Episode 6 in season 2. This transcript was created by Headliner app ai. It was not edited by a human so it may not be 100% accurate. Please email jahoag15@gmail.com with questions.
Amy Reiley is best known as an author on aphrodisiac food.
>> Speaker A: Hello. This is Julie Hoag with vegetarians and meat lovers split table Recipes podcast where I talk about all things food. I have an amazing guest today, Amy Reiley. Oh, I'm so excited to share Amy with you guys. Amy Reiley is best known as an author on aphrodisiac food, but she is also a speaker, cookbook author and consultant, as well as a freelance wine writer and wine competition judge. Ooh, I love all those topics. In 2004, she became the second American to earn a Master of Arts in gastronomy, awarded by Francis culinary Temple La Cordon Blue. while at Cordon Blue, Amy rose to prominence for her work in culinary aphrodisiacs. In 2006, Amy released her first book, Fork me, Spoon me, the Sensual Cookbook, cementing her role in America's leading aphrodisiac food, cementing her role as America's leading aphrodisiac food authority. Amy regularly speaks and consults on the topic of aphrodisiacs and has appeared on the Today Show, CBS Early Show, CBS Early Show, Nightline, and even Playboy TV. You'll recognize her as the one with clothing on in M June of 2005, Riley was singled out as one of the five best female wine professionals in the world of the year by France's Wine Women Awards, and she currently contributes to the wine section of Gayot.com. Gayot.com gayot.com. An internationally recognized journalist, Amy has shared her food and wine knowledge in such publications as Variety, Sunset, the Daily Meal, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas magazines. Amy's second book, Chili Aphrodisia by Rio Nuevo Press, was released in June of 2006. Her other books include Romancing the Stove, the Unabridged Guide to Aphrodisiac Foods, and the Love Diet, coauthored by nutrition expert Delana Flag, became an Amazon bestseller in its first week. Became an Amazon bestseller in its first week. Amy lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she works for rock and wrap it up as a sustainability coordinator. She helps film and television studios including Universal, Netflix and WarnerMedia donate Leftover catering to those in need rather than let it go in the trash. These food recovery efforts these food recovery efforts give her a broad perspective on the social and environmental impact of the food industry. Of the food industry. Oh, that is so important. And I am so glad to hear that. That is a thing that happens. What a wonderful thing. Why waste that food? Exactly. And you can find her at ww dot eatsomethingsexy.com. Also on Facebook as natural aphrodisiacs and for tweeting on Twitter or X, I guess we have to call it x now. Forkmespoonme and her recipes are on Pinterest. At Forkmespoonme, I found her on Pinterest myself, so she has amazing things there. You are going to love what she has to say. She's an amazing guest. And, are you ready? Let's go.
( (Cookbook affiliate link: Podcast may receive a commission on purchases. Thank you for the support! Fork Me, Spoon Me https://amzn.to/3tV2Leb
Romancing the Stove: https://amzn.to/3Ua5P0o
Eat Cake Naked: Aphrodisiac Desserts to Heat Up Your Love Life https://amzn.to/47Kzn84 )
Amy Reiley is an aphrodisiac foods expert and cookbook author.
Hello, everyone. This is Julie Hoag with vegetarians and meat lovers split table recipes. And I have a really exciting, juicy person here to talk with me and to give you so much good information about intimacy and helping you have better health in the way of relating to your partner or even yourself in a way of having better sexuality, better sexual health. And it's coming up on Valentine's day. So these are some great ideas too that you can use with your partner or even if you're by yourself, if you want to feel better. These are some tools and some tips that you can use to have better intimacy with others than yourself. And it's just so much good information. I'm so excited to welcome Amy Reiley to the podcast. She is a writer, an editor, and an aphrodisiac foods expert. She has multiple cookbooks out there that have the best names ever. And she also has a program for men and a website. So welcome, Amy. I'm so excited to talk with you.
>> Speaker B: Hi. Thanks for having me.
>> Speaker A: You have quite an amazing set of books. Now I am just really excited for people to hear these names because people who listen to this podcast, they like food, they like cooking. Will you tell us about your cookbooks?
>> Speaker B: Oh, sure. So my very first book was called fork me, spoon me, the Sensual Cookbook. And I'm pretty sure I sold a lot of copies just based on the title. And then I came back with romancing the stove as my second book, which obviously is all about romance and couples and things like that. and then I did a book called Eat Cake naked, which actually, it was kind of an experiment for me because it's an ebook only, and I wrote it with a woman who has a phd in nutrition. It's all desserts, but they're desserts that have some kind of element that's good for your sexual health.
