When you’re shredding up, or looking to put on a insane amount of lean mass, there’s one thing in particular you have to focus on:
Your diet.
Not only can what you eat determine the amount of fat you put on, or the amount of muscle you gain from your workouts it dictates something else as well – hormone levels.
Getting enough of the right types of foods supplies your body with the nutrients it needs to skyrocket testosterone levels and gets you into serious shape – whatever your fitness goals.
Before we get started: What you should avoid?
Simple Sugars
When it comes to killing Testosterone this is the devil – and what’s worse – it’s in a lot of foods we eat every day.
The sugars in question, Monosaccharides are the simple sugars that cause the problems. These are commonly found in processed foods, sodas, and even fruits – and they are devastating to testosterone levels.
This is due to the relationship your T-levels have with insulin – which regulates blood sugar.
The higher your insulin level, the more you’re going to struggle to maintain the male hormone.
When you eat sugary foods, Insulin levels spike to balance out the amount of sugar in your blood stream – however – insulin is also responsible for regulating your body’s amount of testosterone.
Studies have shown large influxes of sugar in the body, raise insulin, which leads to a drop in testosterone levels. [1] [2] [3]
We’ll be putting together an article on this topic at later date – as for now your best bet is to avoid Monosaccharides.
Here’s what you should be looking to get the most of:
The Top Natural Testosterone Booster Foods
1. Oysters
Already known for their awesome aphrodisiac effect, this type of seafood great for bumping up T-levels.
Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin D3 – what do these thing have in common?
Answer: They’re all in Oysters – AND in our list of the best ingredients you can find in a Testosterone Booster.
Yes, this classy dish is not only for fine dining, it also helps with your gains, containing key nutrients for boosting testosterone levels.
It also includes the energy booster Taurine and another potent T-boosting ingredient D-Aspartic Acid.
The only drawback with eating Oyster is the price. It’s an expensive indulgence. Luckily, T-Boosters like TestoFuel contain a lot Oyster Extract to get your libido and your T-Levels soaring in no time. You can read our full review here.
2. Avacados
“Wait a second – Aren’t avocados full-fat?” Why yes, and your point? Studies have shown several direct links between good dietary fats and increased testosterone with high diets having the opposite effect [4] – and avocados are 75 – 80% fat!
Full of the fats that are closely connected to the production of more testosterone avocados are a great way to stay healthy while improving your gains.
The fats in avocados are mostly monounsaturated and saturated fats, which make up around 87% of the fats in the fruit, which help the most for testosterone production.
Plus they taste great too.
3. Eggs
Eggs are a major one for both muscle growth and testosterone. Full of protein, fats and amino acids, they’re exactly what you want to meet raise testosterone and meet fitness goals.
Eggs have one thing your testosterone levels need: Cholesterol. The leydig cells in our body – main testosterone producers – can only do their jobs when they are supplied with a good amount of cholesterol.
I know what you’re thinking – isn’t too much cholesterol a bad thing?
It depends. There is both good and bad cholesterol that can be found in different foods – eggs happen to be one of the good guys.
Studies have shown that regular consumption of eggs pose no threat to cardiovascular health [5].
4. Red Meat (Beef or Lamb)
Although it sounds cliche, red meat is one of the greatest sources of amino acids, fats and minerals needed for optimum testosterone boosting – not to mention a ton of protein.
One of the main natural testosterone booster foods necessary for higher T levels has to be the mineral Zinc – needed for reactions in the brain to produce the almighty luteinzing hormone (LH).
LH is key to the production of the masculine hormones that maintain and increase muscle mass like testosterone and growth hormone.
If you’re using minced meat avoid the fattier options, these are usually from animals that have been given estrogen to store more mass and can mess with your hormones.
5. Bacon
Like eggs this is one of the more fatty choices out there that really helps boost testosterone. It’s got a great supply of protein and packs the good cholesterol we need for leydig cells to produce more T.
We all know bacon tastes awesome and if you’re looking for an excuse to eat more of it – this is for you. Ideally you want to get organic bacon – this stops you getting meat from drugged up pigs that are full of whatever hormones, and preserves your test levels.
