Photo Credit: by Marvella Goetz, Flickr.com
June 10-16th is Canadian Men’s Health Week and here at Canadian Pharmacy King, we’re excited to celebrate with you so you can live your best life possible. One of the ways we celebrate, is by bringing light to one of the ways men can take control of their health, and in specific, their sexual health. Through proper nutrition, it’s possible to negate the side effects of erectile dysfunction—or even eliminate them entirely. But how?
Benjamin Franklin is known to have said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It was true during his time and its certainly true now. Maybe more so. With skyrocketing healthcare costs and sexual dysfunction for both men and women on the rise, more and more people are looking for alternative ways to save money and still live a healthy sexual life. Ironically, many are turning to nutritional healing as their answer, and for good reason. When we consume food as medicine, we begin to see the trends on how our diet has been helping (or hindering) not only our sexual health, but our overall health as well. It’s safe to say, when we eat better, we feel better.
Food as Medicine
For many people with a poor diet, one of the first things they’ll notice is an increase in weight. Next, it typically recurring heartburn or acid reflux, or perhaps high blood pressure. When the heart gets pulled into this mess with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or even heart issues like angina and other vascular issues, the risk for sexual dysfunction increases dramatically. Proper blood pressure is crucial to maintaining an erection and having a satisfying sexual experience for both partners.
Additionally, the older a man gets, the less sex hormones are produced to keep libido operating in tip-top condition—and that’s without the added stress on the heart. So, it’s only natural to turn to ways to maintain a healthy weight and lower oxidative stress on the heart in order to enhance vascular health and decrease the symptoms of erectile dysfunction (ED). But what’s the best way to make this happen?
As it turns out there are specific micronutrients that are tied specifically to sexual health. This means, eating the right foods, or foods that are bountiful in the micronutrients they need will positively impact their sexual health, and men who are in the know can use this knowledge to their advantage.
How Micronutrients Can Impact Erectile Dysfunction
When we eat, our bodies get the good stuff it needs to function optimally. This can impact everything from our gut health, to our energy levels, mental health, and yes, whether or not a man can maintain the ability to have an erection. ED can have a variety of causes, which can include neurogenic, psychogenic, or even endocrine—but most of the time it’s a vascular issue caused by the reduction of blood vessels.
The way to combat the vascular end of things can be as simple as tweaking your diet to be more heart healthy and blood flow friendly. All of this is easier said than done, especially when you don’t know which diet tweaks make the most impact. So we’re here to tell you, the nutritional prescription you’re looking for starts with paying attention to the micronutrients you’re consuming.
So, what are micronutrients anyway? Glad you asked. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals found inside the macronutrients we eat. That means they’re inside the protein, fats, and carbohydrates you consume. However, unlike macronutrients themselves, our bodies only require small doses of micronutrients to keep our bodies balanced and sexual health operating optimally. The key, however, is to diversify our diets to include all the micronutrients we need because each has its own impact on sexual potency.
How Do I Know a Micronutrient When I See One?
Micronutrients themselves consist of fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins, macrominerals, and trace minerals. Here’s a list of each so you know how to spot them and understand how they operate.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
These vitamins are stored in fatty tissues for those days when you don’t meet your daily requirements. When you take them (either in supplement form or as food), they are best consumed with healthy fats to increase absorption levels. These vitamins can impact everything from spermatogenesis to sperm mobility and impaired function in the testes. Fat-soluble vitamins include:
• Vitamin A – eggs, cod liver oil, fortified skim milk, fortified breakfast cereals, carrots, sweet potato
• Vitamin D – cheese, eggs, sun, soy milk, milk, salmon, tuna
• Vitamin E – wheat germ, almonds, sunflower, peanuts, safflower, spinach, corn, soybean oils, shrimp, kiwi, broccoli
• Vitamin K – dark leafy greens like spinach, parsley, swiss chard, kale
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, these vitamins are excreted in urine and are not stored in the body for later use. These vitamins play a role in regulating nitric oxide (NO) and blood vessel expansion.
• B-Complex Vitamins - The entire list of B-complex vitamins includes:
o Thiamin (B1)
o Riboflavin (B2)
o Niacin (B3)
o Pantothenic acid (B5)
o Pyridoxine (B6)
o Folic acid (B9)
o Cobalamin (B-12)
• Vitamin C
Macromineral
Minerals of any kind are inorganic substances that occur in nature. When consumed, they provide important nutrients that allow cells to perform their essential functions and increase blood flow to the penis. Macrominerals, simply put, are required in larger doses. They include:
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Chlorine
• Phosphorous
• Sulfur
Trace Minerals
Your body requires far fewer trace minerals (also known as microminerals) than macrominerals. But that doesn’t mean they’re not important. In fact, some of the most damaging health issues are tied to deficiencies in trace minerals (like prostate cancer). Trace minerals include the following:
• Chromium
• Iron
• Iodine
• Selenium
• Manganese
• Zinc
• Molybdenum
• Copper
• Nickel
• Silicon
• Vanadium
• Fluoride
Blood flow to the penis is regulated by the release of nitric oxide (NO). It triggers blood vessels to expand and lowers blood pressure—but moreover, it allows the main blood vessel in the penis to fill with blood as the arousal response. A number of micronutrients, such as antioxidants, vitamin C, Vitamin E, and calcium all support this process. Additionally, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and vitamin A all play active roles in the protection against prostate cancer.
Recipes Packed with Micronutrients
If you’re looking for a few good recipes or foods to consume in order to improve your sex life, and ultimately, your overall health, we have a special treat for you. We’ve scoured the interwebs (okay, we watched a lot of Youtube videos) to bring you some great recipes and video links that will provide the nutritional healing you’re looking for. Click the links to watch the videos and be sure to grab the recipes in the video descriptions.
The Ultimate Micronutrient Smoothie, by Whitney E. Rd
Healthy Vegan Lentil Soup Recipe, by Healthy Vegan Food Recipes
Power Testosterone Smoothie, by Christopher Walker
Can Vitamin Supplements Help?
In this day and age, it can still be difficult to get all of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need on a daily basis. The good news is, vitamins can help out a bit. Of course, it’s always best to get your vitamins from your diet, but when that’s not possible, supplementation is the next best thing. Supplements with vitamin D have been shown to increase vascular endothelial functioning. Which is a fancy way of saying blood vessels allow blood to flow properly and inhibits blood clot formation and narrow blood vessels.
Some of the popular vitamins and minerals we provide here at the Canadian Pharmacy King’s online pharmacy include:
• B12 injections
• Vitamin D
• Hemeboost
• Hema-Fer
• Proferrin
When the changes in your diet still haven’t impacted your ED enough to feel confident, you can still rely on the bestselling prescriptions on the market, such as tadalafil generic (Cialis), or sildenafil generic (Viagra) to enhance your sexual experiences. The supplement products are available for purchase over-the-counter, with no prescription required, and the ED products are prescription required.
When it comes enjoying your sex life as you get older, turning to nutrition as a prescription can be just what the doctor ordered. Understanding how micronutrients can impact your hormones, blood flow, and ultimately sexual health is crucial. When you can pinpoint the vitamins and minerals your body needs, you can start to take control of your erectile dysfunction and limit is symptoms. Sometimes, it’s not always possible to incorporate the perfect diet, though. When that happens, supplements and prescription medications, such as generic tadalafil, can offer the support you need to increase your sexual satisfaction. We carry an assortment of both supplements and ED medications here at Canadian Pharmacy King. Finding the ones that work the best for you and your situation has never been easier.
###