Vegetarian and Vegan Diets for Erectile Dysfunction

First a couple of definitions. A Vegetarian Diet consists of no meat, fish, foul, or other (previously) living creatures. A Vegan Diet goes one step further, and does not include any products of animals either, most commonly milk, cheese, and eggs. In a perverse way, veganism is better for you inasmuch as dairy is so bad for erectile health.

Is there a vegetarian diet that addresses the issue of erectile dysfunction? Yes. Is there a vegan diet? Yes. Is there a diet that includes meat and dairy that can reduce or eliminate ED? Yes.

We know that meat and potato guys can get erectile dysfunction. Likely, you are one. But can a man eating a vegetarian or even a strict vegan diet get ED? Absolutely.

It’s the proportion of meat to vegetables that moves your diet from one that promotes and even directly causes impotence, to one that reduces or eliminates dysfunction.

The primary cause of erectile dysfunction in men who do not have physical injury is inflammation of the arteries. I write about this extensively in my book, linked at the bottom of this posting. Sub-clinical inflammation, an irritation that does not cause diagnosed disease, is present in almost everyone living on an American diet. Arterial walls are the primary producers of nitric oxide which is essential for getting an erection. Low nitric oxide and you have ED. Yes, the problem is Low-N, not Low-T.

Inflammation of the arterial walls reduces the concentration of nitric oxide in the blood and, with time, brings on erectile dysfunction. That time usually happens in a man’s fifties or later, but has become more frequent in men in their thirties and forties. What produces inflammation and Low-N? I’ve already mentioned it. The American Diet.

There are proponents of Vegan diets that will assure you – with religious zeal – that veganism is the healthiest diet and will cure all ills. But one can include Arsenic in a vegan diet without violating any of its precepts. And vegans do consume many harmful substances. One naturopathic doctor told me that her vegetarian clients were as unhealthy as any others, and those that claimed to be vegan were sometimes worst.

Processed non-animal products such as wheat and flour, rice, and vegetable oils have had all the nutrition stripped from them in processing, leaving them to be non-healthful by their very nature. They can fill you up at a meal, but provide none of the nutrients required by your immune system, endocrine system, or digestive system to insure a long and healthy life. Sugar – including so-called natural sugar as honey, cane, etc. – and all the myriad preparations of sugar products are okay with vegetarians/vegans, but they are unhealthy beyond just their empty calories. They inflame the body and cause acidosis. Neither vegetarian nor vegan diets prohibit carbonated drinks or artificial sweeteners. Both directly cause irritation and inflammation of nerves and arteries. All cause Low-N and erectile dysfunction.

I could go on at some length, I did in my book, but here’s a quick cheat-sheet on what a Potency Diet would look like:

• 90%+ raw or cooked vegetables, including salads and fresh fruit and melons.
• Less than 10% lean meat, and not more than 1% real dairy (no margarine or other processed milk products).
• Little or no bread, flour, or other processed wheat or grain products.
• Little or no sugar, processed or otherwise.
• Not more than one cup of coffee and one alcoholic drink per day.

Sound hard. It is. Impossible? No. Because the first thing you can do is to trade one meal a day, perhaps lunch, for a healthy, vegan dish. A large – humongous, if you’d like – salad with lots of spinach and baby greens, some red and yellow bell peppers, a tomato, cucumber, and sprinkled with some walnuts or sunflower seeds. Do without the dressing if you can, but if you must, just a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinaigrette.

At first, you may hate it. Force it down. Finish it. It’s not just the replacement aspect that will help you, that you won’t be eating a burger with fries, it’s also the micro-nutrients in the greens that are essential to calm inflammation, bolster your immune system, and bring life back into your sex life.

I don’t advocate vegetarian or vegan diets only because I know they’re impractical. You guys that are impotent aren’t going to give up a burger or ribs or a steak. But if you could replace even half your meat meals with vegan equivalents, you might begin to see a difference in the way you feel, the way you smell, and the way you perform. Nitric oxide levels might normalize, certainly cholesterol and blood pressure challenges will be affected, and you will be on the way to a longer healthier sex life.

For more information, pick up a copy of my book:

2nd Edition updated May 2012 is not just for men with erectile dysfunction.

HARD! Maintaining Potency, Eliminating Erectile Dysfunction, and Enjoying Healthy Sex for Life is for all men who want to keep functioning throughout their life. This concise and powerful men’s health guide provides a protocol for how to do everything right.

Available at BN.com/Nook, Apple, and Amazon/Kindle.

Also available in all eBook formats for immediate download: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65109.