Your lifestyle factors have a big role in your sexual health. Eating a healthy diet is crucial, otherwise, lack of adequate nutrients can affect your sexual function. Some foods can potentiate your risk of chronic health conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, heart diseases, etc. which can contribute to erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence.
The root cause of erectile dysfunction is the lack of blood circulation in the penile arteries. The blood flow gets hindered because of the blockage formation in the Penile arteries, which deprives the arteries of adequate blood, and as a result, the individual fails to get or maintain erections. If the health of the arteries gets impacted, that can be attributed to lifestyle factors which also include your daily diet.
Foods that can lead to erectile dysfunction are given below:
Fried foods
Foods that are fried contain excessive amounts of saturated fats, which are very harmful to health. Saturated fats raise the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body and potentiate the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. It can lead to blockage formation in the arterial passages, which can block the blood flow to the body organs. Therefore, you must avoid having oily or fried foods and consume more clean foods like vegetables and fruits. You should be mindful of your eating habits and limit your consumption of fried foods.
Baked goods
Goods that are prepared in the bakery are usually loaded with high amounts of refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, trans fats, and sugar, which can raise the levels of LDL cholesterol in the body. Such foods carry excessive amounts of calories, and they generally lack essential nutrients. Consuming such foods on a regular basis can lead to weight gain and an increased risk of high blood sugar (type 2 diabetes) and heart disease.
Sodium can cause water retention in the body, thereby leading to high blood pressure. Whereas, unhealthy fats can accumulate in the passages of the blood vessels and clog them. This makes the heart to pump the blood with high force, which can lead to its damage.
Processed meat
Processed meats are packed with high amounts of LDL or bad cholesterol, which can contribute to plaque formation in the passage of the arteries. This can lead to the possibility of atherosclerosis, heart disease, cardiovascular disorders, and stroke. Consuming it often can also potentiate the risk of certain types of cancers. Besides, they are usually loaded with high amounts of sodium for preserving the meat for a long time, however, excessive sodium increases the levels of water in your bloodstream, thereby increasing the risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension), which is a contributor to impotence issues.
Therefore, you must either avoid or reduce the consumption of processed meats such as canned meat, sausages, bacon, salted meat, dried meat, etc.
Alcohol
Alcohol has psychoactive properties that tend to interfere with the messengers in the brain that indicate the penile nerves about arousal. This affects the arousal and the erection function gets hindered. Chronic drinkers are more prone to erectile dysfunction, as prolonged consumption of alcohol impairs the health and function of blood vessels.
The healthy functioning of the blood vessels depends on a chemical known as Nitric Oxide (NO). It is released by the endothelial cells of the penile blood vessels and is responsible for relaxing the strained muscles of the blood vessels and dilating the narrowed blood vessels to allow the abundant flow of blood inside. However, excessive consumption of alcohol depresses the nervous system activity and suppresses the release of nitric oxide. As a result, lack of nitric oxide translates to erection difficulties.
Sugar
According to some studies, excessive sugar consumption over a long period of time can cause insulin resistance in the body, which causes gradual damage to the blood vessels and nerves in the body. When the blood vessels of the penile get affected, the erection function gets impaired. Therefore, it is necessary to cut down your sugar intake. Consume sugary foods in moderation. Some soft drinks, energy drinks, processed and packaged foods, etc. usually contain high amounts of sugar, so, you must avoid consuming such foods more frequently.
Diary products
Such foods are rich sources of fats. There are full-fat and low-fat options in dairy products, you can choose for yourself. Full-fat dairy goods have high amounts of fats, and consuming them for a prolonged time can cause gradual damage to the arteries. This is why, you should switch to skimmed or low-fat dairy options.
Sodium
Sodium or salt leads to water retention in the body, and the blood volume rises as a result, which makes the heart work extra harder to get the blood pumped throughout the entire body. Too much salt consumption over a period of time causes high blood pressure and cardiovascular disorders, which are linked to erectile dysfunction.
Certain foods are considered to be bad for your sexual function. If you consume such foods once in a while then there is not a big problem, however, if you have developed unhealthy eating habits over a period of time, then you may experience the symptoms of erectile dysfunction at some point.