World Story

WE all know the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

But this Valentine’s day, don’t rely on oysters and chocolate to put love on the menu, feed your fella foods to keep his energy up and senses heightened.

Fill your fridge full of the foods listed below, pop on some Barry White, and read on to find out how to put some va-va-voom in to your Valentine’s day.

Your sexy shopping list

Too many stodgy foods, like white bread will send your blood sugar levels sky high, but a couple of hours later you’ll feel sluggish and tired.

So, to increase energy levels slowly and steadily, fill up on low to medium GI carbs such as porridge, wholewheat spaghetti, pitta bread, or ryebread sarnies.

Steak, cottage cheese, salmon and low-fat yoghurt allboost your body’s levels of dopamine – the chemical which ups the sex drive of both men and women.

Make sure you munch on lean red meat, eggs, bran, sardines, and dark green leafy veg. These are all packed with iron – a key element in keeping you and your partner perky and alert all day long.

Protein-rich foods like fish, chicken, turkey and tofu have been shown to improve concentration. By stocking up on these for your evening meal, you will you feel more awake when it comes to night-time activity.

Oily fish like mackerel, herrings, sardines and anchovies are great sources of Omega threes, which get your blood pumping, increasing the sensitivity of your skin – in all the right places!

Red and purple foods like cherries, aubergines, radishes, blackcurrants and blueberries are all high in antioxidants which help the blood to flow more smoothly – helping your man to rise to the challenge.

Multi-grain bread, oysters, red meat, crab and sardines all contain zinc which is a crucial ingredient for keeping your eyesight, eyesight, taste,smell and memory heightened to make sure you have an unforgettable evening.

YOUR man is sprawled on the sofa looking tasty without his top on.

What do you do? Pounce?

Nope, a new survey says two in five of you read a book while a fifth would rather watch TV.

Only a teeny eight per cent of you decide to grab your fella for frisky fun before bedtime, according to the poll on homes website mydeco.com.

The problem, says behavioural psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, is we’re not creating an environment conducive to passion.

What we need is a sexy boudoir, new nighttime sex rules and a change in our animal behaviour.

Maths boffins have even worked out a formula for the perfect boudoir.

Perfect bedroom = ((2(P+S)+3(T+A+E) + 2)/2)+((3(CL+BS)+4(PF+C+BT)–12)/2)

Luckily Linda is here to explain it in layman’s terms …

“What came across loud and clear in the study was how people rate their sex life, and about half were really unhappy with it,” says Linda.

“We found people are so busy with work and kids that they’re tired a lot of the time, and their lives become one big to-do list. We don’t see sex as important anymore.

“But things don’t fall in your lap in life – you need to work at it. You can’t just expect sex to happen.

“One problem is not many people are making an effort with their bedrooms,” says Linda, “TV interior design shows made it look a lot easier than it was to decorate.”

“So we got together with a mathematician and an architect and looked at all those things that matter to sex, like the way things feel, smell and look in your bedroom.

“Colours that are related to passion work best, like sexy red. Silk sheets, waterbeds and lacy camisoles also create the ideal sensual atmosphere.

“Changing your bedroom for sex sends a clear message to your partner that you do care about sex and are in the mood for it.

“It also gives you a psychological boost. You feel that because you’ve worked at this, your sex life will improve.”

Dr Linda’s top tips for getting in the mood for sex

1) Sex up your bedroom now and then, rather than every day. You don’t need to make big changes – something as simple as putting a dimmer on the light and changing what you wear to bed does the trick.

2) Show an interest in your partner. Ask how things are going for him and ask what his passions and worries are. Do that in the evening and you’re more likely to have the emotional intimacy that leads to physical intimacy.

3) Keep your bedroom just for sex and sleep. So remove work, your computer, and the TV from your room – whatever’s keeping you from having sex.

4) Take some time off and focus on yourself by having a long bath or doing something you enjoy. It often puts people in the mood because it boosts self-esteem, helping you connect with your man and feel sensual.

5) Make room for your partner in the bedroom. A lot of women’s rooms are very floral and pink and you think where’s the room for the guy here? It needs to feel like the room belongs to you both.

6) Don’t eat right before going to bed – it won’t put you in the right mood. Likewise, if you go to bed very late, you’ll probably spend more time thinking about how much sleep you’re losing than nookie.

