It’s Valentine's Day!!!! Let’s talk lovin’, baby!!
Having a balance in all aspects of life is ideal for aging well. Love and sex are big factors of happiness and health. However, it’s very natural to have a decline in our libido as we age. Does that mean we just give in to this natural process? Absolutely not! Boosting a low sex drive is completely possible. Since hormonal imbalance is the biggest factor for a low sex drive in women, balancing hormones is the best thing to do to improve libido. Let’s take a look at how we can start to do that!
Eat plenty of healthy fats– Polyunsaturated fats (like vegetable oils) do not give the body the building blocks it needs to produce hormones. Choose fats from healthy sources like coconut oil, real butter, olive oil, and eat lots of high omega-3 fish.
Eat a nutrient-dense diet– Pastured eggs (especially the yolk), high quality, pastured meats and offal (liver), fruits and vegetables, and fermented foods are nutrient dense. Zinc is an essential trace element that is necessary for hormone balance. Zinc can usually be found in high enough quantities in foods like beef, oysters, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and crab. (These foods are sometimes considered aphrodisiacs!)
Fix leptin– Leptin is a master hormone, and if it is out of balance (or if you are resistant to it) other hormones are more likely to be out of balance. Fixing Leptin will also make weight loss easier, improve sleep, and lower inflammation.
Limit caffeine– Bad news for coffee lovers (like me), but caffeine can overwhelm the endocrine system, especially if there are other hormone stressors involved, like pregnancy, presence of toxins, beneficial fat imbalance or stress. There are many healthy coffee alternatives, like herbal tea, dandelion root tea latte, and chicory root “coffee.”
Avoid hormonal birth control– The hormones in birth control can wreak havoc on the body’s natural hormones, sending them into imbalance.
Prioritize sleep– At night the body is active producing hormones (among other things) so sleep is essential for hormonal balance.
Have a positive self-image- YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. In every unique and one-of-a-kind way that only you can offer to the universe. Spend time loving you, make time for yourself and focus on self-care. Walk, stretch, meditate.
Supplements to Boost Libido
When diet and lifestyle are optimized, supplements may be what’s needed to get the libido back on track.
Maca root– Maca root has been used for centuries in the Andes Mountains. Maca’s high iodine is great for thyroid health (which is important for libido health too) and its high zinc level is important for sex hormones.
Vitamins/minerals– Though nutrients from food are best, the foods we eat are often depleted of these important nutrients (because of depleted soil, bad growing practices, etc.) so supplementation may be necessary. Vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids are typically needed in supplement form.
Nitric oxide (ie: beet powder) is a powerful vasodilator inside the human body that’s believed to help widen blood vessels and stimulate the release of key hormones.