Best Foods To Naturally Boost Testosterone

It’s not just athletes who are looking to boost testosterone naturally, there are plenty of men who would like to find some natural and healthy way to increase t-levels. One powerful way to do this is by tailoring your diet to include foods that have been found to naturally increase testosterone. This is a more suitable approach for most people, as opposed to taking supplemental testosterone therapy, or doing something else with RX drugs that can have side effects.

The foods listed below are also quite healthy, so it’s not something that you should be concerned  about. There are some foods to avoid (soy, beer!) which will briefly be discussed at the bottom of the page.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is super poplar in the fitness community because it is an excellent source of MCT (medium chain triglycerides) such as lauric acid. These fatty acids are better absorbed and excellent at providing you with energy.

The big issue many people have to deal with is the dreaded saturated fat problem. Conventional wisdom was that saturated fat was bad. This is turning out to not be true. There are three types of fats. Poly, Mono, and Saturated fat. Things like coconut oil, walnuts, and butter (grass fed butter is best) are sources of saturated fat. These fats are extremely important for hormone production, including testosterone.  If you listen to podcasts such as Joe Rogans (where he frequently has on Dr. Rhonda Patrick, a PHD who is a proponent of saturated fat, particularly coconut oil) you will hear people testify to the benefits of coconut oil. It can be used in buttered coffee (aka Bulletproof coffee), cooking, salad dressing, baking, or just spooned into a smoothie. It’s an excellent way to get the healthy saturated fat that your body needs.

There is a whole world of scientific literature and studies (Nutritional Journal, Hormone and Metabolic Research, and in the Journal of Applied Physiology) as well as very comprehensive articles on health sites.

You need to be a bit careful when buying coconut oil. All coconut oils are not the same. It’s similar to when buying Oil Oil. When you get olive oil, you steer clear of pomace oil, and look for extra virgin cold pressed. Likewise, you should be choosing an extra virgin cold pressed (and organic if possible) coconut oil.

Avocado

Avocado’s are one of the best fruits for increasing testosterone. They are loaded with healthy fat (there have even been studies that found that adding avocado to a burger helped with triglyceride levels–again, don’t make the mistake in thinking all fats are bad. Avocados are particularly high in monounsaturated fats, which some speculate has an ability to raise HDL (the “good” cholesterol). The Mediterranean diet is especially high in monounsaturated fats, and this diet is linked to all sorts of heart benefits. Also, because Avocados have such a thick skin, they don’t suffer from the same problematic pesticide problem that many other fruits and vegetables do.

Brazil Nuts

Nuts in general (especially almonds and walnuts are considered extremely healthy) however, some health nutritionists that focus on testosterone production believe that some of these healthy nuts should actually be avoided when one is tailoring a diet to increase testosterone. Some of the healthy nuts actually have too much polyunsaturated fats, which have been shown to have a negative correlation to testosterone production. However, there are nuts that do not have lots of polyunsaturated fat (namely Brazil nuts and Macadamia nuts). The one thing to keep in mind when you are eating Brazil nuts is that you don’t want to go overboard. Limit yourself to a couple of nuts a day. Don’t pound them back like peanuts or almonds because they can make you feel nauseous. They are a fantastic way to get selenium naturally, which is essential for a high testosterone diet. They are also very high in the amino acid Arginine.

The important thing to remember is to only eat a few a day. This will give you the selenium, but you won’t get sick. Some people can eat quite a few without feeling nauseous, but it’s best to stick to the small number.

Broccoli and Cauliflower

If you speak to anyone who is on a ketogenitc style diet, they will tell you that the fibrous vegetables are the best. That’s why so many health articles on bodybuilding sites and fat loss sites mention these vegetables. However, it’s not the reason you should eat them. The reason you should eat them if you want to increase your testosterone levels is that these two vegetables contain a chemical that has been shown to have positive effects (particularly inhibiting estrogen-two studies here mention the result: this one in the Toxicological Sciences, and this one in Nutrient Journal.

Protein: Whey or Vegetable (avoid Soy)

Finally, if you want to boost your testosterone, you are going to have to boost your protein intake. This can be done via food, but the easiest way is to take protein shakes. There are three main ways to go about making a protein shake. One involves whey (which is made from milk). The other involves a vegetable protein (hemp, soy, oats, peas) and the last one involves Soy. The soy protein is one you need to avoid because it can potentially be an issue with regards to estrogen. You want to stay away from any soy. The whey is the easiest to blend, so if you are making smoothies with just water or a bit of almond milk and some ice, then whey is the best.

Vegetable proteins, such as Vega, can be a bit thick if you only mix them with water. They are best used in a blender with fruits such as blueberries, pineapples, or other fruits.

IF you’re mixing up whey with cold water, then you should use a blender. You don’t need a super advanced blender, a really food bullet style blender. I have a review of the best blenders for protein powders here. If you try and mix whey with cold water, which does make it taste really great, you will run into the problem of the whey clumping. Warm water and whey will mix better, but if you’re looking for a cold water mix then the blender is essential. When you’re at the gym this is not a problem. But for your morning or evening shake, the blender helps.