>> Speaker A: Nice. That's perfect. Two fun topics together, right?
>> Speaker B: Exactly. Well, what are two things that we all have to do? We have to procreate, right? And we have to eat every day, so why not put them together and make the whole thing even more fun?
>> Speaker A: Absolutely. And just to have it be somehow promoted is something that we can do for ourselves. Right. We can do in our food choices?
>> Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. I do a lot of work. I do a lot of work and a lot of talking to people about planning like a romantic meal, planning the ultimate valentine's day, how to have a Valentine's Day at home, or how to shower someone with love through food, that kind of thing. And then I also wear a second hat, which is trying to promote eating for better sexual health. Making smart food choices that are going to benefit your sexual health and frankly, your overall health.
>> Speaker A: Right. What are some things that people could do? Is it a way of eating or is it particular foods?
>> Speaker B: maybe a little of both. For all of us, it would be the simple way to put it is thinking a little bit more about eating whole natural foods, and then you can look at particular foods, making more food choices that may support your sexual health a little more by giving you the nutrition that is really key to sexual health. like omega three fatty acids, like magnesium. So there are a lot of nutrients that we need for sexual health. And also sometimes, I find people are interested in learning about the nutrition for beauty. because if you look good, you may feel more sexy.
>> Speaker A: That's true, yeah. Oh, for sure. Because then I think too, that also ties into your weight. If you feel like you're overweight, you don't feel as sexy.
>> Speaker B: Right. Or even if you just feel bloated.
>> Speaker A: Yeah. Actual physical feeling of how you feel. Yeah.
>> Speaker B: Right. I try to embrace whatever diet type a person prefers, be they vegan or vegetarian or just a complete meat lover. I do try to steer them away from the average american kind of fast food, eating on the run kind of diet. I, like the sensuality of food. And you can't appreciate food if you're eating and walking and talking on the phone at the same time.
>> Speaker A: That's true. I know we get so busy too, and I think that's part of the problem. We need to slow down a little bit because things are just going at such a fast pace.
>> Speaker B: Right?
>> Speaker A: yes.
What are some top choices that people should pick to help them have better sexual health
What are some top choices that people should pick to help them have better sexual health?
>> Speaker B: So if you want to concentrate on better sexual health, I actually have created lists. One is for men and one is for women. That are lists of the top ten foods for men's sexual health and the top ten foods for women's sexual health. You can find them on my website, eatsomethingsexy.com. I'm not going to make you write them down from here. Go there and find them. And what we tried to do with those lists. I actually worked with a nutritionist to create the list. We tried to hone in on foods that would give a great deal of benefit for women's sexual health and for men's sexual health. And I don't want you to think that. Okay, well, if you're a woman, you can't eat the foods on the men's list, or you can't eat the recipe with your man, if your partner is a man. All of these foods are good foods that are beneficial for everyone. Like, on the list for men are things like pineapple and almonds and coconut and delicious, natural foods that everyone can enjoy. And for women, it's dark chocolate.
>> Speaker A: I love it.
>> Speaker B: I lead off with the dark chocolate, and then there's strawberries and there's kale. So there's a little bit of everything that's so interesting.
>> Speaker A: And so these top ten. So you came up with these with a nutritionist. So it was not like you both had studied this and stuff. It wasn't like you just pulled it out of like, oh, I think this is like, you have actually study about it. Right?
>> Speaker B: Yeah, right, exactly. And we tried to come up with, and I will tell you, there are absolutely. Someone could come back to me and say, well, hey, this food is just as. Food x is just as good as your food y. And it's true. What we tried to do with the ten, though, was to come up with a variety.
>> Speaker A: Yeah, sure.
>> Speaker B: So these are ten very variety of ten foods that have interesting elements that are supportive for women or for men. You could say, fennel should be on the women's list. And I could come back to you and say, well, I chose kale instead because kale is more nutrient dense, and they're both, like, green things. And I wanted to just have one green thing. Right.
>> Speaker A: It doesn't mean the other one's not as good. It's just those are the ones you chose for making it well rounded. Yeah, I like that. That makes perfect sense. And I think those are important things to know. I mean, just for your own self and for cooking for your partner, I just think that these would be good things to have in our brains or, like, a list just on your. Somewhere in your kitchen so you could look at it and be like, oh, yeah, we should use that ingredient again.
>> Speaker B: Yes.
