Aphrodisiac Foods for Valentine’s Day

Are you in the mood for love?

If you’re planning a romantic picnic or dinner to share with that special someone this Valentine’s Day (or anytime), you may want to pick up a few of the so-called “aphrodisiac” foods in the following list.

Aphrodisiacs are generally defined as items that evoke or stimulate sexual desire. Scientific studies support the “love potion” reputations for a few of the foods below, but in the absence of hard laboratory proof, a little bit of ancient mystique and placebo effect can’t be all bad. In any case, it’s a healthy list of ingredients, so get creative and have fun with it. As insurance, remember to uncork the red wine!

Aphrodisiac foods. Almonds, aniseed, arugula, asparagus, avocado, bananas, (sweet) basil, broccoli rabe (and other mustard greens), carrots, chocolate, coffee, coriander, fennel, figs, garlic (make sure you both eat it), ginger, honey, hot peppers, licorice, mustard, nutmeg, oysters, pineapple, pine nuts, raspberries, strawberries, truffles, vanilla and watermelon.