Testosterone is one of the most important hormones for men. Not only does it affect your physical performance, but it also impacts your sex life. Men with higher testosterone levels have stronger bones, a sharper memory, and overall better health.
Unfortunately, testosterone levels start to dip as time passes. Men over the age of 40 have significantly lower testosterone levels than a healthy 20-year-old, for example. So, taking care of your body is a good idea if you want to stay healthy and avoid issues such as weight gain, reduced sex drive, or infertility.
35 best ways to naturally keep your testosterone production high
We gathered the 35 best ways to naturally support your testosterone production without having to take any kind of supplement, injections, or surgeries. Read the article to know how to keep your body in top shape.
1. Resistance Training
It’s no secret that resistance training, also known as weight lifting, is one of the best ways to keep your body in top shape. You should know that weight lifting can also be a handy way to boost your testosterone. Working out at least three times per week will show significant improvements in your testosterone levels.
Don’t worry, though; there’s no need to become a bodybuilder if you’re only looking for an increase in testosterone. While heavy activity will help you tone your body and improve your self-image, light exercises can be all you need.
Resistance training also offers other benefits that may interest you. Studies show inactive adults lose between 3% to 8% of their muscle per decade; however, they can maintain high levels by training. Weight lifting also improves cardiovascular activity and regulates blood sugars.
2. Get Enough Sleep
When you don’t sleep enough, your body doesn’t work the way it’s intended. So, it affects your hormones. This includes testosterone, which is produced during sleep.
People who can’t get a good night of sleep regularly tend to have lower testosterone levels when compared to people that do around their age, a new study shows. The study compared men who slept at least eight hours per night and some who were sleep-deprived. The ones who didn’t sleep enough had a 15% drop in their testosterone levels.
You can counter these effects by adjusting your routine so that you will sleep at least seven hours per night. If you live in noisy areas, solutions such as earplugs will improve the quality of your sleep and increase your overall quality of life.
3. Eat More Protein
Getting a healthy dose of protein is essential if you want to exercise. While no studies show that protein directly correlates with the hormone, it’s necessary during the process of growing muscles. Without muscles, you will be physically weaker, and the training will be far more taxing, which may lead you to train less.
When you engage in strength training, your testosterone increases. By eating enough protein and getting more muscles, you will get even better results in the long-term scenario. It’s an indirect effect, but a huge one.
4. Lose Weight With a Healthy Diet
Overweight men tend to have decreased levels of testosterone as obesity suppresses testosterone production. The effect can be especially relevant if you are young, as your testosterone should be naturally higher at this time.
The best way to lose weight is with a healthy diet. Weight lifting can also help a lot, but you should focus on what you’re eating (preferring vegetables and protein, as well as avoiding carbs and other sugars) and doing aerobic exercises.
It’s also essential to remember that obesity also affects several other aspects of your life, such as increasing the risk of heart issues, diabetes, and even dying from a Covid-19 infection. So, there’s no reason not to go out, exercise, change your diet, and live longer and with more quality.
5. Exposition to Sunlight
There’s a direct correlation between Vitamin D and high testosterone levels. According to this study, people who have a healthy amount of vitamin D in their bodies will have an easier time maintaining a high testosterone level over time.
So, if you’re not too keen on the idea of using supplements, there’s a quick way to boost your vitamin D levels: by taking a quick sunbath. Exposure to sunlight is the best way to get this kind of vitamin, so be sure to take at least 20 to 30 minutes every day to get in contact with sunlight.
Getting sunlight exposure during exercises such as running or walking is an excellent idea, too, because you can do two healthy activities simultaneously.
6. Reduce Your Stress
Ironically, it seems that there’s nothing as unmanly as being angry all the time. Stressing a lot will drastically reduce your testosterone levels and even affect your health, causing even heart diseases in a few cases.
Cortisol gets higher whenever you’re stressed, so you will accumulate very high levels of it inside your system if you’re angry all the time. Unfortunately, cortisol blocks the production of testosterone. That, together with the estrogen produced during stressful moments, will certainly tank your hormone production.
Practicing exercises and meditation are handy ways to deal with your stress and reduce it while you do pleasant activities. Avoiding situations that you know are stressful is also a great tip if you can do it.
