Whether you are an elite Olympian, or a nine to five office jock, as a man, you need to maintain your testosterone.

As human beings, and especially as men, our normal function is reliant on the adequate availability of this vital hormone.

What Is Testosterone?

Testosterone is produced in the male testicles (hence the name) and is the primary male hormone responsible for all male secondary sexual characteristics, such as pubic and facial hair, deepening of the voice, a marginally higher bone and muscle density.

It helps regulate many essential functions, from the synthesis of resources and behavior towards sexual reproduction, to the developmental stages of life such as puberty, all the way to the maintenance of functions and features that make a man viable to himself and society as a matter of evolutionary necessity.

Under normal healthy circumstances, it is produced throughout life. It peaks around the adolescent years, during puberty, and is maintained at a relatively high level until around a man’s late 30s.

This is where optimizing and managing testosterone production and availability becomes crucial, as without it, men typically experience a decline in bone and muscle integrity, libido, and it may lead to the onset of erectile dysfunction.

How Can It Be Boosted Naturally?

It is therefore no wonder that testosterone is so sought after in modern health and nutrition science. All its benefits not only promote health and well being but give men a competitive advantage in pursuit of access to privilege and status, from the sports field to the board room and all the way to the bedroom.

This has lead us to the discovery and synthesis of many ways to increase testosterone level, From natural to synthetic. In spite of all the advanced, and sometimes adverse science, it’s really just as simple as being mindful of the food you eat and knowledgeable of what nutrients and chemical compounds constitute the production of testosterone and safeguard its consistent availability.

It is time to turn your shopping list into a buffet of testosterone nutrients by looking at how and what kind of foods play a role in naturally boosting testosterone, from the foods that provide raw materials for testosterone to be produced, to those that optimize the conditions for its visibility and availability.

One thing that pops up constantly is how available certain nutrients are in our diets such as zinc, vitamin D and some omega fatty acids. It might be worth taking these in supplement form along with a healthy testosterone promoting diet.

Top 10 Testosterone Boosting Treats

Here’s a look at ten top quality food sources whose nutrient constituents can play a big role in keeping you in the testosterone zone.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a two in one special when it comes to optimizing testosterone production. Firstly, the fatty acids this oil contains, form many of the essential building blocks of hormones such as testosterone, thus providing fundamental raw materials.

The next attribute is the thermogenic effect coconut oil has on the human metabolism. It is a medium chain triglyceride or MCT, meaning it is easier to burn as an energy efficient macronutrient than stored in our body tissue, and as pointed out, the less body fat, the more testosterone.

Cruciferous Vegetables

This category of leafy vegetables includes spinach, kale and broccoli. They help reduce the levels of estradiol, an estrogen hormone that works against the function and availability of testosterone being that it is the female sex hormone. This is achieved by a special chemical indole-3-carbinol.

Garlic

Garlic is one of nature’s most wonderful inventions. So conveniently useful and delightfully flavorsome, it has become a staple ingredient in may dishes and home remedies. Its ability to lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels has a direct effect on increasing testosterone. As mentioned, less stress equals more test.

Ginger

Ginger is often considered a superfood and rightly so. It contains a potent antioxidant known as gingerol. This molecule has anti-inflammatory properties that inadvertently promote the stable production of testosterone.

Oysters

Oysters are considered a delicacy, and this reputation is often due to their purported aphrodisiac qualities. Well it’s true, oysters are choc full of zinc, a major mineral constituent of testosterone, and as we know, testosterone is one of the main drivers of, well, sex drive.

Tuna

Tuna consumption is known to boost testosterone production by 90%. The combination of a complete protein source, vitamin D and omega fatty acids in abundance all lend tuna to be an amazing essential in your testosterone inducing meal plan.

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds are a great quick, snackable source of zinc. They are also good in salads or kneaded into the batter of baked foods. Other squash family seeds contain similar amounts of zinc.

Parsley

Research done at Texas Tech found that StAR(steroidogenic acute regulatory protein), a binding protein that promotes conversion of cholesterol to testosterone, is readily available in parsley thanks to a chemical compound known as apigenin.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate juice has numerous vitamins and minerals, giving it superfood level antioxidative attributes. Because of this, it is known to protect LDL cholesterol form oxidation. This significantly improves the production and maintenance of testosterone.

White Button Mushrooms

This fantastic fungus is known to drastically improve testosterone production. Studies have shown that it contains several flavonoids that inhibit production of estrogen, a hormone antagonist to testosterone.

Conclusion

As men grow older, and testosterone levels drop, it becomes important to find ways of maintaining them. With the right knowledge and a tiny bit of dietary dedication, you can easily boost a healthy production level of this vital hormone. Simply put, grocery shopping just became manlier.