Testosterone, which is mainly referred as Male Hormone is important for both the sexes. The functions performed by this hormone is different for different sexes but it is a crucial hormone for both. Many people have an insufficient amount of the hormone because of stress, improper lifestyle, poor diet and exercise. In this post, we are sharing 14 Foods that boost testosterone naturally. Eat these foods regularly and it will help in improving the amount of its secretion in the body (1).

What is Testosterone and How it is Important?

Testosterone is the hormone that helps in the development of male sexual attributes. Hormones are chemical messengers that facilitate essential changes in the body. Females also produce testosterone, normally in smaller amounts.

It is a type of androgen produced primarily by the testicles in cells called the Leydig cells (2).

In men, testosterone is supposed to carry on a number of functions apart from sperm production. These include:

• sex drive
• bone mass
• fat distribution
• muscle size and strength
• red blood cell production

Without proper amounts of testosterone, men become infertile. This is because testosterone helps the development of mature sperm.In spite of being a male sex hormone, testosterone is also responsible for sex drive, bone density, and muscle strength in women. Although, excess testosterone can also cause male pattern baldness and infertility in women.Testosterone levels are controlled by the brain and pituitary gland. After being produced, the hormone moves through the blood to carry out its myriad important functions.

A huge drop in the levels of testosterone can cause certain body parts to dysfunction. The common symptoms of low testosterone level are reduced sex drive, erectile dysfunction, low sperm count and swollen or enlarged breast tissue.

To avoid such conditions, below are a few testosterone boosting natural foods.

Foods That Boost Testosterone Naturally.

1. Tuna

Tuna is rich in vitamin D. This facilitates testosterone production and augments longevity. It is also healthy for the heart and rich in protein. Tuna is low in calories as well. Eating this fish can help in boosting testosterone. A serving of tuna fulfils your daily vitamin D needs.

If you are not really fond of Tuna though, you may consider other fishy sources of vitamin D, such as salmon or sardines. Although the intake of Tuna should be limited to twice or thrice a week. Seafood contains mercury and therefore, serving yourself with tuna twice or thrice a week would actually prove to be healthy for you and boost your testosterone level.

2. Low Fat Milk Fortified with Vitamin D

Milk is a great source of protein and calcium. Doctors encourage everybody to drink milk regularly for better bone health. Milk helps keep the bones strong in both men and women. The vitamin D present in your body helps you to keep the testosterone levels in check.

Make sure you choose a carton that has vitamin D in it. Choose low-fat or skim versions. They have the same nutrients as whole milk but is devoid of all the saturated fat. Its amino acids boost production of anabolic hormones, which in turn build muscles and trim the fat. Milk is one of the foods that boost testosterone naturally.

3. Egg Yolks

Egg yolks are another rich source of vitamin D. According to some clinical nutritionists, the egg yolk’s cholesterol is the precursor to testosterone. Excess cholesterol is definitely pernicious for health. But the cholesterol of egg yolks may help keep your testosterone level in check. Also, egg yolks contain more nutrients than egg whites. Therefore, as long as you don’t have any previous cholesterol issues, having one egg every day can help you boost your testosterone level and also keep it in check.

Egg Yolk

4. Oysters

Oysters are a great source of mineral zinc. Zinc is an essential nutrient during puberty, and it helps keep male hormones in check throughout adulthood. Men who run low in their testosterone levels can benefit from the intake of zinc. Zinc also helps people suffering from zinc deficiencies. Oysters being rich in zinc minerals help boost your testosterone level. It turns out to be really beneficial for men with low testosterone level.

5. Shell Fish

Seafood is rich in zinc content. An occasional serving of crab or lobster may give your testosterone levels some boost. According to the report presented by National Institutes of Health, Alaskan king crab tops the ranking with 43 percent of an average person’s daily value of zinc in just a 3-ounce serving. This help boosts your testosterone level.

6. Beans

As far as male hormone health is concerned, beans may offer more benefits than you can even think of. White, kidney and black beans are all considered great sources of vitamin D and zinc which are known to boost your testosterone level. Baked beans also offer these nutrients, but you would definitely need other additional sources in your daily diet chart. As a bonus, these foods are full of plant-based proteins that can protect heart health. Beans is one of the foods that boost testosterone naturally.

7. Honey

Honey contains the mineral boron. This boosts your testosterone to a great level. Honey is also rich in nitric oxide which is the key to opening up blood vessels that create erections. Four teaspoons of honey can boost nitric oxide levels by 50%. Honey is one of the testosterone rich foods.

Honey

8. Pomegranate

There have been some very interesting study results about pomegranates as of late.

In this human study, regular pomegranate juice consumption for 2 weeks augmented salivary testosterone levels by 24%, while also dropping diastolic and systolic blood pressure.

Another human study showed that long-term (1-3 years) pomegranate juice consumption led to 35% reduction in the arterial plaque. Pomegranate juice also protected LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage and dropped blood pressure.

In another study, in test-tubes, few compounds extracted from pomegranates have found to be anti-estrogenic.

Pomegranate

9. Raisins

Raisins are a great source of food that boost testosterone levels.

Firstly, they are anti-inflammatory and chock-full of antioxidants, such as resveratrol, which boost testosterone and lower estrogen levels in few studies. Secondly, 100 grams of raisins contain ~3 mg’s of boron, which is not much of a popular mineral that has escalated testosterone levels.

10. Coffee

Coffee proves to be an amazing item with various benefits. It gives you the caffeine which stimulates the nervous system, while also boosting cAMP levels, leading to increased testosterone production.

11. All Kinds of Potatoes

Carbohydrates are highly significant in healthy testosterone production.

It is pretty much known to everybody that grains are not the preferred source of carbohydrates, mainly because of the problems with gluten, which can significantly increase prolactin levels, effectively meddling with testosterone production.

Simple sugars are also not the preferred carbohydrate sources on a high testosterone diet, since they have been associated to lower testosterone levels in multiple studies.

Ruling out grains and simple sugars, the carbohydrates that can actually boost your testosterone level are potatoes.

Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, russets, red potatoes- all kinds of potatoes boost your testosterone production.

Sweet Potatoes

12. Coconut Oil

It has been proved to improve cognitive abilities, increase testosterone production, increase thyroid hormones, boost metabolic rate.

13. Onions

Pretty much all kinds of onions are rich in anti-inflammatory phytochemicals and antioxidants. There are varieties of onions which helps in boosting testosterone some of these are apigening and quercetin.

It’s not a big surprise that in a few studies, onions have increased testosterone and produced androgenic effects.

14. Garlic

Despite the fact that garlic can give you a foul breath, it’s also capable of increasing your testosterone level. It is still under research why the testosterone levels do rise after consuming garlic.  It could be caused by quercetin,  which has anti-inflammatory effects, high amount of antioxidants in it. But garlic has been proved to increase testosterone production.

For men, testosterone levels are important to maintain and by following the aforementioned natural products, they can boost the testosterone level and keep it in check. But no matter what, they naturally decrease over time. If you find severe or chronic low testosterone levels,  the hormone deficiency may be caused by an active disease or condition.

If you plan to treat the low testosterone levels with pills or supplements be a little cautious, the treatment can lead to unwanted side effects, so it can be pretty much difficult to balance the expected benefits of testosterone supplementation with the risks of the treatment. Normally, low testosterone levels do not cause any harmful physical effects and therefore, do not require treatment.

Consult a medical professional, and confirm if treatment is necessary.