Voluminous medical research and clinical data in our advanced world of the 21st century have proven beyond any doubt that, indeed, we are what we eat.

Obviously, we are talking about how the foods we eat each day relates to, or affects, our health and longevity.

For instance, did you know that a person who eats an egg (or more) a day has a 25 percent increased risk of death in a 20-year period, compared to those who abstain from eggs and egg products? This was one of the findings of the Harvard’s Physicians’ Health Study I. For the diabetics who eat eggs, that risk is doubled (50 percent!). One egg yolk has about 215 milligrams of cholesterol, much more than many other common food items. And, of course, eggs are animal proteins with a lot of saturated fats, which ravage our cardiovascular system and cause heart attack and stroke, to mention two ailments.

Animal proteins consumption also leads to a 32 percent greater risk of infertility among women, with just one serving a day. Those whose diet is mostly loaded with red meats (and eggs, as stated above), with high cholesterol, saturated fat foods, have a 41 percent greater risk of ovulatory infertility, compared to those who eat the least animal proteins. Those who ate the highest amount of vegetable proteins had 22 percent reduction in the risk for infertility.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables improves the brain functions in children and gives them an academic edge over other kids.

Coffee, regular or decaf, four to six cups a day, has been shown to reduce the risk for the development of type II diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

Soft drinks, cola- or uncola, diet or not, have been implicated in the causation of metabolic syndrome, characterized by high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, and possibly stroke. On the other hand, drinking about 8 glasses of filtered water a day helps hydrate the body and flush out toxins from our system.

Eating processed meat (sausages, hot dogs, luncheon meats, etc.) may increase the risk of development of pancreatic cancer by almost 70 percent, reported a recent major study that was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and released in October 2005.

Americans in 2006 ate more than 1.5 billion pounds of hot dogs, an average of 32 pounds per year per person. There is 21 percent increase in the risk of colorectal cancers for every 50 grams processed meats ingested a day.

While the saturated fat in fresh (no preservative) red meat appears not to be linked to pancreatic cancer in this study, other studies have shown that people who eat red meat regularly have a higher risk for developing cancer of the colon, breast, and other cancers in general, compared to those who minimize eating red meat. Red meat also causes a quick rise in the cholesterol blood level, a condition that increases the risk for the development of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Children are better off staying away from hamburger stores and other fast food chains.

Today, the market abounds with "food supplements" claiming to be sexual "stimulants" and "libido-enhancing" concoctions and pills, which are actually useless, and may even be harmful.

In contrast to these expensive and ineffective "sex-enhancers" on the market, there are natural foods in the grocery stores, very much less expensive, and healthier and safer, that could boost libido, sex drive, and performance in both men and women.

Some of these sex "nutrients" from nature’s own soil and water, include the following well-known and readily available items in most grocery stores: asparagus, avocado, banana, basil, bee pollen, celery, chili, fig, garlic, goji berry, maca, pumpkin seed, oysters, dark chocolates, soya beans like tofu, chick peas, carrots, cucumber, eggplants and other "phallic" vegetables and fruits, ginseng roots, and daily multi-vitamins and minerals.

Fish (rich in Omega 3 fatty acids), fruits, and vegetables, in general, are essential parts of a healthy lifestyle, together with daily exercises. On the other hand, fried and rich foods, red meats and other high-cholesterol and fatty foods increase our risk for developing cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Processed foods have also been linked to frigidity in women and diminished sexual stamina in men. Cigarettes, which cause cancer of the lungs and emphysema, also constrict the arteries, which reduces blood flow to our organs and diminishes libido. And alcohol, more than a shot or two, according to Shakespeare, "increases the desire, but diminishes the performance."