If you’re coupled up and game to participate in the most romantic(-ally cheesy) holiday of the year, chances are, dinner plans will be the main event when celebrating Valentine’s Day. Sure, you can book a seating at a fine French restaurant and feast on a three course meal, but the possibility of prancing around in your sexy new red underthings afterwards can dwindle faster the candles on your dimly lit table — let’s face it: does anyone feel sexy after a rich, heaping plate of duck confit?
Instead of shelling out on what could go towards those to die for Fendi strappy crocodile heels you can now pre-order at Barneys, save your cash and your figure by snacking on these sexy Valentine’s Day treats that’ll keep you slim and feeling aaaaaaalright.
Champagne
Because, obviously. Anything worth celebrating justifiably deserves the clink of a couple of flutes; it’ll put you and your sweetheart in a relaxed, indulgent frame of mind. Champagne also has less carbs and calories than wine or beer, making it a great choice as a slimming sipper.
Oysters
Champagne’s luxe partner in crime, oysters have a longstanding love affair with bubbly — together, they feel special and sexy. The slippery treat is also super low in calories and fat, but packed with zinc, which increases testosterone levels. And let’s be honest: slurping back oysters is a sensual, naughty-feeling and enjoyable way to start a meal.
Basil
Whatever your main course dish is, season it generously with fresh basil, as it increases both men and women’s sex drive and heart health. To add a stimulating, unexpectedly aromatic extra, posh British perfumer Jo Malone, who makes the most gorgeous scents on the planet, offers both a cologne and room spray in her signature Lime, Basil & Mandarin fragrance.
Mustard
Banned in the Middle Ages for its ability to increase sexual attraction, mustard may not have the same racy connotation today, but it does still increase adrenaline, lower blood pressure and boost metabolism, which in turn can make you and your petit ami feel amourous. Incorporate some of this super low-cal condiment into a glaze or sauce for your veggies.
Chili Peppers
There is undoubtedly a seductive side effect of enjoying the slight burn of eating spicy food — look at any Latin culture and envision a Soféa Vergara-type cooking with caliente peppers… yowza. Capsaicin, the ingredient that makes chili peppers spicy, releases chemicals that increase heart rate and gives you a rush of endorphins when eaten. Plus, it boosts your body’s fat torching powers.
Artichokes
Another forbidden food of the past, artichokes were banned from consumption due to their high aphrodisiac quality. With tons of filling fibre and mood-boosting oxytocin (also called the “love hormone”), you’ll fill up without puffing up by snacking on their delicious leaves, which also happen to make you feel really sexy when eating: you have to use your mouth and teeth to scrape the tender flesh.
Dark Chocolate
It’s not a Valentine’s Day must for nothing. Chocolate, especially dark (which has a higher concentration of cacao), is loaded with antioxidants that release serotonin, a feel good hormone that increases the feeling of lalalalove.
Strawberries
BFF chocolate actually improve’s your body’s ability to absorb all the good for you nutrients in strawberries, so go ahead and indulge in Valentine’s Day most cliché©d dessert. It’s a French tradition for newlyweds to snack on strawberries before they take off for their honeymoon, and nothing is more romantic that French culture and a honeymoon.
