Preparations for the extremely hyped day of love – Valentine's Day – are in full swing. And while the world is divided between sappy romantics gearing up for the vibrant love-fest and not so enthusiastic single trying their best to avoid the day – turns out Starbucks is siding with the latter.
As surprising as it might seem – the coffee franchise's latest beverage Cherry Mocha, which was introduced as a Valentine's Day treat, is full of libido crushing ingredients that could potentially ruin all your plans for the day of love.
All of a whooping 430 calories, the drink can be ordered both hot or cold, but at the same time, its sugar, dairy and caffeine contents can lower testosterone levels and increase anxiety, which could kill the sex drive, as per past studies.
Speaking to Daily Mail Online, nutritionist Tammy Lakatos Shames – the co-owner of The Nutrition Twins – explained how this drink is not a Valentine's treat at all!
Starbucks itself described the drink, saying: "The new Cherry Mocha starts with hot espresso poured over a slightly sweet mocha sauce and candied cherry syrup. Steamed milk and whipped cream topped with sugar and cocoa Valentine's sprinkles finish the beverage."
But Tammy told Daily Mail that unless organic products are used as ingredients for the drink – the go-to cream will be made from cows' dairy and is likely to be loaded with added hormones.
"You get hormones you probably didn't consider and this may throw off your estrogen and testosterone [sex hormones], which could affect libido in a negative way," she said. "An estimated 65 percent of the adult population has reduced ability to digest lactose and nothing will lower libido faster than gas and diarrhea!' she said.
Also, the 54 grams of sugar in a grande size of the drink can give you a massive sugar rush and then crash, as explained by Tammy. "You can get that high and feel excited and suddenly the drop comes and you have low energy and you might not feel in the mood anymore," she said.
The drink also boasts of 15 grams of fat and 130 calories from fat, and this could possibly impede the blood flow – thus ruining the sex drive. "If you have that fat right before sex all the the blood goes to your stomach for digestion," she said.
"And what happens is the blood is in the stomach instead of the parts you want it to go to. By diverting the blood away from the sex organs you won't experience what you want or feel the way you want to feel," she said.
Tammy also mentioned that this goes for both men and women, and shockingly enough – it could take up to eight hours to digest fat. "The 400 plus calories are as many calories as some women should get in an entire meal," she said. "When you add a meal to that, it really the way you down and make you feel sluggish, lowering libido."
Sadly enough, while some studies have shown caffeine to boost sex drive – turns out that being sensitive to caffeine can also have some very opposite effects! This is explained by certain people's inclination towards getting jittery and anxious upon consuming coffee.
And as Tammy says: "When you're having anxiety you can't perform at your best." So steer away from all that caffeine overdose and sugar rush – let all that mushy amounts of love be the only thing you're drunk on!
