The surprising science of first-date food: Leading nutritionist reveals what to eat — and what to avoid — before a date

Los Angeles, CA — October 2026 — Forget oysters, chocolate and the usual “aphrodisiac” advice. The science of food and attraction is considerably stranger than that.

Research suggests that what we eat can influence some of the signals people notice when making a first impression, including skin color, facial redness, body odor, digestion and even pupil size.

Victoria Strandlund, nutritionist at Lifesum, a world leading healthy eating platform, has reviewed the research to reveal the foods that could help you feel your best on a date — and the surprising ones that may be worth thinking twice about.

Five surprising foods to eat before a date

1. Carrots, tomatoes & other colorful plants for your ‘glow’

Forget a last-minute beauty treatment: the food you eat over the weeks before a date may subtly change the color of your skin.

Carotenoids are natural pigments found in foods including carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and leafy greens and can accumulate in the skin. In a six-week study, increasing fruit and vegetable intake was associated with measurable changes in skin color, with around 3.3 servings a day reaching the researchers' threshold for a perceptible increase in skin attractiveness. Other research has found that higher carotenoid skin coloration is preferred in faces across different populations.

Nutritionist's take: “This is a good example of how nutrition and appearance can be connected. A varied diet containing plenty of colorful fruit and vegetables is worth building into your routine long before date night.”

2. Chilli — the food that can make you blush

A spicy meal really can make your face flush.

Capsaicin, the compound responsible for chili's heat, activates receptors involved in sensing heat and can trigger facial vasodilation and redness.

And here's the fascinating part: controlled experiments have found that increased facial redness can increase perceived attractiveness, with perceived healthiness helping explain the effect in both male and female faces.

Nutritionist's take: “Chili can make some people visibly flush, but that doesn't mean more chili equals more attractiveness. If spicy food makes you feel hot, uncomfortable or gives you digestive symptoms, there's no reason to force it — the aim should be to feel comfortable and confident, not to manufacture a blush.”

3. Coffee — it may actually change your pupils

One of the strangest findings in the research is that caffeine can affect the eyes.

In a double-blind crossover study of 50 healthy young adults, a 250mg caffeine drink was associated with increased pupil size under controlled low-light conditions. Pupil size increased from an average of 3.4mm at baseline to 4.5mm 90 minutes after caffeine consumption.

There’s no evidence that coffee makes you more attractive, but it does mean that a cup of coffee can produce a measurable physiological change in one of the features we instinctively pay attention to when looking at another person.

Nutritionist's take: “If you normally enjoy coffee and know it agrees with you, there's no need to avoid it before a date. But if caffeine makes you jittery, affects your stomach or disrupts your sleep, that matters far more to how you actually feel on the night than what your pupils are doing.”

4. Garlic — yes, really!

Here's the dating-food finding most people would get completely wrong.

Garlic is notorious for causing bad breath. But in a controlled experiment involving 42 male odor donors and 82 female raters, researchers found that higher garlic consumption made men's body odor smell more pleasant, more attractive and less intense in two of three experiments.

Nutritionist's take: “I love this finding because it shows how much more complicated food and attraction can be than the usual ‘good food versus bad food’. Garlic may influence body odour differently from breath odour, so I wouldn't tell someone to eat garlic specifically to smell more attractive. If you're having garlic before a date, make sure you feel comfortable with the effect on your breath.”

5. Apple, mint & lettuce — the surprising garlic-breath rescue

And if garlic is on the menu, there is an unexpected scientific hack.

Researchers found that raw apple, raw lettuce and mint leaves significantly reduce garlic-breath when consumed after garlic. The researchers proposed that compounds in these foods help react with the sulfur-containing compounds responsible for garlic breath.

Nutritionist's take: “This is a useful example of how food can sometimes influence the effects of other foods. The research suggests that whole raw apple, lettuce and mint were particularly effective, so if garlic is part of your meal, adding something fresh afterward is a more evidence-based approach than simply assuming another mint will solve everything. Of course, this doesn't remove every aspect of garlic breath, so it's best thought of as a potential reduction rather than a complete fix.”

Five foods to think twice about before a date

1. Red meat — the body odor issue

One striking experiment placed men on either a meat or non-meat diet for two weeks and collected their body odor. Female raters judged the odor produced during the non-meat period to be more pleasant, more attractive and less intense. The study raises an intriguing possibility: what you eat may subtly influence how you smell to other people.

Nutritionist's take: “This fascinating research highlights that diet can interact with body odor in ways we don't necessarily notice ourselves. If you already know that certain meals leave you feeling heavy or affect how you feel physically, a date probably isn't the best time to experiment with them.”

2. Fizzy drinks — the bloating trap

The problem with fizzy drinks isn't just sugar or calories. Carbonated drinks can contribute to gas and bloating, and guidelines lists fizzy drinks among common dietary contributors to bloating.

