That wasn't a typo in the title. Anaphrodisiac is the opposite of aphrodisiac. It's something that quells the raging libido.
Both graham crackers and corn flakes were developed as a way to keep people from having sex.
Sylvester Graham, the inventor of graham flour and the purported inventor of graham crackers, believed that if food sat in the stomach for too long, it overstimulated the organs and caused sexual arousal. He also felt that rich, fatty foods would only increase sexual urges. According to Graham, more healthy graham crackers meant less sex.
John Harvey Kellogg, one of the Kellogg brothers who invented corn flakes, subscribed to Graham's principles. Cornflakes originally had no sugar and were served to the patients in his psych ward. Kellogg believed that bland cornflakes equaled a bland bedroom.
Read more about the history of graham crackers and cornflakes on Wikipedia.
What foods do you think of as anaphrodisiacs? I'll start the list with beans - for obvious reasons.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-01-2008 @ 5:32PM
Stephen said...
Slightly off topic,
The Road to Wellville
http://imdb.com/title/tt0111001/
Not historically accurate, but a funny movie based on Dr. Kellogg, (stars Anthony Hopkins & Matthew Broderick )
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4-01-2008 @ 6:01PM
ESC said...
actually, I find that eating too much fatty food...actually too much of ANY food is enough to quell the libido. Because my hubby and I are too busy lying on the couch like bloated walruses to get any productive lovin' accomplished ;)
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4-01-2008 @ 7:29PM
Jonathan said...
I eat lots of beans... it doesn't seem to be very effective.
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4-02-2008 @ 12:45AM
doodoolemonque said...
Tzatziki is a killer in my house. Though an apparently normal, healthy woman in all other ways, my Wendy dislikes onions and garlic. She may as well sneer that my mother wasn't really a great cook and tell me that I load the dishwasher wrong. Is there a greater turnoff for a cook than toiling in the kitchen for someone who thinks shallots and leeks aren't even good enough for her compost pile? My word...its like getting the Boars Head All Beef Natural Casing hot dogs all ready for the opening televised game of the new baseball season and having to listen to her ask for Mayo. It's spite. She does it out of spite. I'm sure of it.
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4-02-2008 @ 3:14AM
K said...
I second poster #2 -- anything deep fried and overly fatty is a libido killer simply because you spend too much time groaning and grimacing, and for all the wrong reasons. In addition, anything really heavy. A big steak and a baked potato weighs you down. A big tortilla full of carnitas weighs you down. Anything that makes you say "ooh ooh, don't press on my tummy, I'm still tasting carnitas ..." is not sexy.
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4-02-2008 @ 7:50AM
badfrog said...
Liverwurst. When my wife eats it, I'm not going anywhere near her for at least an hour.
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4-02-2008 @ 9:09AM
Ian said...
You said the title is not a typo, but then spelled the word differently in the second sentence. So there is a typo somewhere.
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4-02-2008 @ 9:21AM
Stefani Pollack said...
Oops! Thanks, Ian. I fixed it!
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4-02-2008 @ 11:00AM
Gobo said...
Eating garlic dill pickles isn't a good way to encourage smooching.
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4-02-2008 @ 12:23PM
Greg G said...
Asparagus. I'll say no more.
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4-04-2008 @ 8:46AM
Gobo said...
GregG: Oh yeah, asparagus. Erg. I'll second that.
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4-05-2008 @ 4:22AM
Lig Grebsnip said...
Graham crackers are a turn-off? Not when my lady and I make smores....
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