7) Don’t freak him out with the decor. No one wants a photo of their mother-in-law staring at them while they’re having sex. And get rid of childhood fluffy toys – funnily enough, men don’t find them very sexy.

My best tip is simply to connect with each other. Go out for dinner, listen to ‘your’ song, or just look at old photos together.

NOW we have the perfect excuse to get down to some steamy sex in the morning – it’s good for us.

That’s because sex uses every muscle group in the body and gives the heart and lungs a high-octane aerobic work-out.

It burns around 300 calories an hour.

And a good session at least three times a week boosts the heart, halving the risk of a heart attack or stroke, a study at Queen’s University in Belfast has discovered.

They say regular sex also boosts circulation and keeps down blood pressure.

Sex twice a week is the perfect COLD CURE as it boosts IgA – the immune system’s first line of defence, according to a study in New Scientist.

But don’t overdo it – sex more than three times a week LOWERS our defences.

Moments before orgasm, levels of the feelgood hormone oxytocin surge and flood the body with powerful endorphins.

These natural painkillers help ease everything from arthritis to migraine.

A steamy session also means we feel less stressed as it inhibits production of the hormone cortisol.

And, because it provides a calorie-burning work-out and helps maintain a healthy weight, it will reduce your risk of diabetes too.

An American study of 300 sexually active women whose partners did not use condoms found they were less likely to have depression.

Researchers think that is because they absorb the hormone prostaglandin, which is only found in sperm.

But do not try this if you are not in a stable relationship – a sexually transmitted infection is a recipe for depression.

An orgasm will release a surge of oestrogen, which can relieve the pain of PMS.

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine believe it could also help prevent endometriosis – a painful condition where the tissue which should line the womb grows in other parts of the pelvis.

Apart from the benefits of the work-out, sex boosts the production of testosterone.

This hormone is associated with stronger bones and muscles so may help fend off osteoporosis.

Sex also increases the output of oestrogen and other hormones that make the hair shine and skin glow.

And, according to NHS Direct, “if you are worried about wrinkles – orgasms even help prevent frown lines deepening”.

THE Hunt is Sun Woman’s weekly look at what’s happening out on the singles scene.

LAURA STOTT, our 29-year-old singleton, is determined to find love and will try anything to find her dream man.

This week she checked out fitness-singles.com in her search for a bloke to set her pulse racing.

I AM hardly in the same league as Paula Radcliffe but keeping fit is important to me.

I had high hopes of finding a like-minded sporty single on new website fitness-singles.com .

With more than 100,000 members in the UK, I was hopeful of meeting someone with similar interests.

And it didn’t hurt that most of the men on the site have great biceps and fit bodies.

It works the same way as a typical internet dating site — you register, post a photo and leave your profile.

Where it differs is that people talk about their sporting achievements and the photos show singles doing sporty stuff. I opted for a safe headshot.

There’s a real mix of people — from fans of more unusual sports such as martial arts, water polo and curling, to more everyday exercise lovers listing football, swimming and tennis.

There were also quite a few in training for next month’s London Marathon although I feared being invited on a 20-mile “warm-up” jog for a first date.

Within a few days I received 12 messages from some seriously good-looking guys.

“Runningman” looked interesting — except he lived in Scotland, a bit far for this London girl to go for a work-out.

The other profile which caught my eye was from Josh21, a 30-year-old photographer who had a great smile and liked outdoor sports. He also lived locally.

After chatting online for a couple of weeks we arranged a date — at Josh’s gym.

I’ll admit I was nervous. I’ve had a few internet dating disasters in the past. He’d also suggested a game of squash which I’d never played before.

Josh turned out to be even nicer in the flesh than his photo. And squash was a great ice-breaker though I was pretty rubbish.

But we had a real laugh and Josh even let me score a few points.

Afterwards we went for a bite to eat and a glass of wine. It was a great date and I’m keeping my fingers crossed we meet for another work-out soon.

THIS WEEK’S TALLY: 12 emails and one date.

POTENTIAL FOR LOVE: A great site for sporty singles, or just those who like a fit man.

DATE UPDATE: After my great day at the races last week, my single friends have all arranged to go again very soon.

Email Laura with your dating ideas at dating@the-sun.co.uk .