifestyle habits to improve sexual health
Along with healthy eating, there are a number of lifestyle changes you can implement to alleviate ED. Here are some things that are good for erections and have overall health benefits:8 natural remedies and treatments for erectile dysfunction
- Practice strategies to reduce stress
- Exercise regularly
- Keep hydrated
- Cut back on alcohol
- Stop smoking
There are no magic foods guaranteed to give you better erections. However, a balanced diet does lower the chances of developing conditions like diabetes and high cholesterol, which are known to play a role in erectile function.
Eating heart-healthy foods and adopting lifestyle habits like the ones above are all steps you can take to support overall health and achieve a more satisfying sex life.