Editor’s Note: The views expressed in the following column are those of the writer only and do not necessarily represent the views of The Collegian or its editorial board.

Whipped cream, strawberries, cheesecake, wine and champagne are all stereotypically edible items when we think of food in the bedroom. Media often portrays whipped cream and chocolate syrup as sexy foods to pour all over your partner to lick off.

College is a better time than ever to be experimenting in the bedroom. While some may consider using food in the bedroom as a type of fetish, it’s not all that crazy.

Certain foods are proven aphrodisiacs that help boost our libido. Avocados, grapefruits, oysters and many other foods can help increase sex drive due to their high amounts of zinc or folic acid, which both help drive hormonal and reproductive health.

Aside from how physically ingesting certain foods can increase libido, the way in which we utilize food in the bedroom and which certain foods we use can trigger sexual arousal.

How you eat a food can be surprisingly seductive. Take a cherry for example — if you’re eating cherries, putting a cherry between your lips can entice your partner to remove it for a little snack of their own. Then you’re left with the stem to try and twist into a knot using only your mouth. It might seem very middle school, but watching your tongue in action could really turn on your partner.

There’s also the classic whipped cream move. Put some whipped cream, or another sweet treat, on your nipples and invite your partner to lick it off. Who doesn’t enjoy a sweet treat, especially when it’s coming off your partner’s body?

Both food and sex trigger the release of dopamine in our brains, which contributes to feelings of pleasure.

Some foods are also inherently sexy. Events like Valentine’s Day or an anniversary are traditionally accompanied by treats like chocolate, strawberries and champagne. Society has worked to display key foods such as these to trigger the mind into a state of sexual arousal. Walking into the bedroom to see a bottle of champagne on the bed immediately communicates to your partner that they’re in for a fun time.

There’s a science behind using food in sexual arousal as well. Food and sex are physically connected to the limbic system in our brains. Both food and sex trigger the release of dopamine in our brains, which contributes to feelings of pleasure.

There are many specific ways to enjoy food in the bedroom, although these methods may cross the boundary into fetishism. Sitophilia is the general term for sexual arousal or gratification through the use of food. Nyotaimori is the practice of eating sushi off of a naked body, often referred to as body sushi. Botulinonia is masturbation through use of sausage instead of a dildo.

Sploshing is perhaps the most common food play used in the bedroom. It’s generally just placing foods of different tastes, textures or temperatures onto your partner’s naked body to then consume in a type of sexual/sensual food-to-body exchange.

However you decide to incorporate food into the bedroom, just remember to always examine expiration dates of foods before use on sensitive areas, and be ready for some possible sticky cleanup.

Shay Rego can be reached at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @shay_rego.