The better sex bundle for men teaches you about ten foods that improve sexual health
So the latest thing, you mentioned it a few minutes ago. The latest thing that I have created is called the better sex bundle for men, and I am actually working on a companion product for women. I kind of had more of a request from men and more of a need. So I answered them first. Women are equally important, but it's coming. So what I have done with this product is there's a book that kind of talks about, teaches you about these ten foods for men and the other elements of your lifestyle that can really have a great impact on your sexual health, such as drinking water, getting regular sleep, regular sleep patterns, things like that. So simple. And then I created a sample menu, a, daily menu, so you can see what eating more of these foods would look like, and so that you can see that you don't have to stick. Like, you don't have to have these foods in every meal. But, eating a great, healthy diet, well rounded diet with these foods could look like this. And then there is a menu planner, so you can plan out your own, you can print out the planner and plan out your own menus, kind of using mine as an example. And then the last piece, which I think is the most important piece, is a little journal. And it's not like a write down your feelings journal. It's kind of like a check in. I give you all the areas where you can check in with yourself. Like, did you change medications? Has that had any impact? Has that changed your energy levels? Or has it changed your digestion? Which often medications can do, and things like, did you exercise today? How did that make you feel? Did you drink enough water today? All of those things where you can kind of look at it and look at the pattern and see what's most effective for you. Maybe you don't want to stick to it, but at least you'll know what really worked well for you.
>> Speaker A: Right? I think that's a huge thing, and I don't think a lot of people sit down and dissect things like that. They don't decide, look back because it's also hard to remember, like, what did I eat three days ago?
>> Speaker B: Right? Yes, it's really difficult. Or was it two weeks ago that I started this medication?
>> Speaker A: Ah.
>> Speaker B: Have I been having headaches since then? Yeah, it's tough.
>> Speaker A: It's tough.
>> Speaker B: But if you just kind of have a very simple little sort of space to remind yourself of those things, to be conscious of those things each day, it can be key.
With Valentine's Day coming up, what are some ideas for a better date
>> Speaker A: And so, with Valentine's Day coming up, what are some ideas that you like to teach about to help people have a better date? A better date for Valentine's Day with a partner.
>> Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So the first thing we should talk about is going to a restaurant on Valentine's Day. Now, I have, over the years, worked with many, many chefs on planning Valentine's menus, and they do. Many chefs put in the efforts to create a phenomenal, memorable meal for Valentine's day. However, it's like one of the two most popular days for restaurants of the year, no?
>> Speaker A: I bet.
>> Speaker B: So if you do not enjoy spending your intimate time with your romantic partner in a crowd, then Valentine's day is a really great day to stay home.
>> Speaker A: Yes.
>> Speaker B: But I don't want you to panic and think you don't know what to do when you stay home. if you are not comfortable with cooking, an option is always to pick up takeout.
>> Speaker A: Sure.
>> Speaker B: But you're going to make this an occasion. Okay. You're not going to serve the food in those cartons. You're going to plate it. You're going to create a beautiful meal. You're going to have the lighting that goes with it. You're going to figure out what music would evoke romance for both you and your partner. You're going to think about something to drink that could help spark that romance. Does your partner have a favorite wine or, it doesn't even have to be a specific wine, but a favorite wine style.
>> Speaker A: Sure.
>> Speaker B: Or it doesn't have to be alcohol. Is there. Look up. Find a recipe for a mocktail with ingredients that you both love. Do you like pomegranate? Maybe you can just do something as simple as, like, a pomegranate spritzer with pomegranate juice and sparkling water.
>> Speaker A: Right.
>> Speaker B: But create this whole scene, create a feeling, create something special at home. And then if you really want to have that romantic dinner in a restaurant, I know a lot of places. Do, celebrate all of February as a romance month. Find someplace that's doing that romantic dinner all month long.
>> Speaker A: Nice idea.
>> Speaker B: And, yeah, go on another night and enjoy a much more intimate, less rushed, more calm restaurant experience.
>> Speaker A: I like that. And then you could make your meal at home, like you said, whether you do takeout or make something, and maybe use some of the ingredients that are good for people, good for the men, for their intimate, their sexual health.
Romancing the Stove is a cookbook geared towards romance
>> Speaker B: So in my book, romancing the Stove, one of the things that I did was I divided the book by sort of, what was your romantic goal? Do you want to have a, romantic staycation weekend? And it was like all these recipes for staycation weekend. And then there's a section on that. Seduce someone meal. For that, I chose ingredients that have an immediate effect on the body. So, for example, coffee. Coffee is a phenomenal aphrodisiac. Because is it really? Well, the caffeine, obviously, it gives you that spark of energy. So you're at the end of your meal. You've been at work all day. You're tired. Just a little coffee, just a little espresso. Because if your plan is to go do the horizontal lombada afterward, uh-huh. You need a little extra energy at this point, you're not going straight to sleep, so it's okay.
