Testosterone booster foods are one of the most searched things on the internet these days, and it’s no surprise. Testosterone is the primary hormone responsible for anything “growth” and “strength” related. Hair, bone mass, muscle, and of course, sex drive. Women have testosterone too, but often in smaller concentrations as opposed to us guys who just have tons of it naturally. This is why testosterone is often referred to as the male hormone, and we love it.
Testosterone is what gives us energy, confidence, and an overall “tough” attitude about life. However, just like many things inside our body, time slowly chips away at our testosterone levels until we get to our late 40’s and have problems maintaining muscle, having energy, and “getting it up.”
As guys, we definitely don’t want the very thing that makes us men to drift away. So, I made a list of some of the best testosterone booster foods we should all get more of not just to stave off testosterone decline, but to even help the body produce more of it.
Testosterone Boosting Foods
So, what do you have inside the fridge that can be considered as testosterone booster foods? Below the 7 best foods to boost your testosterone that may just solve your booster needs forever.
1. Eggs
Eggs are incredibly nutritious. They’re so nutritious that one egg is capable of becoming an entire chicken.
As one of the many natural testosterone booster foods, what you really should go after is the egg yolk as that part is high on Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is one of the main biomarkers of a person’s testosterone production, and deficiencies have been linked to low testosterone levels. This also explains why vitamin D is considered one of the best supplements to increase testosterone.
The only thing you really have to watch out for is the cholesterol, but one egg a day is considered healthy for most people.
2. Milk fortified with Vitamin-D
Milk is that one “beverage” that people don’t really drink as much any more, especially once they’re “all grown up.” However, men could benefit from drinking a glass or two especially if the milk is fortified with Vitamin D. This makes milk one of the cheapest and widely available testosterone booster foods.
3. Tuna
Tuna is probably the closest seafood can get to what red meat is supposed to “feel” like in terms of texture and the recipes you can do with it. It’s heart healthy and high in protein, two things that make it a desirable alternative to those who need to go light on red meat.
Just like the other testosterone booster foods on our list, it’s also rich in Vitamin D, making it one of the many natural testosterone boosters.
4. Oysters
Ancient men once ate a lot of oysters before having sexual intercourse and with good reason. As one of nature’s natural testosterone boosters, Oysters are rich in zinc, a mineral that is directly associated with testosterone levels, as well as sperm health and overall fertility. This also makes zinc one of the best supplements to increase testosterone.
If you’re not fond of oysters, crabs and lobsters can be a good sub.
5. Beef
A lot of people love beef, and guys will now have one more excuse to eat it now that it’s a good source of Vitamin D and Zinc, the two best nutrients for testosterone growth. Because of how most men consume beef, this makes it one of the best testosterone booster foods on our list.
6. Beans
Legumes like lentils, chickpeas, and baked beans are all rich sources of zinc. To top it all of, beans are really good for you too. They’re high in protein and is practically covered in fibre which can help with digestion and heart health.
7. Cruciferous vegetables
Real men eat their vegetables, and men who eat their vegetables have high testosterone levels! These are your broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, and turnips. These natural testosterone boosters indirectly help boost testosterone levels by lowering estrogen, so the ratio is more balanced for men. Alternatively you can always boost your greens intake by adding greens powders to your smoothies or shakes.
Stay away from these t-killing foods
If there are testosterone booster foods, there are also foods that lower your T levels. Watch out for these!
Soy and soy-based foods
If you’ve been on the internet for the last 10 years, you probably read about how soy once caused quite an uproar when people realised it messed with hormonal balance and was thought to cause reproductive problems for men. Even women had problems with soy products.
Recent studies show that the correlation is weak with soy and low testosterone levels, but consume soy in low to moderate amounts just to be safe. Until we have a definite answer, we like to reiterate the stance that soy is one of the foods that lower testosterone levels.