7. Watch for Side-Effects of Medication
If you’re doing everything right, but you can’t seem to increase your testosterone levels, the answer may be in your meds. Several prescription medications can interfere with the production of hormones in your body.
Examples of medications that have side effects related to this problem include ketoconazole (used to treat fungal infections), spironolactone (used to treat high blood pressure), cimetidine (for ulcers or reflux disease), or even some antidepressants. Opioids such as oxycodone or codeine will likely harm testosterone as well.
Consulting with your doctor may be the quick way to solve this issue. If you explain that you’re trying to increase your testosterone levels, a professional may be able to switch your medication to one that does not have this effect.
8. Build More Muscle
As you know, resistance training is one of the most effective ways to boost testosterone. What you may not know is that the act of building muscles by itself will probably prove to be very helpful as well.
While the hormone is produced on your testicles, not your muscles, your body will need a higher testosterone production to repair and rebuild your muscles after the training is over. This means that bodybuilding is a very effective way to speed up and enhance testosterone production.
Another positive effect is that the stronger you get, the more weight you will be able to lift. In this case, you will be pushing yourself to the limit and needing more testosterone. If you only maintain your muscles, the results won’t be as optimal.
9. Increase Good Cholesterol Levels
It’s well known that increasing good cholesterol (known as HDL) is good for your health, while bad cholesterol (LDL) is not. What you may not know is that it’s good for your testosterone as well.
This study shows that high levels of HDL have a direct correlation with healthy testosterone levels. So, eating food that gives you a lot of HDL, such as beans and legumes, whole grains, fish, nuts, olive oil, berries, and walnuts, makes for a healthy diet based on increasing this vital hormone.
However, be aware that overeating food that gives you good cholesterol may have the side effect of causing cardiovascular diseases, so talking to your doctor is a brilliant idea before you dig too deeply into this new diet.
10. Discover What Fats May Be Good For You
Most people often affirm that fat is bad for you, but just like cholesterol, some types of fats correlate to benefits instead of only making you look fatter. Monounsaturated fat, for example, is described by experts as one type of it that can aid you in getting more testosterone.
If you want to ingest some monounsaturated fat, you should look for specific kinds of foods such as almonds, olive oil, avocados, peanuts, or dark chocolate. You may also find it on ingredients such as red meat, but the downside is that you’ll be ingesting other undesirable elements such as high bad cholesterol as well.
11. Engage In HIIT Training
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is an excellent alternative for people who want to get a testosterone boost by enhancing their training at the gym. Essentially, this consists of training in which you spent a short time doing hefty exercises and then a few minutes on light exercising.
You can find several HIIT classes, in which you will exercise together with a few colleagues. It’s better to do it with others than alone because you won’t miss the rhythm even if you’re tired. By keeping it up, it’ll be easier as time passes.
The best effect of this kind of training is that the intensity in which you train will lower your blood sugar.
12. Start Fighting
You can do more than weight lifting and diets if you’re looking for a testosterone increase. Getting involved in fighting is an excellent idea to help you achieve this goal and improve your reflexes.
The best options are the most aggressive ones. While fighting styles like karate may be suitable for your body, for example, you won’t be moving and hitting as hard as you would if you were boxing or fighting Muay Thai. You don’t even need to be very good at it; you just need to move and throw a few punches to get the desired effect.
An exciting alternative to fighting is practicing sports that involve a lot of running. If you like to play basketball, football, or soccer, you may find that doing it at least three times a week will have a moderate to high effect on your current testosterone levels.
13. Back Off The Beer
If you want to keep your testosterone up and running at maximum capacity, you’ll have to make a few sacrifices. And if you’re too used to drinking alcohol regularly, the sacrifice may be to back off the beer and only drink it sometimes.
While a small dosage of alcohol won’t affect your hormones negatively, drinking heavily or every day may cause problems. Not only do people who drink regularly for over five days see their testosterone levels drop, but heavy drinkers may face even more issues.
For example, men who drink heavily may see their chest and beard hair decrease due to a rise in their estrogen levels.
14. Say Goodbye to Junk Food
You probably love junk food. Almost everybody does. It’s so hard to resist because greasy, unhealthy food tastes delicious, especially after hours of training. However, eating may put your health in jeopardy.
Not only will junk food clog your arteries and kill you before your 60s, but it will give you way too many carbs and slow down your production of hormones like testosterone.