>> Speaker A: Right.
>> Speaker B: but the other thing about coffee is it's a mood elevator. It puts you in a good mood.
>> Speaker A: I did not know this.
>> Speaker B: So it makes you feel a little more awake, and you're in a good mood at the end of a meal. It's kind of a great thing if romance is what you have on your mind. So some of the other ingredients, chili peppers, actually raise your body temperature. They also make your tongue tingle a little. They make your lips plump. They actually irritate your skin, but they make your lips plump up. You look a little more kissable. they can make your cheeks flush.
>> Speaker A: Sure about that.
>> Speaker B: Is it's been studied psychologically that when you are looking at someone you're attracted to and their cheeks are flushed, it kind of equates in your mind to a sexual flush, and you get turned on a little bit by looking. That makes sense across the table. I have created some recipes specifically with these kind of romance goals in mind. So that's something you can think about if you really like to cook. I just didn't want people to feel forced to cook. the other thing to think about is if you're going to plan a meal, to cook is to think about making it simple, keeping the whole thing as simple as possible. and not because you don't trust yourself as a chef, but because it's supposed to be an evening about someone else. It's supposed to be about your relationship. It is not supposed to be about your cooking ability. You don't want to expend all of your energy on making this meal. You also don't want to spend hours making it. And then you're tired afterward, and the kitchen looks like a bomb exploded. And this is not. That could be fun. There are days when it's awesome, but that's just not what Valentine's Day is about. Right.
>> Speaker A: You don't want to have all that cleanup either. I think that's kind of a drag. Know if you have this huge amount of pile of dishes to do from your making the meal.
>> Speaker B: Yeah. You want to be the minimal kind of thing where you can just go, oh, I'll leave it till tomorrow. And in the morning, you're not overwhelmed by piles of dishes.
>> Speaker A: right. And I like the idea that you have some examples, because sometimes I love to go on Pinterest, which I know you're on Pinterest and find things, but sometimes it's kind of nice to know. You might search on Pinterest, but to have a book like yours and be like, it's geared towards intimacy. Proving intimacy. M like, okay, yes. It's more finite, and it's easier to be, like, to look through them and be like, oh, no, that looks good. Let's do this one. Let's do that one. And it's just kind of more given to you in a package, sort of like.
>> Speaker B: Right. Yes. There are times when flicking through Pinterest is amazing, but it's also overwhelming. And if you have something specific, you have a specific idea in mind. I much prefer cookbooks that will direct you kind of to exactly where you want to be.
>> Speaker A: And a lot of people, I mean, I love the Pinterest thing, but a lot of people do actually like to have a cookbook open on the counter.
>> Speaker B: I do. I actually do. And I feel, like, dirtier and more stained it is, the better it shows. This book has been loved, and it is successful and actually got out one of my own books to make a recipe recently, and the pages were stuck together. I was like, wow, I really enjoyed this book last time.
>> Speaker A: What I did, when you pry them apart, right.
>> Speaker B: That is the mark of a good cookbook. When you got to pry the pages.
>> Speaker A: Apart, that makes me think of some of these recipe cards that I still have that were, like, my mom's and my grandma's, and they are stained and yellowed and brown marks and stuff. But I still use them all the time, especially at Christmas time. I'm using my grandma and my mom's cookies and just the yummy treats and how true that is, how they show the wear and that I've used them over and over and over and over again.
>> Speaker B: Yes. You never want to have, like, a pristine cookbook. That's just kind of depressing.
>> Speaker A: That looks unused, right? It looks unused, yeah.
>> Speaker B: Ah.
>> Speaker A: Because you are sloppy. Like, I've done that too. But I've been kind of, like, mad at myself. Like, slop something on the page. Like, dang it, I'm wrecking the book. But you're right, it shows it's been loved and used.
>> Speaker B: Wow. I have to admit, though, I now have a tablet in my kitchen that hangs down. I can flip it up under the counter or it hangs down so that I can kind of look at recipes and not splash. Like, don't not worry about splashing my computer or something.
>> Speaker A: Oh, that's nice. You have it mounted up there?
My books are sold everywhere physical and ebooks are sold
>> Speaker B: M. I do.
>> Speaker A: Oh, that's a great idea. I like that. That's what you just have a charger plug nearby, so you can just charge it and leave it in spot, right.
>> Speaker B: Well, you know, it plugs in so it's mounted to, like, a charger with a speaker. So I can play music or television or whatever, and I can put my recipes up there.
