7 Best Testosterone Booster Foods For Men
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3 Key Testosterone Boosting Nutrients You Need In Your Diet
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m sharing the 7 best testosterone booster foods for men and the 3 key nutrients you are missing in your diet.
As a happily married, 42 year old dad of 2 kids, I’m well aware of the positive impact that optimizing your testosterone has on living a fit, healthy, energetic, and driven lifestyle.
In fact, in a previous post, I shared my journey of struggling with low testosterone in my 20s and 30s, and the 8 ways I naturally doubled my testosterone in my late 30s and 40s.
Based on that video post, I’ve received so many DMs on Instagram from guys struggling with the effects of low testosterone.
So first of all, if you are in your 30s and struggling with low testosterone, trust me, there is nothing to be ashamed of, and you are not alone.
Today’s lifestyle and environment has led to a testosterone deficiency in 20-50% of men.
Symptoms Of Low Testosterone In Men
According to the Cleveland Clinic, and many other medical publications, symptoms of low testosterone in men may include:
- Reduced sex drive
- Erectile dysfunction
- Depressed mood
- Increased body fat
- Reduced lean muscle mass
- Fatigue and decreased endurance
- Gynecomastia i.e. enlarged breast tissue
- Depression
- Irritability
In other words, you feel like you lost your self-confidence and drive to go after what you want in life.
How To Naturally Increase Your Testosterone
The good news is you can naturally increase your testosterone with:
- Quality sleep
- Physical activity in the form of resistance training
- Losing excess weight
- Optimizing your diet with 3 key nutrients
Before I share the 3 key nutrients to boost testosterone, it’s important to first take a simple at home test to check your testosterone levels.
How To Test Your Testosterone Levels At Home
This is a great way to get a baseline of where you are today, so you can measure your progress as you change your lifestyle to naturally optimize your testosterone production.
I’ve been working with today’s video sponsor, LetsGetChecked for over 2 years to monitor my testosterone levels.
LetsGetChecked is the leader in at-home testing.
This means you don’t have to visit a doctor’s office.
Once you order the at home test kit online, it shows up at your doorstep a few days later.
The kit provides you with everything you need to easily self-administer the finger prick test.
Simply follow the provided easy to follow directions to collect your blood sample in the morning, then mail it back in the provided pre-paid envelope.
You will then receive your results in the secure LetsGetChecked app within 2-5 days.
If your results come back abnormal, a nurse can reach out to you for support.
It’s never been this simple to test your testosterone levels.
25% Off LetsGetChecked Discount Coupon Code
If you’re interested in this testosterone test, use 25% off coupon code: LIVELEAN25.
As a LetsGetChecked affiliate, we may receive compensation from LetsGetChecked if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
With all that said, let’s jump into the 7 best testosterone booster foods for men.
3 Key Testosterone Boosting Nutrients You Need In Your Diet
There are many different factors when it comes to optimizing your testosterone.
Today I want to focus specifically on nutrition.
According to a peer reviewed study on PubMed called, “The causes of adverse changes of testosterone levels in men”, your testosterone production can be negatively impacted when your diet is deficient in 3 nutrients.
Correcting a deficiency in these 3 vitamins and minerals, provides a greater opportunity to boost your testosterone.
Based on this, the 7 best testosterone booster foods for men that I’m about to share are all high in one of, or all 3 of these nutrients:
- Vitamin D
- Zinc
- Magnesium
Let’s briefly talk about each of these nutrients, along with the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), and how you can test to see if you are deficient in any of these nutrients at home.
#1. Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps regulate testosterone production.
Unfortunately, there are only a few natural sources of foods high in vitamin D.
Even with foods marketed as being fortified with vitamin D, it’s hard to get enough vitamin D through diet alone.
This is why supplementing with Vitamin D and getting adequate sunlight exposure is so important for boosting testosterone.
However, if you don’t have access to adequate sunlight all year round, you may need to supplement your Vitamin D production with foods high in vitamin D and supplements.
According to the National Institutes Of Health, here are the 7 foods naturally high in Vitamin D.
7 Foods Naturally High In Vitamin D:
- Cod Liver Oil
- Trout
- Salmon
- Mushrooms
- Sardines
- Egg
- Beef Liver
Foods Fortified With Vitamin D:
- Orange Juice fortified with vitamin D
- Dairy, Plant, and Nut Milks fortified with vitamin D
- Cereals fortified with vitamin D
How Much Vitamin D Do You Need Per Day?
According to Examine.com, the US and Canadian government’s RDA for vitamin D is:
- 19-50 Year Old Male and Female: 800 IU (international units) dose or 20 mcg
- Conversion: 40 IU = 1 mcg (micrograms)
Note: This RDA is highly criticized as being too low.