There are two main tips to avoid junk food: the first one is to simply avoid places that sell it. Always choose a nice restaurant that offers fresh salad instead of the local burger joint. Also, stock up your fridge with fruits and vegetables and eat them instead of ordering fries via delivery apps.
15. Cut the Sugar
Sugar is sweet, but what is sweeter than having high testosterone levels? The truth is that eating too many sugary foods will be bad for your health. It raises the glucose level of the body. So, the organism needs to give you an insulin shot to stop the effects of the sugar.
Unfortunately, a side effect of that is that the insulin will generally interfere with your testosterone levels, along with other hormones. Also, too much sugar may give you Type 2 Diabetes, which will tank your hormone production even more and may last for your life. That’s a disease you don’t want to have.
It may seem challenging at first, but skipping on a few desserts will undoubtedly improve your quality of life more than you imagine.
16. Use Glass, Not Plastic
It may surprise you, but the recipient in which you store your food may affect how much testosterone you can produce. You should be on the lookout for a Bisphenol-A (BPA) substance found in some kinds of plastics used to pack food.
If you don’t believe it, check this study. People in contact with high levels of BPA tended to have much lower levels of the hormone, as both their testis and pituitary systems were heavily affected by this chemical.
While this doesn’t prove that using plastic to keep your food will damage your pituitary systems forever, you may want to check if that recipient that you use all the time has BPA on it or not. If it does, it’s time to change it for glass jars.
17. Drink Coffee
Coffee is more than a drink that may provide you with energy. According to studies, there is a direct correlation between coffee, weight lifting, and the creation of testosterone and cortisol after the exercises.
In the study, several rugby players ingested coffee before resistance exercises, and the ones who drank caffeine presented a slight increase of over 15% and an increase in cortisol. Therefore, it was decided that coffee has several benefits related to training despite the already known use of providing more energy for the people who exercised.
The time when people accused caffeine of being something that was entirely bad has already passed. Excessive coffee can be bad for you, sure, but light to moderate amounts of it, especially when coupled with resistance training, can be a great idea. Coffee also reduces the risk of heart diseases and Alzheimer’s.
18. Drink Milk At the End of the Day
Did you know that your mother was right when she said you should drink milk before going to bed? Most of your testosterone is produced while you are asleep. So, whatever food you ingest just before you go to bed has a more significant influence on your hormonal production than what is consumed during other times of the day.
By following your old mother’s advice and drinking milk (preferably whole milk) before sleeping, you’re likely to sleep better. That happens because it will increase your melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep and will prevent you from a night of restless sleep or waking up before dawn.
Therefore, milk will indirectly help you produce testosterone because you will sleep deeply and wake up less often during the night. Other factors also influence sleep, though, so milk may not be enough in all cases.
19. Eating Broccoli or Cauliflowers
Since we’re talking about motherly advice that works, we may as well cite broccoli. Yes, that little green vegetable that every kid hates. Now you’re a grown-up, so you should know that broccoli or other similar vegetables such as cauliflowers should be on your plate if you plan on increasing your testosterone production.
There’s a hormone called diindolylmethane, also known as DIM, which is very important for blocking estrogen and helping in testosterone production. So, guess what vegetable has a lot of it? Point for you if you said broccoli.
Another interesting fact about broccoli is that it may help prevent prostate cancer, so every man should grow up and get a fair share of broccoli every week to be as healthy and strong as possible.
20. Eat Oysters
There’s a very high probability that you have heard or read at least once that oysters were considered aphrodisiacs for a long time. Now, new studies reiterate how that was true. Oysters can be powerful against erectile dysfunction, as well as a way to boost your testosterone if it has been low lately.
It happens because oysters seem to luteinize hormones, increasing the amount of serum nitrous oxide in them. Sure, it sounds hard to understand, but the part you need to keep in mind is how effective they are.
Oysters also have several vitamins and minerals, so they will indirectly help you, too. It’s not something that you need (or will probably be able to) eat every day, but it can bump your testosterone levels above what they currently are.
21. Use Fenugreek
Fenugreek is not a very well-known name. Unless you’re a big fan of herbs, the chances are that you won’t know what the term means. This herb is essentially a testosterone shot and is proven by studies. People who use it generally improve their levels of the hormone quite quickly.