>> Speaker A: It's very fun, very functional. I like that. And where can people find your, I, let's see.
>> Speaker B: Well, my books are sold everywhere books are sold. The easiest way, probably, is to go to Amazon. You can find my, I have an author page on Amazon, so that's an easy way. But everywhere that both physical and ebooks are sold. So Apple sells my books, kobo. I don't even know who all the, e book retailers are. Anyway. You can google me. You can find me on Amazon. Go to eatsomethingsexy.com, and you'll get lots of my recipes for free, as well as some other great information on aphrodisiac foods. we actually have a section that another aphrodisiac cookbook author created for us, and she created all of these menus. Some are actual party plans. Like, you want to have an aphrodisiac? one was an aphrodisiac holiday party, which sounded so fun to me. Then some, of them are dinners for two. Like, here's how to have a sexy St. Patrick's Day. And just. Yeah, yeah. So we have all kinds of free resources on eatsomethingsexy.com, and we talked about Pinterest. I am also on Pinterest, and I have some really fun boards. I have a few that are geared toward. I have one that's specifically aphrodisiac foods and one that's specifically Valentine's day, in fact. And then I have a bunch of general boards, too, that have all kinds of tasty things that inspire me. Some are mine, some are other people's.
>> Speaker A: Yeah. And then on Pinterest, you're fork me, spoon me. Right?
>> Speaker B: Yes. Yes.
>> Speaker A: Because I wrote that down in my.
>> Speaker B: Spell, than Amy Riley, which has an od spelling.
>> Speaker A: Yeah.
>> Speaker B: And people remember it, fork me, spoon.
>> Speaker A: Me because it's funny. Right. And it's fun. it's going to stick in your brain. Yeah, for sure. That's really cool.
You have to think about your partner's likes and dislikes
So what are some other things that you think are important for people to do when they're choosing foods to have better sex or better intimacy with their partner? Are there other things that they could do?
>> Speaker B: Okay, so the first thing is you have to think about your partner. Think about their likes, their dislikes. Do not go to my list of aphrodisiac foods and go, this is supposed to be an amazing aphrodisiac. Say, for example, honey? I know a lot of people who actually can't stand honey, so do not go. This honey is a mitch, by the way. Honey has an incredible both history as well as a wealth of research proving that it is definitely an aphrodisiac and quite beneficial. But, yeah, if your partner is not a honey person, don't plan that. Or oysters. That's the one I always.
>> Speaker A: Oysters.
>> Speaker B: Oysters. I mean, it's kind of the aphrodisiac Cliche, but they really are good for your sexual health. They really are an aphrodisiac for a variety of reasons. Go to my website and find out why. You'll be surprised. Actually, you'll actually be quite surprised. There are some things in there that you are not expecting at all. Anyway, so many people can't stand oysters. All right. Yeah. Especially if you're like, this is a new relationship and you want to have a really romantic evening. If you're not sure, if you don't know how they feel about oysters, just don't do it. Because I'm the kind of person, if I showed up and someone planned this tower of raw seafood for me, even if I could, I do actually like oysters. But even if I couldn't stand oysters, I would just sit there and eat them and not tell them because I didn't want them to feel bad, and it would be awful.
>> Speaker A: Right?
>> Speaker B: It would be awful, but I would do it. And you don't want that.
>> Speaker A: Not a good first choice. No, I don't think so.
>> Speaker B: Yeah.
>> Speaker A: that's a good point, though. Yeah. You do have to consider it. I mean, you're not going to just make something that just because it's beneficial to sexual health.
>> Speaker B: Unfortunately, people do. They do make that. And it's. No, the first and most important ingredient is what the person likes. The ingredient is knowing that person's likes. There it is. Ingredient number one.
>> Speaker A: Right. You don't want them to be like, people don't like broccoli, and they feel like they have to eat it. They're like, oh, I have to eat this already? It's unpleasant.
>> Speaker B: Yeah, completely. Don't give me peas. Please don't give me peas.
>> Speaker A: Supposed to be fun. This is supposed to be romantic and enjoyable. Not exactly like a chore, right? That's like a chore.
>> Speaker B: Yeah, it really is. Or like, if you gave me prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe because you thought it was a sexy food, I would be so depressed. But for someone who loves cantaloupe, it could be because it's something you could feed to that it's simple to make. You could feed it to, them. It could be wonderful. It could be a brilliant thing. Just not for me. Please don't.
Amy Riley is the leading authority on aphrodisiac foods
>> Speaker A: I just realized we forgot to talk about what brought you to doing what you're doing. Like, what's your background in your education and your work experience that has brought you to this point?