Vegetable oil
Vegetable oil is virtually used in anything. If you eat at a fast food restaurant or order Chinese take out, you’re definitely eating vegetable oil too. Nothing wrong if consumed once in a while, but too much can cause your testosterone levels to dip due to its polyunsaturated fatty acid content.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are actually good fat, but too much have been found to significantly lower testosterone levels.
But as we said, it’s still healthy. Just be mindful of how much you eat, and you should be fine.
Because vegetable oil is used in almost every food nowadays, we think it’s one of the worst foods that lower testosterone ever.
Alcohol
You might consider drink half the usual beer if you want what’s best for your testosterone. Some studies found a link between high alcohol intake (about 3 drinks) with lower testosterone levels over a three-week period.
So basically, don’t go too hard on the hard stuff. Once every few days is fine, maybe even one glass or bottle a day, but your future self will thank you if you slow down now.
What’s the fastest way to boost t levels?
We want higher T levels, and we want it now, but that’s not how you want to increase it. In fact, most people who claim that they have something that can increase testosterone immediately is either lying to you or selling something that can harm you.
So, what’s the fastest way to increase testosterone levels naturally? Have a lifestyle overhaul.
1. Diet
The first thing we all have to fix if we ever want to naturally increase testosterone levels (and everything else) is what we eat and drink.
You’ve read the best testosterone booster foods for increasing testosterone levels naturally, but you can’t just eat all of these foods and expect testosterone to just come pouring out like when a dam opens up.
Testosterone boosting is not just eating food that is best for testosterone, but having a healthy diet in general with a particular focus on your male hormones.
2. Sleep
Everyone looks up supplements to increase testosterone or medication to increase testosterone, but the reality is, all they need is to sleep better. Yes, sleep actually boosts testosterone levels naturally, arguably better than testosterone supplements or booster foods.
Sleep, after all, is the only time the body can focus on recovery and repair, and depriving yourself of that is almost the same as driving a car with all the warning lights on because you just want to go farther and “save more time.”
Sleep will let your body “heal” which will directly help you produce more testosterone. Just sleep earlier, sleep longer, and you will have increased testosterone levels by the time you wake up.
3. Exercise
More than just eating testosterone booster foods, we also need to exercise. This is critical either for having a normal testosterone level or just for increasing testosterone levels naturally.
Being sedentary won’t stimulate your body’s natural testosterone growth, and the science agrees with me.
Even if the only form of exercise you’ll get all day is from cleaning your house, gardening, or even taking out the trash, do it with passion! The more you get your body working, the more testosterone you will be producing.
4. Healthier habits
On top of testosterone booster foods and everything else, one of the things we all have to fix eventually is how we succumb to bad habits, especially excessive alcohol intake and smoking. These two can really be horrible for our testosterone to a point where just reducing the frequency you drink or smoke boosts testosterone levels.
If you still need a good reason, drinking and smoking less actually improves your body’s ability to get an erection.
5. Hormone Replacement Therapy – Testosterone Levels
Known as HRT, for men this can be testosterone replacement therapy of TRT, which your doctor or healthcare professional can advise you about low levels. In some cases you can get a home test of your T levels from companies like LetsGetChecked.com
Takeaway
Our testosterone is what defines us men. Because of how aging works, it’s all in our best interest to make sure we keep as much testosterone as long as possible.
If you want to have a great start, eating the best testosterone booster foods we listed should help boost testosterone levels.
References
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- Ruusa J, Bergman B, Sundell ML. Sex hormones during alcohol withdrawal: a longitudinal study of 29 male alcoholics during detoxification. Alcohol Alcohol. 1997 Sep-Oct;32(5):591-7. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.alcalc.a008300. PMID: 9373701.
- Sierksma A, Sarkola T, Eriksson CJ, van der Gaag MS, Grobbee DE, Hendriks HF. Effect of moderate alcohol consumption on plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, and estradiol levels in middle-aged men and postmenopausal women: a diet-controlled intervention study. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2004 May;28(5):780-5. doi: 10.1097/01.alc.0000125356.70824.81. PMID: 15166654.
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