How Going Gluten-Free Can Give You the Best Sex of Your Life
103
Do you know what that number is?
103 is the number of times that the average American has sex every year.
You’re trying to figure out how you measure up, right?
It doesn’t matter, though. Not really.
We all want to have more sex, or at least better sex (when we’re being honest with ourselves).
Sex Starts with What You Eat
Forget all about Oysters and Wine. Aphrodisiacs should be the least of your concern. Food is much more important than that.
Food, after all, is the fuel that gives you energy to have sex and nutrients to create sex hormones. Good foods make sex more appealing (and you more attractive), while bad foods will make you tired, not-in-the-mood, and, well, less attractive.
And which food is near the top of the list of “bad” foods? Yep – gluten.
Facts are facts. Several studies have found that individuals sensitive to gluten have lower sex drive and are less satisfied with their sex-life.
But if lower sex drive isn’t enough, here are 4 big ways that gluten can disrupt your sex-life.
How Gluten Gets in the Way
1. Digestive Issues. Above all else, gluten creates a lot of digestive issues. Some of the most common side-effects include excess bloating, gas, and general digestive discomfort.
Do any of those symptoms sound like things that put you in the mood?
These digestive issues may not technically lower your sex drive, but they sure make it less likely. Fortunately, a gluten-free diet has been shown to reverse such symptoms over time. So there is hope.
2. Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies. Gluten irritates your gut. And, as a result, it may eventually damage your intestines’ ability to absorb many vitamins and minerals. One study from 2002 found that patients who were sensitive to gluten showed significant deficiencies in several vitamins.
And it turns out that this is terrible for your sex drive.
Vitamins are critical for boosting sex drive, sustaining energy, and balancing hormones. Many vitamins and minerals are also responsible for your body’s ability to produce and use testosterone, a hormone that is super-important for your sex drive whether you’re a man or woman.
3. Adrenal Stress. You may not know what this is. But it is the primary and the worst way that gluten interferes with your sex drive.
Because gluten causes intestinal inflammation (and often blood sugar swings), your adrenal glands are forced to over-produce cortisol. This isn’t that bad if it only happens a few times, but in the long run, 2 very bad things happen:
1. First, once you over-produce cortisol for long enough, your adrenal glands get overworked and stop producing enough cortisol, which will make you tired and often depressed.
2. Secondly, once your adrenal glands are worn out, they also won’t produce enough sex hormones, which will often dramatically decrease your sex drive. One study found that elevated cortisol led directly to lowered testosterone.
This is a road that you don’t want to take. Cutting out the gluten before you get there is a big help.
4. Fatigue, Depression, and Moodiness. Both vitamin deficiencies and also adrenal stress can easily result in fatigue, depression, and moodiness. Having worn-out adrenal glands is one of the quickest roots to fatigue and depression, particularly because of the likelihood of thyroid disorders caused by adrenal fatigue.
All those times you’re “too tired” or “not in the mood” could be an indirect result of a poor diet.
5. Unbalanced Hormones. Hormones like estrogen and testosterone are critical for your sex drive, as well as a lot of other important functions in your body, such as fat-burning and muscle growth. In other words, they’re incredibly important.
With that in mind, one study showed that men with intestinal inflammation due to gluten sensitivity were unable to properly use and balance hormones like testosterone.
Fortunately, after going gluten-free, the participants were able to correct this imbalance.
Get it On
Going gluten-free is not going to revolutionize your sex life. But it might make a big difference.
And if you have celiac disease, then this is much more serious than just having good sex. One study found that women with celiac disease were much more likely to have infertility problems and miscarriages. Fortunately, treatment with a gluten-free diet appeared to solve these problems.
There are so many reasons to stick to a diet of real foods that is high in nutrients and low in toxins like gluten. Next time you’re tempted, though, try remembering these to give yourself just a little more motivation.
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