>> Speaker B: Oh, my goodness. We really did just jump right in. Didn't we usually get the soft intro? Let's see. So I have been studying aphrodisiacs for close to 20 years. Somewhere along the way, I got my master's degree in gastronomy from La Cordon blue. And, while I was doing that program, I did a lot of study on aphrodisiacs. And actually, I should back up and say, why? Why did I choose that? Because that's a really bizarre choice when you're doing a food program. Like, why would you? So go back a little further. And I was in my early twenty s. I got really sick, and I did not know why. the doctors kind of. They were like, well, you seem to have a mold allergy, and allergy shots weren't helping. And I was like, well, this is not helping. I mean, I got sick to the point where I lost more than 20 pounds.
>> Speaker A: Wow.
>> Speaker B: And I was thin to begin with. I was like five foot eight and 90 pounds.
>> Speaker A: Wow. really thin.
>> Speaker B: I was pretty alarmed. And so I started going to some naturopaths and doctors who kind of practiced eastern and western healing. And anyway, I went to two different doctors who basically told me I needed to drastically change my diet. They diagnosed me finally, properly with, yes, I did have a severe mold allergy, but I also had a systemic yeast infection.
>> Speaker A: Wow.
>> Speaker B: Which mean, it was like lining of my entire digestive. My whole digestive digestive system was just screwed up, and I wasn't digesting food properly. And so I had to go on this really very neutral diet that would get that. Stop feeding the yeast. Yeah. And so nothing with sugar, nothing fermented. I mean, there was very little I could eat. and after I forget how many weeks, it was for several weeks, and then you start introducing foods again. I remember how excited I was to eat a green apple. That was my first sugar was a green apple. Yeah. But it had a profound impact on me to realize how much the way I was eating prior to going to these doctors was hurting me, so seriously. I mean, it was the reason that I was feeding this yeast every day. It was really hurting me. And then how quickly changing that healed me, and I just became really interested in the nutrition side of food. and I have had a lifelong interest in folklore and greek mythology, and I just kind of stumbled on the topic of aphrodisiacs and realized that this was an area of food that combined both. And it was also quite challenging because at the time, there wasn't a lot of information. There was like a bunch of anthropological, historical, anthropological stuff. But in terms of concrete information proving aphrodisiacs were, or even like, the psychological stuff, there wasn't a lot. There wasn't those kind of links which now we know there are quite a few. So I had this. It was an interesting challenge. I like a challenge. I like research. I decided to get my master's degree in gastronomy. And so whenever we had the opportunity to do self directed study, I was studying aphrodisiacs. I wound up. So the final year of the program, you have to work on a dissertation. I did mine on the relationship between food and sex in american popular culture. And then what happened next was really quite amazing. While I was sitting at my kitchen table working on my dissertation, I got a phone call from a gentleman who said, I'm looking for Amy Riley. And I was like, okay, how can I help you? And he said, well, I understand she is the leading authority on aphrodisiac foods.
>> Speaker A: Oh, my gosh.
>> Speaker B: And, I'm working on an article for National Geographic I wanted to interview. Oh, wow.
>> Speaker A: How awesome is that?
>> Speaker B: And I was like, oh, that's me. That's totally me.
>> Speaker A: Wow, that's really cool. So you found a niche that wasn't very exploited or advertised or explored.
>> Speaker B: I mean, one article in national Geographic pretty much solidifies a career.
>> Speaker A: Yes. That's fantastic.
>> Speaker B: I just went on from there.
>> Speaker A: That, is really cool. And it's just really fun that it was, ah, kind of a hole in the knowledge and in the market for people to know.
Being a vegan is important for your health and for your sex life
Right. And your interests and it fits your interest. Ideal.
>> Speaker B: Fits my interest, yes.
>> Speaker A: That sounds like a perfect path.
>> Speaker B: It really is. And for me, it's really exciting. Well, I love the history part and talking about it to people and, oh, here's how to plan a Valentine's day. And that's all very sweet and lovely, but the fact that I can also help people to make better, smarter, healthier food choices, that I may be able to help people actually have better health and greater longevity, live, a more full life because they're discovering how to eat well. And if they're doing it because they want better sex, whatever, they're still doing it. And to me, that's a really exciting part of my job and my platform and my life.
>> Speaker A: And it's important, I think, for your health and for your sex life, it's important to be able to do that. And that we should all be doing that.
>> Speaker B: Yes, we should. But it's hard, I know, having to strip my diet down to the kind of bare minimal foods. It's really hard to. Probably one of the hardest things we do is to have a serious diet change.
