Can Going Paleo Improve Your Sex Life?

From an outside perspective, Paleo diet fanatics can seem a little extreme. The obsession with Bulletproof coffee, coconut oil, and all things bacon seems to contradict the healthy lifestyle that they lead. But there are more benefits to this popular diet than eating bacon on the reg—some that are downright sexy.

There’s the weight loss, improved athleticism, and another, lesser-known but happy side effect—it can improve your sex life. If you were on the fence about going Paleo before, this might just be the thing that convinces you to give it a try. Here we run down the crazy, sexy, and surprising benefits of the popular lifestyle, in terms of both diet and exercise.

How eating Paleo boosts libido

For humans, a healthy sex drive is normal. So when that lovin’ feeling diminishes, it’s a pretty clear indicator that something is awry. Lack of sex drive (or a lower sex drive) can be a symptom of a greater issue with either mental or physical health—and often it’s linked to poor nutrition.

A lax diet heavy in processed foods and sugar is one thing that definitely doesn’t help increase energy levels or make you feel very sexy. But New Year’s dieters need to be careful too: A serious pitfall of calorie-restricting diets many people use to lose weight is a decline in libido and energy.

Thankfully, the Paleo diet isn’t big on counting calories. In fact, you’ll eat a lot on the diet, and perhaps more than you’re used to. So how does going Paleo help people lose weight? Because the emphasis is actually on getting quality nutrients, not eating the right number of calories. Enthusiasts postulate that by delivering healthy fats, clean animal protein, and complex carbohydrates to the body helps it function more efficiently, in turn increasing energy levels and overall metabolic function.

Eating “Primal,” as some put it, also cuts out foods that potentially mess with hormones, including soy, dairy, and excess carbohydrates, positively affecting hormone function in the long run. And better energy levels and hormone levels mean an increase in libido … Which is definitely a healthy thing!

And that’s not to mention that some of the most Paleo-friendly foods are also well-known mood-boosters. Among them are avocado, coconut oil, and fatty fish—all are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which help improve symptoms of depression, mood disorders, and cognitive disorders. Eating Paleo limits your sugar intake, too, which means generally you’ll be less prone to irritability.

Why Paleo-style workouts gives you that lovin’ feeling

It’s no coincidence that Crossfit-style workouts and the Paleo diet have risen in popularity together over the last few years. Both count an increase in longevity as a benefit and the two share a similar philosophy—that a well-rounded healthy lifestyle is paramount, and that nutrition and exercise don’t need to be complicated to be effective.

Doing resistance training a few days a week instead of logging hours of cardio comes highly recommended by some Paleo leaders. For example, former Olympic marathoner Mark Sisson champions a few minutes of weight lifting over cardio in addition to a Paleo diet for better overall health. Choosing resistance training over cardio-endurance does have its benefits: It helps improve body composition by decreasing body fat and increasing muscle mass and it can also boost your sex drive.

How? Generally, exercise decreases stress hormones, which obviously have deleterious effects on the libido. Weight lifting activates the sympathetic nervous system, which increases arousal levels.

Finally, eating Paleo and working out regularly helps you shed excess pounds—and when you look good, you feel good! Increased confidence that comes with getting in shape might be the most effective turn-on yet.

Photo credit: Lumina via Stocksy