Foods That Can Boost Testosterone Levels
Testosterone is an important hormone in men that is responsible for healthy growth, body composition and more. Unfortunately, around 5% of US men suffer from low testosterone which leads to a range of unpleasant symptoms including depression and reduced energy levels. The good news is that low testosterone can very often be treated naturally by leading a healthy lifestyle. In this article I’m going to be focusing on one of the main natural treatments for low testosterone – diet and discussing the foods that can be used to boost your testosterone levels.
Which Nutrients Boost Testosterone Levels?
A number of nutrients in food have been linked with testosterone production. The list below outlines these nutrients and discusses how they boost your testosterone levels:
1) B Complex Vitamins: Your body uses B complex vitamins to produce testosterone and by ensuring that your diet contains plenty of these health boosting vitamins, you can keep your testosterone levels naturally high.
2) Healthy Fats:Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fats all help boost your testosterone naturally by increasing the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in your blood. HDL cholesterol is used by your body to produce progesterone which is then used to produce testosterone, so the more HDL cholesterol you have in your body, the more testosterone you can produce.
3) Vitamin A: Vitamin A naturally increases testosterone in two ways. First, it assists in the production of testosterone and ensures that adequate levels of this hormone are circulating throughout your body. Second, it helps to regulate estrogen levels and ensures that the estrogen in your body does not interfere with the production of testosterone.
4) Vitamin D:This article highlights a number of studies which have found a positive link between vitamin D consumption and testosterone levels. The first study from the August 2010 issue of Clinical Endocrinology found that men who did not consume adequate amounts of vitamin D had lower testosterone levels than men who consumed adequate amounts of this vitamin. The second study from the March 2011 issue of the Hormone and Metabolic Research found that men who supplemented with vitamin D for a full year managed to increase their testosterone levels over the course of the year.
5) Zinc: Zinc promotes testosterone production in two ways. First, it regulates the function of aromatase – an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. Second, it increases blood levels of luteinizing hormone – a hormone that stimulates testosterone production.
Which Foods Boost Testosterone Levels?
The nutrients listed above are all fantastic, natural testosterone boosters and by consuming a diet that’s rich in all five, you can protect against low testosterone. There are plenty of foods out there that contain high levels of these nutrients and the list below highlights five of the best:
1) Beef: Beef is an excellent source of zinc, multiple B complex vitamins and various healthy fats. A single 113g serving provides you with over 30% of the RDA for vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and zinc along with over 10% of the RDA for both monounsaturated fat and saturated fat. In terms of taste, beef is a full flavored, rich meat that goes down well with a wide selection of vegetables.
2) Lobster: Lobster is an exotic fish and something that you probably don’t eat every day. However, if you want to naturally increase your testosterone levels, it’s an excellent choice and is packed full of vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B12 and zinc. When it comes to eating lobster, it’s a great addition to salads and other cold dishes. However, if you fancy eating it hot, lobster still grills up very nicely and is sure to satisfy your taste buds.
3) Oysters: Oysters are well known for being a natural aphrodisiac and part of the reason for this is that they boost testosterone production and therefore help maintain a healthy sex drive in men. The reason oysters are so good at boosting testosterone is that they contain very high levels of vitamin B12, vitamin D and zinc. They’re also a great choice if you’re watching your waistline with a single oyster containing less than 10 calories.
4) Salmon: Salmon is loaded with testosterone boosting vitamin B3, B12 and D, with a 113g serving giving you over 35% of the RDA for each one. It also contains over 10% of the RDA for all three healthy fats. When it comes to eating salmon, it tastes great hot and cold as either smoked salmon or grilled salmon.
5) Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are yet another brilliant testosterone boosting food and containlarge amounts of vitamin A, B3, B5 and B6. They’re also extremely versatile and can be eaten baked, boiled, grilled or mashed as part of virtually any meal.
Summary
If you’re suffering from low testosterone and want to boost your blood levels of this important hormone, I hope this article has helped. By eating a diet which is rich in the foods listed above you can prevent your testosterone levels from dropping too low and also raise them back up if you currently suffer from low testosterone. So eat up and start naturally boosting your testosterone levels today.
