Valentine's Day food to get you in the mood

HOUSTON – It's a lunch to fall in love with.

At their annual Valentine's aphrodisiac lunch, reproductive researchers and doctors at Baylor College of Medicine are stirring up spices to get you feeling hot.

“'Aphrodisiac' means stimulating sexual motivation,” Dr. Dolores Lamb, director for the Center of Reproductive Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said. “So when we have a hot chili pepper and you get that chill up the back of your spine.”

They try to incorporate as many aphrodisiac ingredients as possible into one dish while still appealing to your appetite.

Everything from peppers and spice to sweet and soft desserts, even rough and tangy salads, all have a purpose.

“It makes your blood vessels dilate, pushing blood towards the extremities of your body so it gets your heart rate pumping,” Cenk Cengiz, BCM male infertility researcher, said.

Lamb said there's not yet scientific evidence to prove the response to aphrodisiac foods is imaginary or definite, but Amin Herati said things such as stress, lack of sleep, medication and smoking can truly kill your libido. So, he said, there's no harm in thinking these foods can counteract that.

“It's worth a shot. I think it's definitely worth trying. If it doesn't hurt. It can only help,” Herati said.

If you want to try some suggestive foods, they recommend adding ingredients such as bacon, asparagus, honey or chili peppers to your date-night dish.