Why are we here? This is a question that has been asked probably since the evolution of consciousness. As individuals, this can be a profound and many-layered question. The answer is so incredibly personal that it is hard for most of us to express it in a way that feels complete. On the other hand, if we look at Homo Sapiens as species and use an evolutionary biology perspective, then the answer is far more straightforward, Sex. In this post, I want to talk about how our sexuality is intertwined in all aspects of our biology. And how we can best support ourselves so we can Look, Feel, and Perform Better(especially in the bedroom).
When we look at life from a biological perspective, it is evident that survival and propagation are the two goals. This means that our biological systems (our bodies) have evolved to survive long enough to breed and pass along our genes, that’s pretty much it. There are a ton a species out there who, after reproducing and making some offspring, die. It’s pretty clear what the goal was.
What this tells me is that in order of priority, our reproductive system rules the rest of our biology unless survival is in question. Or, as I like to say, our bodies are just a life support system for our genitals. This means that our sex drive and/or ability to perform is a good litmus test for our overall health.
If we look at our health from the standpoint of prioritizing our sexual wellbeing first. We can then follow the science and make decisions that will cascade down to improve the rest of our biological machine.
So how do we support our sexual health? I break what our biology needs into four categories: Nutrition, Movement, Stress Response, and Connection.Although all these areas are essential for complete overall health, nutrition is the foundation, everything else is built on. Because what we eat fuels nearly everything our bodies do, it is by far the most critical piece to get right if you are looking to improve how you look, feel, and perform. This is true for your sex life and everything else you do.
Healthy Nutrition = Healthy Sexual function
That seems like a pretty simple equation on the surface. Then we have to ask what healthy nutrition is, and this is where things can get very confusing. Looking again at our biology, we can find some answers.
The first primates to evolve showed up around 55 million years ago, so our family tree is pretty old. From then until approximately 7 million years ago, our ancestors lived in trees and ate mostly leaves, fruit, and probably some insects, similar to the majority of primate species still around today. Around 7 million years ago, the evolution of walking upright began. This is most likely an adaptation to the forests in Africa becoming grasslands due to change in the climate. Around 3 million years ago, Australopithecus afarensis showed up. You may know of the famous skeleton”Lucy” that was discovered in 1974.
You may be asking yourself, “If they were leaf and fruit eaters before then, what did they eat now that that lived in a grassland”? Brains. No seriously, stable protein analysis of their bones shows that Australopithecus were scavengers. Because they were small, about 3 foot, and didn’t have large teeth or claws, they would scavenge from another animal’s kill. Often the only things left would be bone marrow and brains because they were encased in bone, and “lucy” was smart enough to break them open.
To this day, bone marrow and brains are an excellent fuel source for humans. Both are nutrient-rich, and brains, in particular, are 70% saturated fat. This change in diet began a 2.5 million year evolution that made us the large-brained primates we are today. For the 50 million years that plants were the primary fuel source, brain size didn’t change much, then when we added animal fat and protein, brain size tripled in 2 million years.
The next significant change happened when Homo erectus appeared around 1.8 million years ago. By now, our ancestors had evolved the ability to throw overhand, allowing them to use spears for hunting large animals. Again, analyzing the bones, we can see that they were apex predators and consumed almost exclusively meat and fat from animals.
By the time Homo sapiens showed up, we had evolved into tall, lean, smart, tool-using primates who were the most efficient hunters on the planet. We know this because we can trace the extinction of many large land animals to the period that Homo sapiens showed up in the area.
So if we look at human nutrition from a biological perspective, then we are primarily meat-eaters. It wasn’t until around 12,000 years ago that we invented agriculture and started to systematically eat more and more plant matter. We often hear how great the agricultural revolution was from the standpoint of being able to stay in one place and have a permanent settlement. However, many of the health issues we have today first started showing up around the same time.
Today we deal with an obscene amount of metabolic disease in western societies. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, auto-immune disorders, and many more are all caused by improper nutrition. We also have more and more people who suffer from sexual malfunction like erectile issues, hormone imbalance, and lack of sex drive. These are also caused by a lack of proper nutrients.
If you made it this far, you might be a bit confused. Because I said that were are naturally meat-eaters and everyone knows that vegetables are the healthiest diet, right? Actually no. Due to bad science, political connections, and corporate greed, we have been told the exact reverse of what is healthy for 70 years. Saturated fat and protein is the ideal fuel for the human body and has been for millions of years.
As a quick example, let’s look at your sex hormones. These molecules control your sex drive, sexual function, and your ability to reproduce, so they are pretty vital to the survival of the species. To make these critical hormones, we need saturated fat and, in particular, cholesterol. This means one of the side effects of low cholesterol diet that we have been force-fed by the media since the ’70s is a collapse of our sex hormones on a national scale. Ever wonder why so many men need pills now to perform? Now you know.
I realize that this post is contrary to what many of you have been told, and I hope it gave you a new perspective on human health and sexuality. This is the first of many Sexual Nutrition posts, where I hope to help you discover what your biology is looking for. And how to make it work for you instead of getting in the way. Please follow Dragonfly and me, so you don’t miss any of the sexy life-enhancing info.
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