When you find out that your testosterone levels are not up to par, you might immediately start thinking about introducing certain supplements to your diet or even starting to take testosterone injections in order to boost those levels. This is a pretty important hormone, so it’s no wonder that you are interested in increasing its levels as soon as possible. Are injections really the right way, though?
How about trying something more natural first? Believe it or not, there are some natural ways to increase these levels, so there’s no need to resort to injections before trying certain other methods first. As you can see here, there are a lot of natural methods to take into consideration. Don’t immediately jump to the most extreme way of doing things, i.e. taking injections.
Before we go any further, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. While testosterone is known as the male hormone, it doesn’t mean that women don’t have it and that they don’t need to maintain it at an optimum level. Both genders should make sure that all their hormones are perfectly balanced, including this one. So, don’t assume that I’m addressing this article only to the male population. Everybody needs to take care of their health and hormones play a huge part in it.
Why Testosterone Is Important
I’ve mentioned briefly that women also have this hormone, but I need to emphasize that they have it in much smaller amounts. Testosterone is primarily responsible for the development, as well as the maintenance of male attributes and characteristics. If you think about it closely, it’s actually what makes men, well, men.
This hormone affects all the important functions and processes in your body, from the sexual and reproductive function, to bone and muscle density. Even some behaviors are conditioned by the levels of testosterone. Let us quickly check out some of the most important roles of this hormone in our bodies, so that you can clearly and completely understand its importance.
For starters, it affects the reproductive system, leading to men with lower testosterone developing erectile dysfunction, as well as sperm production issues. Plus, men with lower amounts of this hormone inside their bodies can lose their sexual desire. All of that has a negative impact on the complete reproductive system, which is a rather important system in everyone’s life.
This hormone also affects our central nervous system, which is, among other things, responsible for our behavior. That’s why I have mentioned briefly that even some behaviors are conditioned by the level of testosterone people have. First of all, less testosterone means less motivation and self-confidence. Then, there’s the fact that low levels of this hormone can cause lack of energy, sleep issues, as well as certain inexplicable episodes of sadness among men.
Our skin, hair, bones and muscles are also affected by this hormone. Its low levels can cause hair loss and skin irritations, but also make you more susceptible to bone fractures. This is also the hormone that helps you burn body fat much faster, meaning that the lack of testosterone can lead to body fat accumulation. This is especially unfavorable for all the athletes and bodybuilders, which is why they frequently resort to supplements.
Before getting back to the natural methods of increasing the levels of this hormone, I have one last thing to say. It’s perfectly normal for men after 30 to start experiencing this drop. It can get more and more severe year after year, which is why you need to be aware of all the things that you can do to prevent the decrease and maintain the perfect levels that your body needs in order for all of its parts to function properly. You’ll find out what it is that you can do below.
Testosterone Boosting Foods
Now, let us get back to our main topic. I was talking about the natural ways of boosting testosterone. Some of those include exercising, keeping stress levels in check, maintaining a healthy sleep schedule. Among the most important methods for increasing the levels of this hormone in your body, though, is keeping track of the food you are consuming. If you think this has anything to do with going on diets, then you are definitely wrong.
Dieting is not what I have in mind. I’m talking about something completely different and, although it’s not dieting, it does involve you keeping track of your actual diet. I don’t know if you were aware of this, but there are foods you can eat in order to make sure that your testosterone levels are up to par. It’s amazing what we can do with our bodies if we only make sure to eat the right ingredients.
Here are some of those foods to consider: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323759#top-8-testosterone-boosting-foods
Eating certain type of food can definitely be your way of increasing the low testosterone, thus boosting the health of your bones, the growth of your muscles and hair, as well as improving sperm production and sexual health among the male population. Those are only some of the functions of testosterone and you can rest assured that there are a lot more important ones that can all be significantly improved with the help of nothing else but the right foods.
So, before you resort to certain extreme measures such as injections, you might want to make sure that you are doing the best you can to naturally increase the level of testosterone in your body. As explained, this can be done in several different ways, and it’s probably best if you combined them all together. Still, the food I am talking about definitely plays a major role here and introducing changes to your diet is the first thing you should try if he levels of this hormone drop.
Since I know that we aren’t all that well acquainted with all the nutrients that the ingredients we are consuming are carrying, I’ll share a list of foods you should definitely add to your diet in order to boost the production of this hormone. If you are expecting to see certain “fancy” ingredients that nobody can ever find anywhere, your expectations are definitely wrong. Although, I can understand why you would think that.
