Who would have guessed that a staple of the family dinner table - meat loaf - would help with your sexual performance in the bedroom?

But that's exactly what health psychologists Dr. Robert Fried and Dr. Lynn Edlen-Nezin claim in their new book, Great Food, Great Sex.

Armed with healthy-eating recipes from the federal government's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Fried and Edlen-Nezin contend that today's typical highly-processed, preserved, low-fiber foods that are high in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats do men and women and great disservice when it comes to sex.

And it all has to do with the foods' inability to provide us with an ample supply of nitric oxide, which Fried and Edlen-Nezin say research has shown is the "proven miracle molecule" for optimal sexual function.

But many of today's healthy foods contain plenty of nitric oxide, especially nitrogen-rich vegetables and legumes, proteins high in the amino acid L-arginine, and brightly colored super-antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables.

Here is a recipe that throws all of that into one dish:

Scrumptious Meat Loaf

1 lb ground beef, extra lean (or turkey)
1/2 cup  tomato paste (4 ozs)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup  green peppers
1/4 cup  red peppers
1 cup tomatoes, fresh, blanched, chopped
1/2 tsp mustard, low sodium
1/4 tsp  ground black pepper
1/2 tsp  hot pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks scallion, chopped
1/2 tsp ginger, ground
1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
1 tsp orange rind, grated
1/2 tsp  thyme, crushed
1/4 cup bread crumbs, finely grated

Mix all ingredients together.

Place in 1-pound loaf pan (preferably a pan with a drip rack) and bake covered at 350 F for 50 minutes.

Uncover pan and continue baking for 12 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Nutritional information
Serving size, slice, 1 1/4-inch: calories, 193; fat, 9 g; saturated fat, 3 g.

Source: Great Food, Great Sex

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