>> Speaker A: Right. Especially if you're feeding a family. That's even harder because certain kids won't eat certain things and you got picky kids.
>> Speaker B: Yes. My diet has gone completely downhill once my children discovered the word no.
>> Speaker A: Right.
>> Speaker B: Yeah. Tonight we'll be eating grilled cheese on whole wheat, but we'll be eating grilled cheese.
>> Speaker A: Yeah.
>> Speaker B: Although I did have to introduce my kids to vegan butter, which is so funny. We eat grilled cheese with vegan butter because my daughter is so addicted to butter that I was afraid she was going to have, like, high cholesterol by the time she. I only get her vegan butter.
>> Speaker A: Oh, wow. Yeah. That's a good thing to try.
>> Speaker B: Better for the planet. It's fine.
>> Speaker A: I guess. Even though I'm a vegetarian, I've been kind of afraid to try a vegan butter on grilled cheese because I didn't think it would work. Well, totally works. Good.
>> Speaker B: you can use anything that's kind of oily, anything. When I've run out of butter, I've used mayonnaise to make them. which obviously isn't going to work for a vegan, but, yeah. anything that's kind of an oil based. You could even brush it with coconut oil if you wanted to.
>> Speaker A: M I said a weird thought pop in my head. Where do eggs lay or lie in the whole relation to, relating to sexual health? Is there any connection?
>> Speaker B: Symbol of fertility?
>> Speaker A: Yes.
>> Speaker B: Eggs are obviously historically, aphrodisiac. They actually make my list of the ten best foods for women.
>> Speaker A: Oh, they do.
>> Speaker B: They're great. Love eggs.
>> Speaker A: Good to know.
>> Speaker B: I've actually recently developed an allergy to eggs. I mean, I could have eaten eggs all the time, but not anymore.
>> Speaker A: Bummer. Why does that kind of stuff happen? That happened to my father in law, but it was to dairy. He couldn't have any dairy. It was just awful. And my mother in law, when he was still alive, my mother in law would be so excited when she'd actually get like, dairy cheese because she never bought it anymore because he couldn't have any.
>> Speaker B: Yeah. Thought, of life without cheese. That makes me sad.
>> Speaker A: I know. My husband and I talk about that. We're like, oh, I would not be happy if I could not have cheese anymore. Yeah. I mean, it's nice to have the vegan cheeses out there, but they aren't the same. They're not a good alternative, but they aren't the same.
>> Speaker B: No, definitely.
>> Speaker A: I have to cook in, ah, a mixed way because I'm the vegetarian. The rest of my family eats meat. So I'm constantly trying to create meals that work for them. And for me, I do eat meat. I lactose over vegetarian. I don't do the vegan thing, but yeah, it can be a challenge sometimes, but I've worked it out. And you just have to be really mindful about how you're cooking and where you're placing meats and what you're using and just have to be more mindful. It's not really that hard.
>> Speaker B: Well, neither of my children particularly like meat, so we don't eat a great deal of it in our home, which if you kind of look at what's a better diet for overall Health, for the planet, for sexual health, it's a good choice to have a reduced meat consumption anyway.
>> Speaker A: Yeah, that's true. I don't know, there's so many good foods out there that we can have so much fun with it. Yeah. And to be just, kind of like pigeonholed into certain things. I know when kids are real young, at least when mine were toddlers and stuff, they were really focused on certain foods and it was like, certain foods, yes. Other foods, no. It's so nice. Known now my kids are all teenagers and eat so much more than they used to when they were younger. Like so many more vegetables and salad and stuff.
They're all about the ranch. Unless it's dressing first
Like when they're a little, like, no salad, right?
>> Speaker B: Yes. Unless it's dressing first.
>> Speaker A: If it has ranch on it, then it's okay, right? They're all about the ranch. They still are about the ranch. That is good. I have to agree.
One of the things that can be great is trying to cook together
So are there any other secrets that you want to share that would be helpful to us?
>> Speaker B: Gosh, I think when you're talking about aphrodisiacs and using food for romance, we really touched on it. The most important thing is finding the things that you and your partner both enjoy. That's where it starts. And one of the things that can also be great is trying to cook together. M it's because you have to have teamwork. So you get in this nice rhythm together. You have this teamwork. It starts a connection. And if you want to have this romantic meal that then moves on to the bedroom, you've started the connection while you're actually creating the meal. that's something that I always recommend. If that's something that's of interest, and I know people have told me they've taken that idea a little further and have done cooking classes together as sort of their romantic date night. So these are all things. So where can you take that? Where does that work? How does that work for you? Is kind of the thing. How do you figure that out and enjoy it?