Believe it or not, the food that can help you maintain the perfect level of testosterone can be found all around us. It’s just that you probably haven’t paid attention to it all, since you probably didn’t have this problem any time before. Now that you do need a way to resolve the issue, it’s time you got familiar with what you should eat. Let’s get started with our list.
Egg Yolks
I know there are a lot of pieces of advice circling around telling you to get rid of the yolks and only eat the whites, but if you take the time to see foods that boost testosterone, you will definitely find egg yolks on almost every list. This doesn’t mean that the advice I have mentioned about ditching yolks and eating the whites isn’t good advice. It’s just a matter of perspective. Let me explain.
Egg yolks are definitely not healthy for people who have cholesterol issues. So, if you are one of those, you should do your best to avoid yolks. Still, there’s a different side to this story. I suppose we have all learned a while ago that things are not always so black and white or, in this case “yolk and white”. Here’s the good side of the yolk.
It’s full of vitamin D and it contains a lot of nutrients that are vital for our overall health. Among other things, egg yolks will definitely help you boost your testosterone levels, specifically thanks to the vitamin D I have mentioned. So, if you don’t have any issues with cholesterol, don’t ditch the yolks and eat the whites, because the yolks play a huge part in the production of the male hormone.
Beef
Welcome to another controversial opinion. Okay, it’s probably not that controversial. Plus, it’s not even merely an opinion. It’s actually a fact based on scientific evidence, meaning that I’m not here simply sharing what I believe is true. I’m sharing what the whole world believes is true and, most importantly, I’m sharing beliefs based on scientific facts.
We all know that the very mention of red meat can cause some people to cringe while explaining how it is full of fat and how it can be extremely harmful for our health. I’m not going to argue with that. It is definitely a true fact, but it is actually connected to overconsumption and not normal consumption of red meat. Overconsuming anything is definitely not a good idea.
Normal consumption of beef, however, can have an immensely positive impact on the male sex hormone. Beef liver, for example, is a rich source of vitamin D and we have already made it clear how vitamin D is important for testosterone (more info). Ground beef, on the other hand, contains zinc, which is another significant factor. If you are worried about the health issues that are usually associated with beef, all you need to do is make sure you don’t eat it too often and try to choose only lean cuts.
Tuna
Now, here’s one thing that isn’t connected to any controversies whatsoever. Everyone is definitely going to agree with the fact that tuna is extremely healthy for us. Sure, there’s the question of mercury and minimizing its intake, but you don’t need to worry about that unless you eat tuna or other seafood more than three times a week. I think it’s safe to assume that almost nobody is that crazy about tuna, right?
While you are sure that tuna is healthy for you, you might not always know why. Well, apart from the fact that it is really low in calories, it’s also known as an extremely protein-rich and heart-healthy type of food. Although those are definitely some rather important benefits, they are definitely not what we are here to talk about today.
Believe it or not, one serving of tuna can actually help you achieve the desired daily levels of vitamin D. Whether fresh or canned, this food will always be an extremely important source of vitamin D, which will in turn be able to extremely boost your testosterone levels. If you don’t like tuna at all, there are other fish foods that could substitute it. Just remember, no more than three times a week.
Milk
Everybody already knows that milk is the perfect source of calcium, which is particularly necessary for the strength of our bones. It’s also a huge source of protein. If we take both calcium and protein aside right now, we will still be left with an important vitamin that has a huge impact on the production of testosterone. If you guessed that I’m talking about vitamin D, then you have guessed it right.
A lot of people tend to avoid milk because it is full of saturated milk. While they do succeed in avoiding the saturated fat, they also deprive themselves of other nutrients this way, including the vitamin D that is crucial for the increase of the male sex hormone you are trying to achieve. There is a simple solution for this, though. Make sure to choose low fat milk and you’ll be able to get the vitamin D you need without worrying about saturated fat.
Pomegranates
Who could resist the refreshing fruit known as pomegranates? I don’t know about you, but I would never say no to this fruit. Not only is it tasty and refreshing, but it is also a rich source of antioxidants which has a huge positive impact on your overall health. The most important thing that I need to mention, though, is that pomegranates have actually proved to be a super food when it comes to testosterone. Studies have shown that eating this fruit for two weeks can actually boost your testosterone levels by an amazing 25%.