How Do You Know If You Are Deficient In Vitamin D, Zinc, And Magnesium?
The answer is always it depends on you and your current baseline.
This is why I always push my clients to take a more data driven approach to their health by getting blood work done.
That is the only way to know if you are deficient in any of these nutrients.
A few months ago, I had my Vitamin D levels checked via LetsGetChecked at home Micronutrient Test.
According to LetsGetChecked, the normal blood level ranges for Vitamin D is 30-80 ng/ml.
My Vitamin D blood levels came back within the normal range at 54.5 ng/ml.
To provide context, I get adequete exposure all year round since I live in Southern California.
I also take a supplement from EarthNutri that includes 5000 IU of vitamin D.
If you live don’t live close to the equator and don’t supplement with Vitamin D, you may be shocked at your vitamin D levels.
According to Harvard post on Vitamin D, approximately 1 billion people in the world have inadequate levels of vitamin D.
Here’s a link to the at home Micronutrient test from LetsGetChecked below, so you can check your vitamin D, zinc, and magenesium levels as well.
Don’t forget to use 25% off coupon code: LIVELEAN25
#2. Zinc
A deficiency in zinc can also lead to a lower production of testosterone.
If you sweat a lot, it’s important to note that zinc and magnesium is lost through sweat.
Therefore, if you naturally sweat a lot, or exercise a lot, you may be at a higher probability of being deficient in zinc.
Foods high in zinc primarily come from animal products, including meat, fish, and seafood.
However, if you are vegan, vegetarian, or primarily plant based, zinc is also found in some nuts and grains.
According to the National Institutes Of Health, here are the 7 foods high in zinc.
7 Foods High In Zinc:
There are also cereals fortified with zinc, however getting zinc naturally from foods is always better.
How Much Zinc Do You Need Per Day?
According to Examine.com, the RDA for zinc is:
- Male: 11 mg of zinc per day
- Female: 8 mg of zinc per day
According to LetsGetChecked, the normal blood level ranges for Zinc is 0.6-1.2 ug/ml.
After taking the Micronutrient test from LetsGetChecked, I found my Zinc blood levels came back slightly higher than the normal range at 1.24 ug/ml.
Although excessive levels of zinc can be harmul, since my levels are only slightly above the normal range, and boosting testosterone levels is important for me, I’m happy with this result.
#3. Magnesium
If you are struggling with low levels of testosterone and magnesium, an increase in magnesium consumption may help you boost your testosterone levels.
Increasing your magnesium consumption can also indirectly positively impact your vitamin D production, since magnesium helps convert more vitamin D into it’s active form.
Fortunately, there are many foods high in magnesium that you can add to your diet.
According to the National Institutes Of Health, here are the 7 foods high in magnesium.
7 Foods High In Magnesium:
- Pumpkin seeds
- Chia seeds
- Almonds
- Spinach
- Cashews
- Peanuts
- Shredded Wheat
How Much Magnesium Do You Need Per Day?
According to Examine.com, the RDA for magnesium is:
- 31-50 Year Old Males: 420 mg of magnesium per day
- 31-50 Year Old Females: 320 mg of magnesium per day
According to LetsGetChecked, the normal blood level ranges for magnesium is 16-26 ug/ml.
After taking the Micronutrient test from LetsGetChecked, I found my magnesium blood levels came back in the normal range at 24.71 ug/ml.
7 Best Testosterone Booster Foods For Men
As mentioned, if you are low in vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium, foods high in these vitamins and minerals may help you naturally increase your testosterone.
In addition to this, healthy fats are also the building blocks of boosting testosterone naturally, as the cholesterol can help produce more testosterone.
Based on this, the following 7 testosterone booster foods not only fulfill these requirements, they also will help you lose excess weight and build muscle, which is essential for optimal testosterone production.
- Salmon or any fatty fish
- Grass Fed Beef
- Sardines
- Eggs
- Pumpkin seeds
- Spinach or most leafy greens
- Oysters or other shellfish
Bottom Line On The 7 Best Testosterone Booster Foods For Men
Make sure you are getting sufficient levels of vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium in your diet.
To ensure you are, take the micronutrient test (use 25% off coupon code: LIVELEAN25) to see where your current levels are of these 3 key testosterone boosting nutrients.
If you are low in any of them, add in more of these testosterone booster foods.
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Question Of The Day:
- Have you ever tested your testosterone levels?
- Have you ever taken a micronutrient test to see if you are deficient in Vitamin D, zinc, or magnesium?
Share your experiences in the comment section below.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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