>> Speaker A: Right? There's a lot of good options there. And then Valentine's day is a perfect day to try something new. Not that you want to try something complicated, but like we said, we don't want to add in that extra work or potential for disaster.
>> Speaker B: Right.
>> Speaker A: Maybe a new drink, like one of the ingredients. You could make a new drink with one of the ingredients from your list. Like, include one of those ingredients?
>> Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. Try a new wine or try something different. Like try a dessert wine.
>> Speaker A: Yeah.
>> Speaker B: Something that you don't normally do.
>> Speaker A: Right. So interesting.
Amy's website focuses on intimacy and relationships and sexual health
So tell us what else that people can find on your website. You talked about one of your books is on the website. Right. On your website.
>> Speaker B: So there are recipes. in the recipe section, you'll find recipes from all of my books. Actually, there are a few recipes from each of them. You can use the search function and search for, like, pork me, spoon me, and you'll find a couple of recipes from pork me, spoon me hidden in there. So we do. So we have information on sexual health. We have a section that's all information on sexual health, one that's all on aphrodisiacs. I have a number of very talented writers who work with me who are in different areas with the different kinds of lifestyle writers. So we have a travel section where I have some travel writer friends who contribute information on things like great destinations for couples or how to plan a couple's trip to Hawaii, or here's a hotel that's great for a romantic getaway, those kinds of ideas. We even have a writer who. She's originally from. Yeah, Cleveland. She's originally from Cleveland. And she actually put, to, here's how to spend a romantic weekend in Cleveland and all the different activities that you could enjoy for romance in Cleveland of all. You know, we have fun stuff primarily in the US, but all over the globe to some degree. We also have. So, and they range from products that are beneficial to sexual health to products that could kind of spark some romance. Or one of my favorite examples is I did a review of my very favorite wine bottle chiller. So it's a single. You put a single wine bottle in and you keep it cold, and it's very lightweight and it's mess free. So you can take it on a hike or on a picnic or anywhere you want to create romance. I mean, I've taken it in my kayak before.
>> Speaker A: Wow.
>> Speaker B: Yeah. However, you can use it. So we have different products like that, that have a function that may serve your romantic life a little. And then we, of course, have information on wine. I think we mentioned earlier that I started out actually as a wine writer and wine critic, and I do still write occasionally on wine. So we have some really fun information there on wine and some stuff on spirits. We have really great cocktail recipes. That's one of the most popular, popular sections of our site is our cocktail recipes, actually.
>> Speaker A: Yeah. Because you can enjoy it so much. Right? It's a mood setter and enjoyment. Sit down and sip and drink and talk and hang out. Kind of a yes.
>> Speaker B: And then I mentioned already, one of the greatest, especially if you're planning something like Valentine's Day. One of the best sections is Diane Brown, who wrote the seduction cookbook, created all of these menus and party plans. And she goes into things like, here's some music that would match with the mood of this menu and things like that. So, yeah, we have a lot of really fun content.
>> Speaker A: That, sounds awesome. That's totally amazing. Well, I think what you do is amazing, and I think it's just great to have it out there. And it's just very focused, on intimacy and relationships and sexual health and just overall health, which they're all tied together, really.
>> Speaker B: Definitely. Yes. Everything that you're doing for your sexual health is going to benefit your whole lifestyle. And that includes the intimacy with your partner, creating those moments of intimacy are really going to be beneficial to your overall health.
>> Speaker A: Yeah. And just to have a more that leads to a more fulfilling life and relationship, I feel like if it's not there, you're missing out. You're not living it to the full max, and that's. Yeah. Yeah.
>> Speaker B: so go find some romance.
>> Speaker A: Exactly. Well, everyone can check down in the podcast show notes. There'll be links to all of Amy's books and her website, and you can look for her on pinterest or fork me, spoon me. That's fun to say.
I want everyone to enjoy a relaxed and fulfilling Valentine's day
Is there anything else you would like to,
>> Speaker B: We. I think we covered it all. I think I want everyone to enjoy a relaxed and fulfilling Valentine's day. Remember to connect more with. And you know what? Valentine's Day shouldn't be just one day. It should be an all the time thing. Relax, put down your cell phone, disconnect, look in each other's eyes, and really enjoy the fact that you have romance in your life. For sure.
>> Speaker A: Yeah. Ah huh? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Very wonderful. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show. This has been wonderful and really excited to share it with everyone. All right.
>> Speaker B: Thank you so much. Bye bye.
>> Speaker A: Bye bye. All.
