A smorgasbord of test boosting potential.
We’ve briefly touched on foods that can increase testosterone levels in other articles on this site, but we thought it made sense to pull a few of the best together in one place.
Compiling a readymade shopping list to naturally get that male hormone pumping. So let’s have a look at what you’ll need for the quintessential manly banquet, or manquet, if you will.
Oysters have long been acknowledged as a brilliant aphrodisiac, but more recently everyone has managed to cool down and prize themselves apart long enough to discover that oysters are crammed with zinc. They even leave beef steak in the shade, containing nearly ten times as much.
Zinc is essential for encouraging the brain to release more luteinizing hormones, which are a central catalyst for the production of testosterone. Add to that the fact that oysters also include 59 trace elements crucial for healthy function – such as omegas 3 and 6 – and it’s clear that oysters make a great starter, both to your meal and our list.
One of the worst things for our testosterone levels is stress. Stress means the production of a hormone called cortisol, which blocks testosterone, so foods that reduce cortisol are key. Salmon is chocked full of omega-3 which research has shown is capable of significantly decreasing the secretion of cortisol.
According to a study at the Graz Medical University in Austria, salmon also has form when it comes to minimise Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHGB) in the blood, a protein which, as the name suggests, binds to testosterone rendering it unusable. The estrogenic soy pellets farmed salmon are fed on makes sourcing wild crucial, but don’t worry, it’s more a case of heading to your nearest fish market rather than to your nearest river with a spear.
Fish like tuna are also rich in omega-3 but there is a higher chance of mercury contamination which damages testosterone.
Eggs are absolutely full of cholesterol. No, wait! Come back! Cholesterol has had a bit of a bad reap in the past, but these one-time scare stories are now widely dismissed by experts, who generally agree that a generous supply of cholesterol is integral for peak fitness in a number of ways, not least the continual strong creation of testosterone.
Eggs are rich in testosterone friendly amino acids like D-Aspartic acid, which trigger production of the hormone, so it’s important you endeavour to eat them regularly, white, yolk and all. (Alright we’ll let you off with the shell since we like you.)
A study from the University of Casablanca in Morocco recently found that we can add testosterone boosting to the many health advantages already associated with extra virgin olive oil. This is great news because it couldn’t be easier to introduce into our daily diet.
Simply cook whatever you’re preparing the oil it to gain the hormone stimulating nutrients.
If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then cabbage is a guy’s. Okay so that doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, but the fact is cabbage is high in a chemical called indole-3-carbinol, which is a highly effective oestrogen inhibitor.
As we’ve said many times before estrogen is the female hormone which competes for dominance of our bodies with testosterone. The more we strive to keep oestrogen levels low the higher our testosterone and will climb.
Avocados are full of vitamin B6 which is another really effective oestrogen inhibitor, again allowing testosterone to thrive in the body. Hassle free ways to make avocado a regular feature of your diet can be making a guacamole dip, a vinaigrette for your salmon, or going old school and just having avocado.
Brazil nuts are a great source of lean protein and helpful fats as well as providing two crucial elements to help with healthy testosterone production, namely selenium and arginine. Selenium is an important mineral for creation of the hormone and arginine is an extremely useful amino acid in that respect also.
Pomegranate has a range of health benefits, but researchers from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh who gave 22 men pomegranate juice every day for two weeks found an average increase in the hormone of 24%. We’ll drink to that.
Ginseng has been a cornerstone of Asian traditional medicine for centuries now and has demonstrated in more modern studies that it has the ability to stimulate testosterone. Moreover in 2013, Chinese researchers Kar Wah Leung and Alice Wong published a study which showed ginseng’s impact on sexual efficacy.
“Data from animal studies have shown a positive correlation among ginseng, libido, and copulatory performances, and these effects have been confirmed in case-control studies in humans” they said.
Ginseng tea is widely available and a great way to capitalise on its revitalising attributes. Bottoms up! (Again)
While it has been found that meat free diet can lower testosterone by 14%, likewise an intake too dependent on the saturated fats in beef can also diminish your optimum hormonal output. It can be a tricky line to walk, but the makeup of venison makes it the ideal choice when trying to strike the right balance.