You will first need to get the seeds and then dry them (or buy them already dry) to use this product. Then, you can add them to dishes, such as stews or wraps. People often use it in Indian cuisine, so you may have even tried it without knowing it. You can also ingest the seeds by themselves, but you can’t make tea with them.
22. Discover the Power of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha, popularly known as “Indian Ginseng,” is a medicinal plant used for a long time to improve mental and physical performance in Eastern countries. It’s often used to treat stress as well as infertility.
Also, it has a tremendous power: boosting your testosterone. Current research indicates that the powers of this mythical plant go way beyond the myths. It has been proven to affect this hormone, which increases the sperm count.
Most of the time, you can find this herb in supplements, but it’s also possible to find the herb directly. In this case, you can use it in cakes or similar foods much like you would with a seasoning. As soon as you do it, you will discover why people have been using it for centuries.
23. Ditch Magnesium and Zinc Supplements and Get them Naturally
Magnesium and zinc are among the essential minerals for the production of testosterone. Essentially, you are directly hurting testosterone production in your body by not taking them, as it will lack these critical “ingredients” for the production.
Fortunately, you can get them without needing to take any pills. Foods that contain both these minerals include sesame seeds, yogurt, pumpkin, Brazil nuts, and similar grains and nuts. Eating them every day will be enough to keep a healthy diet and getting a lot of magnesium and zinc into your system.
It’s also relevant to know that people who suffer from constant diarrhea may face issues as their bodies struggle to keep the minerals on the body. Drinking water is essential in these situations to maintain the body hydrated enough and not lose magnesium and zinc without resorting to any medicine.
24. Avoid Soy
Protein is vital for your testosterone production. However, not just any protein will do. The truth is that you need animal protein. While vegans and vegetarians may not like it, studies indicate that soy simply does not affect testosterone at all.
If you want real effects, there’s no way around it; you’ll have to eat animal meat regularly. You don’t have to overeat it, which may not be great for your health, but you need a fair amount of it every other day. You can’t simply use soy as a substitute.
Another relevant point is that soy may increase estrogen production, and it’s hard to get absorbed by your body. So, avoid soy if your main goal is to dial up the testosterone present in your system.
25. Eat Avocado
Avocado is an excellent fruit for people who want to raise their testosterone levels. Why? Because they are an excellent source of zinc.
As we affirmed before, zinc is an essential mineral for creating this specific hormone, so eating it with surely upgrade your production. Avocados are also a good source of vitamin E, which improves sperm quality, and it may be a good idea if you’re trying to have kids.
Some people are not too keen on trying avocado, though, as this fruit tastes better when seasoned. If you eat it plain, you probably won’t like it much. Fortunately, guacamole exists. You can eat on a burrito, on top of a toast, or even with your salads.
26. Devouring Coconuts
If you have been training or participating in the bodybuilding scene for a while, you probably have heard about how coconuts can be great for training. In the last decades, the use of coconut for bodybuilders has increased as they believe that it has a powerful effect in increasing testosterone levels.
Fortunately, there’s scientific proof that this is true. Coconuts have a lot of saturated fat, which directly relates to high levels of the hormone. More than 90% of the fat found in coconuts is saturated fat, so they are the best means to get it.
Avoid industrialized coconut products, though. You need the real thing if you want the result, as most industrialized products have too much sugar in them and not enough coconut.
27. You Can Eat Carbs (But Take It Easy)
Everybody mentions that carbohydrates are bad for you. They’re not entirely wrong. Carbs generally turn into sugar and then fat, which is terrible for anyone trying to keep a healthy diet. However, if you’re mainly concerned with elevating your testosterone levels, these substances can aid you.
This study shows that men on a carbohydrate diet were much more likely to have higher testosterone levels than other men. So, if your sole goal is to get more testosterone, it may be a great idea.
The truth is that carbs are necessary if you are doing weight lifting or other activities. You can’t simply cut them 100% unless your only goal is to lose weight. However, you should always watch out for your carb intake; it may lead to weight gain, which we already explained will negatively affect your testosterone levels.
28. Dark Chocolate Is Better Than Normal Chocolate
If you like chocolate, we have excellent news: dark chocolate is healthy, and you can eat it (as long as you don’t overeat). While desserts, in general, are not very good for people on diets, dark chocolate is considered healthy because it’s low on sugar and it has a lot of flavanols, which are known for being suitable for the cardiovascular system.