Nutritionist's take: “Again, this is about knowing your own body rather than declaring fizzy drinks ‘bad’. Some people can drink sparkling water or a carbonated drink without any problem, while others notice bloating very quickly. If you know you're prone to feeling uncomfortable after carbonation, a date is probably not the night to test that tolerance.”

3. Beans & lentils — great food, potentially bad timing

Beans and lentils contain fermentable carbohydrates that gut bacteria break down, producing gas.

For people with IBS or greater gut sensitivity, FODMAP-rich foods can contribute to bloating, abdominal discomfort and changes in bowel habits. Monash University notes that most people tolerate FODMAPs without concern, while people with IBS can be more sensitive to the resulting gas and fluid in the gut.

Nutritionist's take: “Beans and lentils are nutritious foods and absolutely don't belong on a general ‘avoid’ list.

The point is timing and personal tolerance. If you know a particular high-FODMAP meal gives you bloating or discomfort, choose something familiar before a date rather than suddenly trying to optimize your diet with foods your gut isn't used to.”

4. Sugar-free gum & candy — the hidden date-night hazard

This may be one of the least expected ones.

Sugar-free gum, mints and candy can contain polyols such as sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol or xylitol. These sugar alcohols can draw water into the gut and be fermented by intestinal bacteria, potentially producing gas, bloating and — at higher doses — diarrhea.

In one study, most healthy volunteers experienced mild gastrointestinal distress after consuming 10g of sorbitol, with more severe symptoms at 20g.

Nutritionist's take: “This is particularly relevant on a date because people often reach for sugar-free gum, mints or candy repeatedly without thinking about the ingredients. Polyols are not a problem for everyone, and the amount matters, but if you've ever noticed that ‘sugar-free’ products make your stomach rumble, this is one occasion when it makes sense to check the label rather than keep chewing.”

5. Alcohol — the strange attraction paradox

This one is more complicated than simply saying “avoid alcohol”.

A meta-analysis of 16 studies involving 1,811 participants found a small association between alcohol consumption and increased perceived attractiveness, particularly when people were judging members of the opposite sex.

One controlled experiment similarly found that photographs of people after a low dose of alcohol were rated as more attractive than photographs taken while they were sober — but the effect was not seen at a higher dose.

Nutritionist's take: “The research is interesting because it shows that alcohol can alter social perception, but that isn't a reason to drink before a date or to use alcohol to try to become more attractive. If you choose to drink, the sensible approach is to keep it within your normal comfort level and remember that feeling clear-headed and comfortable is much more useful than trying to engineer an effect.”

Nutritionist’s overall verdict

Victoria Strandlund, Nutritionist at Lifesum, says: “Scientific evidence shows that diet can influence factors relevant to first impressions, including skin appearance, body odour, and gastrointestinal comfort. The most sensible approach is to focus on a varied, balanced diet, and choose foods you know you tolerate.” 

Media Inquiries

Victoria Strandlund, Nutritionist at Lifesum, is available for interviews.

Media contact: Harry Cymbler, Hot Cherry PR, harry@hotcherry.co.uk

Notes to Editor

Skin color & attractiveness: Whitehead et al., PLOS ONE — You are what you eat: within-subject increases in fruit and vegetable consumption confer beneficial skin-color changes. PubMed study

Carotenoid color & attractiveness: Ip et al., Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology — Carotenoid skin colouration enhances face and body attractiveness: A cross-cultural study. PubMed study

Facial redness & attractiveness: Pazda et al.; Thorstenson et al., Perception. Women's study Men's study

Caffeine & pupils: Abokyi et al., Eye — Caffeine intake is associated with pupil dilation and enhanced accommodation. PubMed study

Garlic & body odor: Fialová et al., Appetite — Consumption of garlic positively affects hedonic perception of axillary body odour. PubMed study

Garlic-breath reduction: Mirondo & Barringer, Journal of Food Science — Deodorization of Garlic Breath by Foods, and the Role of Polyphenol Oxidase and Phenolic Compounds. PubMed study

Meat & body odor: Havlíček & Lenochová, Chemical Senses — The effect of meat consumption on body odor attractiveness. PubMed study

Polyols & gastrointestinal symptoms: Hyams, Gastroenterology — Sorbitol intolerance: an unappreciated cause of functional gastrointestinal complaints. PubMed study

FODMAPs & gut symptoms: Monash University FODMAP guidance. Monash FODMAP

Bloating & carbonated drinks: NHS guidance. NHS bloating guidance

Alcohol & perceived attractiveness: Bowdring & Sayette, Addiction — Perception of physical attractiveness when consuming and not consuming alcohol: a meta-analysis. PubMed study

About Lifesum

Lifesum is a leading global AI-powered nutrition platform that helps people make smarter food choices and build sustainable, long-term habits. From improving focus and energy to managing weight and overall wellbeing, Lifesum provides personalized meal plans, recipes and AI-powered tracking tools designed to fit modern lifestyles. Learn more at Lifesum.