If you’re feeling lethargic in the gym, bored in the bedroom, and minuscule when you look in the mirror, you may have low levels of testosterone in your body. Let’s talk about what foods you should start eating to increase your T levels naturally.

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TESTOSTERONE NEEDS TO CHANGE

You’ve gone far too long taking it for granted, just assuming that since you’re a guy, it’s part of the package. You probably don’t spend too much time thinking about what your levels look like, how much you need, and how testosterone affects your body.

In reality, it affects much more than you think it might. Sure, it plays a big role in your muscle growth, but it also contributes to your sex drive, memory, and bone strength. Growing bigger muscles may be why you started reading this article, but hopefully you’re starting to realize how much more is at stake. By being more mindful of your levels of testosterone, you can greatly improve your quality of life as a man.

But here’s the kicker: raising levels of testosterone is important, but how you create that surplus is even more so. Injecting something into your body through a needle may give you a quick fix, but the long term side effects of such an approach aren’t worth it. Rather than cheating your way to improved testosterone levels, introduce quality foods into your diet that will assist with your needed surge. But before we get to the foods that will make you feel more manly, let’s figure out why these foods are effective at raising your levels of testosterone.

ZINC & VITAMIN D

Studies have shown that zinc and vitamin D play a powerful role in the increase of testosterone. By eating foods that are high in either of these, you will increase the chances of creating the testosterone surge that you’re looking for.

What’s important to understand is that most of us are at least lacking in the vitamin D department. We absorb and get good amounts of vitamin D from the sun, but society has progressed in a way that keeps us out of it. We have become more and more accustomed to living a life indoors and out of nature, and the result has shown a decrease in levels of vitamin D within our bodies.

The problem only gets worse if you live in a colder climate where snow and cold temperatures have you running for the warmth of your home. Without natural exposure to sunlight, we aren’t getting the vitamin D that we need. As a result, we have to rely on our nutrition to help supplement for this lack.

You’ll notice that the following foods are a good source of vitamin D and zinc. If you begin to incorporate them into your diet, you’re sure to raise those testosterone levels in no time.

BOOSTING TESTOSTERONE THROUGH NUTRITION

• Tuna: You may not enjoy the smell of tuna, but it is packed with enough vitamin D to make the odor worth it. 3 ounces of canned tuna will give you 50% of your daily needs in the vitamin D department, so crack open a can and watch as your testosterone levels surge. Another added benefit of making tuna a staple of your eating regimen is it’s high amount of protein as well. If you ate a can after a workout at the gym, you’d be feeding your testosterone the vitamin D that it needs and your muscles some protein to promote muscle growth and retention.

• Eggs: Gaston, the manliest of men from the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, claimed to eat 4-5 dozen eggs a day to keep him strong and healthy. In no way am I suggesting that you need to match his consumption, but you should definitely consider showing more love to eggs in your diet.

The yolks themselves offer up a healthy dose of vitamin D as well as many other health benefits. Whether scrambled or poached, eggs will also provide a punch of protein just like tuna. It’s a win-win in the land of muscle gaining nutrition.

• Oysters: Oysters have a high count of mineral zinc, so by eating some more of these treats of the sea, you will also boost your testosterone in the process. Zinc is an essential nutrient during puberty, and a lack of it in adulthood could result in low levels of testosterone over time. Grab some today and start chowing down.

• Beans: Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you… feel like a man! White, kidney and black beans have proven to be a good combination of zinc AND vitamin D. As an added bonus, beans are a good source of plant based protein, giving you stronger muscles and a healthier heart. What do you have to lose?

• Milk: Milk is an excellent source of protein, calcium, and if you buy the right kind, vitamin D. Your mom put this stuff in front of you for a reason when you were younger: milk promotes a healthy body when consumed regularly. Another milk option that you may want to consider is almond milk. Almond milk tends to have the same health benefits as dairy milk, but it’s a better regular source of vitamin D. It really doesn’t matter which form of the white stuff you like, either option will help to fortify the testosterone in your body.

• Cabbage: This option is more of addition by subtraction. Studies have shown that cabbage has a chemical in it that effectively decreases your levels of estrogen in your body.

By decreasing your levels of estrogen, whatever testosterone you have in your body can be accessed and used more readily.

CONCLUSION
Testosterone is what makes you a man. Your masculinity and your power in the gym and in life is directly linked to your levels of testosterone at any given moment. Introduce these foods into your diet and you will experience better energy in the gym, better sex drive, and a healthier heart. The benefits are numerous, but you won’t experience them until you give them a try. Grab these products at your local grocery store and set the man inside of you free.

RESOURCES
1) Boosting Testosterone Naturally. (n.d.). Retrieved July 09, 2017, from https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2011/5/boosting-testosterone-naturally/page-01