By avoiding other types of chocolate and eating only this one, you will likely be better able to exercise, which is key to improving your testosterone. If you work out more and avoid the bad fat of regular chocolate, you’re one step closer to achieving your goals.
29. Use Olive Oil To Cook
Small details can make a huge difference when you’re looking to improve the level of testosterone in your system. For example, if you start to use olive oil instead of regular cheap oil to cook, your food will taste much better, and you will get a decisive bump in your testosterone.
This happens because, unlike cheap oil, high-quality olive oil has a lot of good cholesterol, which is linked to high testosterone levels. This study may help you to understand how good cholesterol is often linked to higher testosterone levels, as well as a decreased risk of suffering from heart issues.
So, make the change right now, and you’ll regret taking so much time to do it.
30. Go Nuts Eating Nuts
Seeds and nuts can be a secret weapon to raise your testosterone to the maximum levels. Not only are they pretty tasty after you already get used to eating them, but they also are full of Omega-3 fatty acids. This substance will directly help you in the production of more testosterone and help you to be healthier.
The two best picks include macadamia nuts and Brazil nuts. They are such natural panaceas because they have many fatty acids but not many substances that will harm you. It means that they are perfectly healthy to eat, tasty, and help you achieve your goals.
31. Give Strawberries Some Love
Who said that strawberries weren’t manly was utterly wrong. Not only are these fruits delicious, but they are also an excellent source of zinc, which has a direct impact on how men produce testosterone.
Instead of taking zinc supplements, you can buy some strawberries instead, which taste much better and probably become cheaper. They are also very low on calories, so you don’t have to worry about eating too many of them, as unless you overdo it, you won’t have any adverse effects.
Another advantage of these incredible little fruits is that they are loaded with vitamin C and potassium, which every healthy person needs to ingest. If you aren’t already eating strawberries, add them to your list right now.
32. Make Your Digestive System Work For You
Your diet is vital to adjust the levels of testosterone present in your body. However, not even all the diets in the world will be enough if your digestive system is in disarray.
If you happen to eat a lot of junk for a long time, the number of harmful bacteria in your gut will increase over time. For a digestive system that works as intended, you’ll want the good bacteria, the ones that help you to digest food efficiently, not the ones that get in the way and may even cause pain or diarrhea.
Fortunately, you can naturally solve this problem. Studies show that probiotics are a pretty good natural way to clean up your gut without medications. This is essentially food like yogurt that contains these good bacteria. By ingesting it regularly, you will eventually see that your digestion is much smoother, and the results will be incredible.
33. Eat Ginger
Recent studies made with animals determined that ginger effectively boosts the levels of testosterone in living beings. The slightly controversial study currently lacks studies made with humans to prove that this is true. In its defense, most studies made with rats prove correct with humans as well.
Another perk that ginger will provide to you is to increase your good cholesterol. If you have read this article carefully, you know that HDL cholesterol is indirectly crucial for testosterone production and stabilizing blood sugars. So, there’s no reason to boycott ginger.
Why are you not eating ginger right now? Like other foods, ginger can be hard to eat if you don’t know much about it. The main characteristic of it is that you will use it for seasoning instead of eating it raw. Ginger is too strong to eat alone, so you may want to use it on soups, pork, pie, etc.
34. Be Sure To Train The Right Way
As you know, balancing the hormones of your body is not an easy task. It happens when you finally get a certain balance between training enough and having the proper diet.
So, it’s essential to know how to train the right way. Weight lifting, practicing martial arts or sports are excellent manners to improve your testosterone levels, but getting the process right is also essential.
You need to know the right amount of series you need to make, what exercises are the best for you, and what combination works. Every person is different, so don’t be afraid to tweak the process until you can find one perfect for you.
35. Don’t Hide Behind Your Age
We presented several ways to improve your testosterone and live an incredibly healthier and happier life. There’s no excuse to start using a least one or two of these methods right now, right?
What? You’re over 40, and you believe that there’s no point in trying? You’re wrong. It’s natural to expect an inevitable decrease in the testosterone levels of your body. However, you’re never too old to try.
Studies prove that even older adults get several benefits from resistance training. A diet won’t even affect your testosterone; it’ll help you live more years with fewer diseases. So, cut the slack right now and start taking care of your body.
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Disclaimer:
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