Vibrant Nation

Sages have long understood the erotic power of food:

• Romans fed their beloved tantalizing grapes.
• Montezuma drank dozens of cups of chocolate every day to keep up his sexual strength.
• Hippocrates prescribed honey (rich in antioxidants) to boost desire.
• Casanova devoured oysters (which, like pine nuts, are high in zinc, a mineral used in the production of testosterone in both men and women) to elevate his sexual prowess.

Over 50, we may not have the same quick-trigger hormone rushes of desire that we used to, so why not get a little help from this list of all-natural nourishments that are believed to be able to add some flavor and spice to your love life.

• Chili peppers trigger natural, feel-good endorphins, and they heat up the bedroom with a flush.
• Figs are a symbol of fertility and reproduction and have a suggestive shape. And those figleaf-adorned Romans -- need I say more?!
• Tomatos, or "love apples," are known for being a libido enhancer packed with lycopene.
• Garlic is an antioxidant, but beware of the dreaded garlic breath, which is not so much of an aphrodisiac unless both partners consume it.
• Chocolate is heart healthy in many ways. Flavonoids fight disease, and antioxidants prevent some of the risk factors associated with heart attacks and strokes. Chocolate is also rich in an amino acid called phenylethylamine, the "love chemical" that serves as a natural antidepressant.

Sensual food foreplay

• Erotic finger foods such as pitted olives, peel-and-eat shrimp, and clams on a half-shell require us to eat with our hands in a slow sensual way, paying attention to the way the food makes us feel.
• Consider the phallic shape of vegetables like cucumbers, eggplant, and zucchini.
• Berries, cherries, pomegranates and papayas provide a sweet, happy ending to any romantic interlude.

So eat up, and enjoy your sexy epicurean adventures!