The lycopene in tomato is an example of a phytonutrient that promotes healthy erectile function.The best way to get phytonutrients is directly from the source: fresh fruits and vegetables.
Even if your current diet studiously avoids them, you probably learned about the importance of nutrients when you were a child. These nutrients include minerals and an alphabet-soup mix of vitamins said to improve your health and well-being.
To that list of things that are good for you, you should also add phytonutrients — chemical compounds found in a wide array of plant-based foods. They help promote the health of the plant, and they can do the same for you. More importantly, the phytonutrients showcased in this article can also help preserve erectile function.
Flavonoids are a class of phytonutrients responsible for the bright and vivid colors of certain fruits and vegetables. A study that appeared in the February 2016 issue of “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” found that men with a higher habitual consumption of flavonoid-rich foods had a significantly lower risk of ED.
Among the most widespread of phytonutrients, flavonoids are broken down into six major subclasses: anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, flavanones, flavones, and isoflavones.
Although all the flavonoids are beneficial to your health and generally supportive of erectile function, three are especially erection-friendly for men under the age of 70, according to the aforementioned study. Researchers found that a higher intake of foods high in anthocyanins, flavanones, and flavones was associated with an 11 to 16 percent reduction in the risk of ED.
Anthocyanins is found in red wine, red and purple grapes, and red, blue, and purple berries. Flavanones are the flavonoids common to grapefruit, lemons, and oranges and the juice from those fruits. To increase your intake of flavones, you’ll need to include more celery, hot peppers, parsley, and thyme in your diet.
Nitrates are another erection-friendly class of phytonutrients that are found in leafy green vegetables, beets, and beet juice. Much milder than pharmaceutical nitrates, which cannot be taken concurrently with Viagra or any of the other PDE5 inhibitors, plant-based nitrates are natural vasodilators, encouraging the robust blood flow essential to erection.
Arginine is an amino acid that is a precursor of nitric oxide, a key player in blood flow and erectile function. Plant foods rich in arginine include chickpeas (garbanzo beans), lentils, peanuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and soybeans.
A powerful antioxidant, lycopene is another phytonutrient that promotes strong blood flow. It prompts blood vessels to relax, which increases circulation as the walls of arteries dilate. Among the best food sources of lycopene are tomatoes and watermelon. Apricots, guavas, papaya, pink grapefruit, and rose hips are also high in lycopene.
Many of the phytonutrient-rich fruits and vegetables cited here boast high levels of the more familiar vitamins and minerals as well, making them double- or even triple-threat additions to your diet.
ED Drug May Help
If adding some of the foods listed here to your diet fails to give you the boost you need to get and keep an erection suitable for intercourse, you might need the help of one of the oral ED drugs such as Viagra and Cialis.
To buy them, you’ll need a prescription, which you can get through your doctor or through a complimentary online consultation with one of eDrugstore’s team of licensed U.S. physicians. To learn more, click below to visit the website’s Erectile Dysfunction page.
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