Chocolate Not The Only Food For Lovers

For Valentine’s Day, chocolate is the food that most often comes to mind. After all, what’s not to love about a 2-pound box of truffles?

There’s a physiological basis for this attraction. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a substance that supposedly stimulates the same physical reaction as falling in love.

But what if you shy away from caffeine, fat or calories? Fear not. Your local supermarket is chockful of ordinary foods imbued with extraordinary powers.

Certain foods have, since ancient times, been considered aphrodisiacs for various reasons. Some, such as the mandrake root, fig or the banana, fall into that category because of their suggestive shapes.

Spices such as chilies, cayenne peppers or curries are considered aphrodisiacs because of the intensity of their physiological effects. Then there are “love” foods such as truffles, whose reputation actually may have some basis in fact; they contain a chemical variant of the male sex hormone testosterone.

Here’s a small sampling of foods you already may love that will love you (or your valentine) right back:

Oysters: Oysters long have been known for their special powers. It is rumored that no less a lover than Casanova ate 50 raw oysters every morning. They are low in fat and loaded with phosphorus, iodine and zinc. Normally they are eaten raw. But be careful where and when you buy them; while oysters may be a turn-on, lying next to a partner wracked by food poisoning definitely isn’t.

Pine nuts: Pine nuts have a reputation that dates back centuries, and were even cited by the Roman poet Ovid in “The Art of Love.” Reportedly, the most effective variety comes from a pine which is only grown in the Himalayan mountains. So how far would you be willing to go for a little extra “oomph”?

Onions: The French reportedly used to take onion soup to newlyweds after their wedding night to make sure their libido did not flag. And the Egyptians banned their priests from eating onions because … well, because they were priests. (A word of advice: If you’re having a Valentine’s Day onion fest, make sure both partners indulge.)

Other foods thought to be instrumental in enhancing romance include garlic, sea slugs, beets, hippopotamus snout, goat’s milk and - according to numerous unofficial surveys at both high school and college levels - green M&M’s.