I Ate Only Aphrodisiacs for a Day Just to See What Would Happen Find out if it led to uncontrollable desire. Shutterstock

I’ve always been a little curious about aphrodisiacs. I mean, food that can enhance your libido? It sounds kind of amazing.

But while I’ve had aphrodisiac foods like raw oysters, champagne, and chocolate here and there, I’ve never noticed a difference. Then again, I’ve never had a bunch of them at once.

Since I’m an all-in kind of girl and admittedly think the concept of foods that can make you randy is kind of B.S., I decided to do a little experiment: I’d eat only aphrodisiacs for a day and see what happened.

I recruited clinical sexologist Kat van Kirk, Ph.D., author of The Married Sex Solution, to give me guidance on what I should eat and why. And of course, I wanted her input on how aphrodisiac foods are actually supposed to work.

“Consuming aphrodisiac foods may increase blood flow to the genitals, release natural bio-chemicals in the body to help you feel more aroused and relaxed, or provide nutrients that improve the health of the sex organs,” she says. As a result, they can increase your arousal, energy, body temperature, or heart rate, putting you in the mood. Some foods, she notes, can also get you amped up simply because they’re associated with sex.

She filled me in a slew of aphrodisiac options so that when Aphrodisiac Fest 2015 arrived, I was ready to go. (Just not that way…yet.)

Van Kirk says the jury is still out on how much of any given aphrodisiac people should eat to feel the effects, so I just had a lot of everything.

Here’s what I ate:

Breakfast: Bananas with honey and coffee
Here’s why: Bananas are packed with vitamin B and potassium, both of which are said to be important for sex hormone production, and honey was used in medieval times to promote sexual desire. It also has boron, which helps the body metabolize and use estrogen. What about coffee? Its scent was found to increase arousal of females in a rat study published in the journal Pharmacology, Biology, and Behavior, which probably explains why I get ridiculously psyched for my morning cup.

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Snack: A handful of pumpkin seeds and half an avocado
Here’s why: Pumpkin seeds are packed with magnesium, which can help lower anxiety and aid in the production of some sex hormones. Avocados' high levels of vitamin E can boost energy levels so you can bring your A-game in bed.

Lunch: Raw oysters and Champagne
Here’s why: Oysters are packed with zinc, which is supposed to boost your sex drive. They also contain amino acids that can trigger increased levels of sex hormones, according to a study presented to the American Chemical Society. I also had Champagne because...day drinking! But there’s also a legit reason: Alcohol can help a person relax, allowing you to get in the mood faster.
 

Snack: Cinnamon-coated churros in chocolate sauce
Here’s why: Cinnamon heats up your body and, it’s believed, your sex drive. Chocolate causes a spike in the feel-good hormone dopamine, which can then make you ready to go.

RELATED: 7 Foods That Boost Your Libido
 

Dinner: More oysters and watermelon
Here’s why: Researchers from Texas A&M University say that watermelon has ingredients that cause Viagra-like effects to your blood vessels and might increase your libido. Also, oysters!

So did my aphrodisiac food orgy actually work? Maybe...

My husband, Chris, joined me for lunch and the rest of the day, which may have helped—or hurt. Case in point: When our massive lunch of raw oysters arrived, Chris, who is a chef, started talking about the “mignonette” and “liquor” on the oysters. Since I don’t speak Chef, I got confused (there’s vodka in our oysters? Total letdown) and asked him to talk like a normal person. I did find out that mignonette is vinegar and some spices (essentially fancy Italian dressing) and liquor is the liquid that comes in oysters (basically oyster juice), but we started bickering in the process.

Then, when we left, he jokingly pointed out that I had mignonette in my teeth, which didn’t exactly make me want to jump his bones on the spot.

But the rest of our aphrodisiac food crawl was awesome. We ran around to different restaurants, sampling food, sipping drinks, and just enjoying each other’s company.

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By the end of the night, though, I didn’t feel any differently—just slightly nauseous from all the oysters and sweets. I was disappointed, but van Kirk pointed out that aphrodisiacs can take a while to kick in, depending on each person’s metabolism. I wasn’t convinced but decided to wait it out.

But by the next day, I felt like all those foods were actually starting to kick in. It wasn’t anything crazy, and I’m not sure I would have noticed if I wasn’t obsessively monitoring my libido, but I definitely felt a little...different.

So while my day of eating only aphrodisiac foods didn’t exactly turn me into a raging, sex-crazed maniac, it was a fun experiment—especially when Chris joined in. We logged some great couple time and, mini-argument aside, spent most of it laughing.

And really, nothing is sexier than that.

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Korin Miller is a writer, SEO nerd, wife, and mom to a little 2-year-old dude named Miles. Korin has worked for The Washington Post, New York Daily News, and Cosmopolitan, where she learned more than anyone ever should about sex. She has an unhealthy addiction to gifs.