If you’ve got good quality bacon, you’re good to go. If you’re struggling to find any organic bacon, aim to get low fat versions of the meat – it’ll minimize the amount of estrogen you’ll take in.
6. Coconut Oil
This is a big one, improves cognition, increases testosterone, boosts metabolism and a whole bunch of other benefits – plus it tastes great. Coconut Oil is something you definitely want to be adding to your stack for higher Test.
Coconut oil is a great natural testosterone boosting food because it’s high in the right fats for stronger T-levels – and you can pretty much add it to anything when it comes to cooking.
It’s high in saturated fat, which is good for boosting testosterone levels. And to put any minds at ease, regular consumption of coconut oil has not been linked to dangerous side effects or health problems. [6]
7. Natural Yogurt
Note: This does not mean you can start munching away on sugared up flavored yogurt. What you want is natural, fatty stuff, filled with healthy bacteria and prebiotics which improve testosterone levels.
This dairy dessert is a nice addition to any diet looking to boost test levels while also getting a good supply of protein and fats.
One of the more notable benefits of consuming yogurt is the healthy bacteria and microbes in the food source – several connections have been drawn between this dish and boosted testosterone levels [7].
8. Onions
More specifically onion juice – it may be pretty gross on it’s own but don’t be fooled, this is the one better natural sources. When onion juice was added to rodent feed the criters T levels rose by 300%! [8]
It’s definitely an impressive result, and there’s also a few more studies that show onions to have some pretty impressive androgenic benefits (T-producing) [9] [10]
For the best results, use raw onions. This should maintain most of the juice in the onion and give you the
Natural Testosterone Booster Foods Conclusion
If you’re looking to streamline the gains you’re making in the gym, you’d be wise to start adding these foods to your shopping list.
There’s no argument that with their wide array of nutrients, oysters are by far the best on this list, however, affording them on a daily basis can be tricky.
If you’re looking to get the best nutrients for boosting testosterone day-in, day-out, we strongly suggest you check out our top testosterone boosters page for the best supplements to raise your T levels and get you the gains you deserve.
References:
[1] Caronia LM, Dwyer AA, Hayden D, Amatti F, Pitteloud N, Hayes FJ. Abrupt decrease in serum testosterone levels after an oral glucose load in men: implications for screening for hypogonadism. Clin Endocrinol. 2013;78:291–296.
[2] Iranmanesh A, Lawson D, Veldhuis JD. Glucose ingestion acutely lowers pulsatile LH and basal testosterone secretion in men. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2012;302(6):E724-E730. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00520.2011.
[3] Hjalmarsen A., Aasebo U., Aakvaag A., Jorde R. (1996) Sex hormone responses in healthy men and male patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during an oral glucose load. Scandinavian journal of clinical and laboratory investigation 56, 635-640
[4] Volek JS, Kraemer WJ, Bush JA, Incledon T, Boetes M (1997) Testosterone and cortisol in relationship to dietary nutrients and resistance exercise. J Appl Physiol (1985) 82: 49–54
[5] Scrafford C.G., Tran N.L., Barraj L.M., Mink P.J. Egg consumption and CHD and stroke mortality: A prospective study of US adults. Public Health Nutr. 2011;14:261–270. doi: 10.1017/S1368980010001874.
[6] Feranil AB, Duazo PL, Kuzawa CW, Adair LS. Coconut oil predicts a beneficial lipid profile in pre-menopausal women in the Philippines. Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition. 2011;20(2):190-195.
[7] et al. Sex differences in the gut microbiome drive hormone-dependent regulation of autoimmunity. Science 339, 1084–1088 (2013)
[8] Khaki A, Fathiazad F, Nouri M, Khaki AA, Khamenehi HJ, Hamadeh M. Evaluation of androgenic activity of allium cepa on spermatogenesis in the rat. Folia Morphol (Warsz). 2009;68(1):45–51.
[9] Malviya et al., Management of drug induced sexual dysfunction in male rats by ethyl acetate fraction of onion, Acta Pol Pharm. 2013 Mar-Apr;70(2):317-22.
[10] Sharaf A., Some hormone-like properties of Allium Cepa L. (onion), Qualitas Plantarum et Materiae Vegetabiles, , Volume 14, Issue 3, pp 267-275