Matt McAvoy Book Review

This book is a lot of fun, as it certainly should be, but perhaps surprisingly the focus isn’t actually as much on the fun as one might think.  Don’t get me wrong, Christine DeLozier brings a lot of humour into her writing but, for the most part, this profoundly academic reference book is all business.  In fact, for the first half at least, Diet for Great Sex comes across as more of biological reference book, and the diet it refers to focuses very heavily on the scientific nutritional value of the constituent parts of food.  Furthermore, the sexual benefits are only one approach of DeLozier’s guide to the nutrients in different foods; the overall benefits covered in the book are in fact holistic and comprehensive.  Generally, the hugely academic style of this reference book may not appeal to the tastes of many who think that this is going to be a light-hearted diet and recipe book (although some are included); it is far more intellectual, in-depth and industry professional than that.

It is in the second half that this book really starts to come into its own, and resembles a nutrition-based sex guide more likely recognizable as what you might be expecting – and it is triumphant!  The way that herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, pulses, nuts and everything else you can think of are broken down in terms of their sex-friendly components is immensely detailed and extremely well presented; DeLozier has clearly put a huge amount of research and hard work into this book (as is plain to see if only by the extensive references).  This is then followed by some superbly helpful recipes and even graphic, explicit guides to expert sex and oral sex, in a manner which is both entertaining and scientific.  All in all, the resources in the book’s second half make it a good read for academics and amateurs alike, and well worthy of its five stars. 

There is a huge amount of terminology throughout the book, which may overwhelm at times, but stick with it, because it is also without a shadow of doubt that this is a top-quality non-fiction reference publication by an enormously professional author.  It is a touch surprising, then, that DeLozier is an acupuncturist by trade – if one who specializes in sexual issues, and has undoubtedly dedicated her working life to becoming a comprehensive expert on the subject.  With work of such articulation, knowledge and work ethic as this, she could just as well be a practicing nutritionist, psychologist, sexual health clinician, therapist, writer…  A rare talent indeed, and a hugely credible author for this excellent book.