How much do you know about testosterone? If you’ve been working out lately, you’ve probably heard the word. While this steroid hormone is produced in women, it’s more important for men. 

When young boys hit puberty, it’s this hormone that’s responsible for physical changes like hair growth, increased muscle mass, and a deeper voice. We’ll discuss how to increase testosterone in men, and foods that help boost it naturally. Can fatty fish boost testosterone? Will regular exercise and stress reduction help? We’ll talk about all of these AND more…

First of all, you need to start by reducing your stress levels.

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When you’re under stress for long periods of time, it can increase the cortisol levels in your body. Cortisol and testosterone are proportional to each other. If the cortisol levels are unnaturally high, it can bring down your testosterone.

High cortisol levels affect your testosterone in several ways. It will affect your appetite and make you eat more food than usual. It also increases your weight and fat storage, causing a negative impact on your testosterone levels.

You need to avoid stressful situations as much as possible. Instead, you should look at ways to reduce your stress such as good sleep, healthier lifestyle, and laughter. You can even try certain stress-relieving foods. 

Matcha powder is a good option. Compared to green tea, it’s a better source of amino acids. That’s because matcha powder is made from green tea leaves grown in shade. This process increases a special compound called L-theanine. 

Experts believe if the amount of L-theanine in matcha is high and caffeine is low, it can help reduce stress. 

Not into matcha tea? Well, there are other options for you. Try eating swiss chard. It’s loaded with stress-fighting nutrients. Kimchi is another delicious fermented food that relaxes your mind and body. Artichokes and organ meats are also great for you. 

Another great way to boost testosterone levels is by eating fatty fish regularly.

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Fatty fish, like salmon, is a great source of omega-3 fatty acid. They also have other important nutrients such as vitamin D and zinc. More importantly, fatty fish are good for your hormonal health.

While fried foods may be detrimental to testosterone levels, the healthy fats in fatty fish are good for your health. Research has shown that low-fat diets are more likely to cause a decrease in testosterone levels.

Also, the vitamin D in fatty fish is key for male reproductive health. Research has shown that lower levels of vitamin D can decrease testosterone.

Don’t forget to exercise regularly.

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Hate working out? So do I, but we have to find a way to make it enjoyable. This doesn’t mean you have to get a gym membership and lift heavy weights. The motive is to get active. This can be through running, yoga, or simple bodyweight exercises. All of these can be done from the comfort of your living room. 

Regular workouts can help improve your lifestyle and increase your testosterone levels. Research has shown that people who exercise on a regular basis have a higher testosterone level. For elderly people, exercise increases fitness levels as well as testosterone.

Among the various exercises, resistance training is the best way to increase your testosterone. This helps in both the short term and long term.

Another workout you can do is high-intensity interval training. The HIIT sessions are very effective in raising your testosterone levels.  

Eat more leafy greens to boost your testosterone levels.

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Leafy greens are packed with important nutrients. These include magnesium, which is a key mineral to maintain your testosterone levels.

Magnesium reduces oxidative stress, which in turn helps keep testosterone levels high. Oxidative stress occurs when there are more free radicals in the body than antioxidants. This causes you to have health issues. Oxidative stress, as well as inflammation, cause a drop in testosterone levels.

A study of nearly 400 men over the age of 65 was conducted. It was found that those who had high levels of magnesium in their bloodstream had higher levels of testosterone compared to the group that had lower magnesium.

Including Vitamin D supplements in your diet will certainly help.

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Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients your body can get. It has a number of health benefits, including being a testosterone booster. Despite that, around half of the population in the US has less than the amount of vitamin D they need on a daily basis.

A study on vitamin D supplements was conducted for 12 months. In the study, it was seen that taking around 3000 IU of vitamin D3 every day raises your testosterone levels by 25%.

You can also increase your vitamin D levels through exposure to sunlight. When taken together, supplements and sunlight exposure can help you get the required amount of vitamin D every day.

Another way to boost your testosterone levels is by eating more cocoa.

