Good and Bad Date Foods

The Best and Worst Date Foods
5. Chocolate:

White chocolate isn’t chocolate at all. In fact, in contains exactly 0 percent cacao, which means it contains none of the libido-boosting, feel-good chemicals found in dark chocolate. Instead, white chocolate producers sub in a troubling mix of hydrogenated oil and sugar and pass it off as the real thing. When it comes to chocolate, the darker the better, so look for bars with at least 60 percent cacao. Our favorite is Chocolove Rich Dark, which packs 65 percent of the good stuff.

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Dark Chocolate

290 calories, 22 g sugars

4. Appetizer:

Just because it’s crab doesn’t mean it’s healthy, especially when the innocent crustacean is attacked by mayo, breadcrumbs, and a fryer full of bubbling oil. Take the seafood au naturel (or maybe with just a squirt of lemon juice or a dip of cocktail sauce), and you’ll benefit from a low-fat, high-protein treat loaded with sperm-boosting, libido-stoking zinc and mood-brightening omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, you share it and you eat it with your hands—the perfect way to get Cupid’s attention.

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Raw Bar Appetizer for Two

175 calories (each), 8 g sugars

3. Dinner:

Besides being surprisingly lean, lamb packs plenty of protein, which boosts production of dopamine and norepinephrine, hormones that increase alertness and assertiveness in the bedroom. It’s also a great source for zinc—a mineral that boosts libido by reducing your body’s production of a hormone called prolactin, which may interfere with arousal.

Don’t be fooled by the vegetables in the primavera, though. Most primavera renditions start with butter and finish with heavy cream and cheese. But the real offender here is the pasta itself. If you’re looking to progress past dinner tonight, avoid refined carbohydrates, such as pasta, breads, and cake, at all costs. These burn quickly, which spikes blood sugar. Besides setting both men and women up for an energy crash, a blood sugar spike also creates a surge of insulin, which raises blood pressure. And high blood pressure is the enemy of sturdy, reliable erections.

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Lamb Chops

550 calories, 25 g fat

2. Dessert:

Dessert may be the most pivotal decision of the night, since choosing poorly means a ton of excess calories and sugar and none of the rewards you reap from a smart decision. Case in point: chocolate fondue. British scientists have discovered that women release four times more endorphins after eating chocolate than they do after making out. Plus, the cocoa in chocolate contains methylxanthines, stimulants that increase your body’s sensitivity—ensuring that your skin registers even the slightest touch or movement against it. Strawberries are packed with anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant that helps with bloodflow below the belt. Raspberries have them too, but the sauce that comes with your huge hunk of fatty cheesecake is likely cloaked in sugar, with only a few token berries floating around. At 1,000 calories for the whole package, you’d be better off eating three ice cream sundaes then going fork-to-mouth with this gut-bomb.

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Chocolate Fondue

250 calories, 18 g fat

1. Cocktail:

When it comes to drinking and romance, a slight buzz can work well to build confidence and increase arousal signals between your brain and your genitals, but too much sugar and booze will actually depress your nervous system, making it harder for men to maintain an erection (and women to maintain interest). Most margaritas made in bars and restaurants are 90 percent premixed solution, which gets its nuclear green glow not from an abundance of fresh lime juice, but from high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring. All of that sugar will work to give you a quick jolt of energy, but will eventually team up with the tequila to bring you crashing down (which could easily compromise dessert back at your place).

Cosmos, on the other hand, are made with a bit of restraint and healthier mixers—a splash of cranberry, a squeeze of fresh citrus—which keep the calories down and your energy up. Or save more than 550 calories and load up on heart-healthy antioxidants (vital for effective bloodflow) by opting for a glass of bubbly.

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Cosmo

150 calories, 18 g sugars