We get it – you wanna chew over your online dating prospects like a fine squid tentacle, ruminating on whether they’re a ‘hot’ or a ‘not’ prospect. Yet, just like our advice on the best meals for a date, we’d love to have you steaming for each other when you’re face-to-face over a restaurant table. It’s just human nature, eh?
Some food is bound to strengthen the lust of your meetup; at least more than prawn crackers could ever hope to… Hence, here are five aphrodisiacs to get those hormones running high!
1. Chilli Peppers
We’re starting with a very, very literal contender for your love-struck dinner. Eating a spicy chili, unless you’re Superman, is going to flood your brain with endorphins, turn up your heart rate, and make you sweat a little – basically all the qualities of arousal. You might notice a girl get flustered and brush hair away from her face, or a guy undo his collar to keep the heat down. Either way, your body language will loosen up.
2. Steak
Actually, we can’t pin down what it is about steak that gets us so amorous… Maybe it’s the primal quality, having a big chunk of meat that’s been cut and tenderised for us. Perhaps it’s the extras you can have – gravy, blue cheese, Diane or peppercorn sauce – that say a lot about the tastes of the person sitting with us. But really, when we analyse it, it’s the juice and layered texture, the fact that you can spend ages savouring a forkful while gazing into another pair of eyes.
3. Pomegranates
A long-standing superfood, pomegranates can boost blood flow throughout your body, making arms, legs and shoulders more sensitive. If your date rests a finger on your wrist, you’ll certainly feel it. The fruit tends to release more testosterone, which can increase the sense of desire in men and women. Order some pomegranate juice before any food is served, and wait for those subtle effects to kick in.
4. Pine Nuts
Obviously you don’t want to ask for a main course of pine nuts and nothing else. Your date will stare at you and fumble for his/her phone, saying they’d rather meet someone less insane. But a sprinkling of pine kernel in pasta dishes, curries or salads will top up your level of zinc, a stimulant for the libido. Also, you’ll get a slight rush of a chemical called boron, heightening the electrical activity in your brain and making (we hope) for inventive conversation.
5. Dark Chocolate
Yep, we realise that milk and/or white chocolate lovers will balk at this, but the romantic properties of dark chocolate are undeniable. A compound called PEA (phenylethylamine) is produced when we cross to the darker side of desserts. Eat a fair bit of it, and your mood and energy will be elevated. Also, there’s that blood flow attribute again – perfect alongside the best meals for a date, making everything feel ten times more sensuous!
You probably have some personal aphrodisiacs to swear by; leave a comment if you want to add any to our list. With a FreeAndSingle profile to set your dating in motion, there are other tastes to try, like the kind of partner you’ve always been searching for. Sign up today and broaden your romantic palette, readying for that pepper eating contest…