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Do you love dark chocolates? Now there’s one more reason to eat more of them, especially if they have a ton of cocoa. Not only are they delicious, they can also increase your testosterone levels. 

Cocoa powder and nibs have a good amount of magnesium and antioxidants, flavonoids in particular. These flavonoids have anti-inflammatory properties, which help with your testosterone levels.

Research has shown that the flavonoids present in cocoa help the Leydig cells in the testicles produce more testosterone. Just make sure the cocoa products you have contain no added sugar. For instance, low-sugar dark chocolate is a great choice and has numerous health benefits.  

You also need restful sleep at night.

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As important as exercise and a healthy diet are to your health, it’s also necessary to get a good sleep. Getting the proper amount of sleep at night can impact your testosterone levels greatly.

It’s hard to determine an ideal time of sleep, since it varies from one person to the other. That being said, one study showed that sleeping just five hours every night caused a 25% reduction in your testosterone.

In another study, it was seen that every additional hour of sleep increases your testosterone levels by around 15%. While some people seem to have good testosterone levels with less sleep, it’s still recommended that you get 7 to 10 hours.

There are certain foods that will help you sleep better. For instance, chamomile tea and passionflower are excellent for reducing your stress, calming your mind, and helping you sleep. You can also try tart cherry juice and kiwi. On top of that, almonds and walnuts are also helpful. 

Start eating more avocados.

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Avocados have become really popular over the last little while. We’ve all got that one health-freak, hipster in our friend group who can’t go a day without it. Well to their credit, they are onto something. This is all thanks to the several health benefits they offer. These benefits include healthy fats, which are good for your hormones. Avocados also carry a lot of magnesium. 

On top of that, avocados have boron, a mineral that can help improve your testosterone levels. Boron can influence the testosterone metabolism in your body.

Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean you should take boron supplements. Instead, eating fruits like avocados is a good way to get a testosterone boost through boron. You can eat avocado on its own, or make delicious avocado toast. Guacamole ain’t bad either. 

You can also try certain natural testosterone boosters.

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There are certain natural testosterone boosters that are shown to effectively raise your level. One example is the herb ashwagandha (ash-wah-gone-duh).

A study of men struggling with infertility showed some pretty promising results. It turns out that ashwagandha increase their testosterone levels by 17%. It also boosted their sperm count by as much as 167%!

Another natural way to increase your testosterone levels is through ginger extract. In another study conducted among men struggling to have kids, it was seen that ginger extract boosted testosterone by 17%.

Next on our list is eggs.

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Eggs are a healthy food to have as a part of your regular diet. The egg yolk is high in protein and healthy fat. It also has a mineral called selenium, which works as an antioxidant in the body.

Selenium can improve the production of testosterone. It does this by activating certain genes and clearing some pathways for testosterone production. In some human studies, it was seen that testosterone levels were high among people who had greater levels of selenium in the blood.

You also need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid estrogen-related compounds.

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Along with increasing foods that improve your testosterone levels, you should also avoid exposure to estrogen-related chemicals. These can include parabens, BPA, and related chemicals found in some plastic.

You should also try to reduce your alcohol intake and drug use. Studies have shown that a higher intake can reduce your testosterone.

A healthy sex life plays a vital role in keeping your testosterone at optimal levels. Also, laughing frequently and being happy surprisingly does a lot of good. You need to maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes all of these aspects to make sure there is no impact on your testosterone.

I should also mention shellfish. That will get your testosterone jumping. 

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Shellfish such as oysters are packed with important nutrients. These include selenium, omega-3 fatty acid and zinc. All of these help boost your testosterone levels.

A zinc deficiency is especially harmful to your reproductive health. This deficiency can cause a condition called hypogonadism (hai·puh·gaw·nuh·di·zm). This is where the body doesn’t produce enough testosterone naturally.

Zinc supplements have been shown to treat hypogonadism, but it’s not yet universally recommended. Instead, you should eat foods such as oysters and clams. These both have good amounts of zinc, along with all the necessary nutrients.

It’s not just your testosterone levels that are important, your diet has a huge impact on your overall health as well.