| Food & Diet

Eat These 7 Foods That Raise Testosterone Naturally

By Christopher Walker

Eat These 7 Foods That Raise Testosterone Naturally

It’s common knowledge that testosterone naturally declines as we age. The estimate is a decline of about one percent every year, starting from the time we reach around 30 years of age. You’re simply not going to have the testosterone peak you had in your early and mid-20s. What is in your control, though, is maintaining above-average T levels that’s realistically achievable for your age.

No, the pathway is not TRT; that’s a road with temporary gains and long-term ramifications. We’re talking about consuming foods that raise testosterone. This is as natural as it gets and involves foods you should be eating anyway for general health. We’ll list some testosterone booster foods and the studies behind them.

6 Testosterone Boosting Foods To Include In Your Diet:

1. Eggs
Eggs

No, we don’t mean egg whites; we mean the whole egg. The yolk tends to get a bad reputation due to the high cholesterol content. Modern research, however, has shown that dietary cholesterol has little effect on cholesterol levels.

READ MORE: The Benefits of Testro-X

The yolk actually contains a bevy of nutrients, some of which are known T boosters. The good stuff includes lutein, zeaxanthin, choline and vitamins A, B-complex and D. Lutein has been shown in studies to increase testosterone and repair damaged testicular cells. Likewise, studies show vitamin D has a positive effect on serum testosterone.

The bottom line? Eggs in their entirety are good for you and are one of the best foods that increase testosterone naturally.

2. Mushrooms

Mushrooms are one of the rare foods that boost testosterone and lower estrogen. This essentially gives it a double whammy effect. The fungal delight inhibits the enzyme aromatase, which converts androgen to estrogen. Free testosterone that binds with androgen receptors are rendered useless and even become health hazardous if too many end up converting into the female hormone. The anti-estrogen effects are so remarkable that research even suggests mushrooms may be effective for combatting breast cancer cells, which are caused by excess estrogen activity.

Multiple mushroom types have this testosterone-elevating effect, including the common white button mushroom that’s available at local stores.

3. Raisins

Raisins

What’s so good about shriveled grapes? They’re actually one of our favorite natural testosterone foods. Why? Because they’re one of the few foods to contain boron. This little-known mineral is one hell of a testosterone enhancer. We even dedicated an entire post to the effects of boron on testosterone with all the verified studies. Boron’s potent effect is also why we included this rare earth mineral as an active ingredient in Testro-X.

We also love raisins for the convenience factor. They’re inexpensive and you can easily pack them into your lunch or eat them on the go. They’re also naturally sweet, so you satisfy your sweet tooth without artificial sugars.

4. Grass-Fed Butter

No, you won’t drop dead from a heart attack from eating butter every day, at least not if you aim for the organic and grass-fed variety. This type of butter is high in the vitamins A, D, E and K2. Vitamin E is not just good for the skin; it also elevates plasma testosterone, according to studies. As for vitamin K2, studies show it helps maintain testosterone levels by inhibiting inflammatory activity.

LEARN MORE: The Ultimate Guide To Boosting Testosterone With Body Language

While butter is one of the best foods for testosterone, it’s imperative that you stick to organic, grass-fed butter to derive the full benefits. Regular butter or knockoffs like margarine and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter sprays do not cut it.

5. Coffee

Coffee

You don’t need to head to Starbucks for an overpriced caffeine kick. Just brew your own cup at home for pennies on the dollar. Though it’s a beverage, coffee belongs in this list of testosterone-rich foods. Studies show caffeine increases testosterone and elevates performance during resistance training.

For an even more pronounced effect and amplified taste, add a serving of melted organic butter into black coffee. This is a healthy substitute for heavily processed coffee creams.

While coffee may be one of the best foods that raise testosterone, it can have the opposite effect if you drink too much. The aforementioned study also revealed that too much caffeine can elevate the dreaded cortisol hormone. We recommend no more than 400 mg of caffeine a day. An 8-ounce coffee has about 80 mg.

6. Celery 

We hope you like crunchy foods, because celery is another food that boosts testosterone. The veggie contains two plant sterols known as androstanol and androstenone, both of which are potent T boosters. It also contains apigenin, a flavonoid that studies confirm enhance testosterone and skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Other studies show that celery may combat the oxidative stress that cause sperm immaturity and deformity. In other words, celery is not just one of the high testosterone foods but also a proven libido enhancer.

7. Liver

Liver

If you haven't already heard, beef liver is one of the world's true superfoods. Liver is jam-packed with micronutrients including:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin B12
  • Iron 
  • Zinc
  • Copper
  • Selenium
  • Riboflavin
  • Choline

The list goes on... Many of the nutrients that are found within beef liver function as precursors to testosterone synthesis or are necessary components in the steroid synthesis pathway.

Make Foods That Raise Testosterone a Mainstay in Your Diet

Thermo Diet

Father Time is not kind to your manhood. However, you can maintain a steady testosterone diet to keep androgen levels beyond average relative to your age. Foods with testosterone should always be your focus before even thinking about synthetic treatments like TRT. Which is why we always advocate for the Thermo Diet. The Thermo Diet program teaches you to construct your diet centered around, to keep your testosterone levels high for years to come.

Citations and Sources

1. Fatani A, Al-Rejaie S, Abuohashish H, Al-Assaf A, Parmar M, Ahmed M. Lutein dietary supplementation attenuates streptozotocin-induced testicular damage and oxidative stress in diabetic rats. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2015;15:204. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26122042.

2. Pilz S, Frisch S, Koertke H, et al. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men. Horm Metab Res. 2011;43(3):223-225. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21154195.

3. Grube B, Eng E, Kao Y, Kwon A, Chen S. White button mushroom phytochemicals inhibit aromatase activity and breast cancer cell proliferation. J Nutr. 2001;131(12):3288-3293. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11739882.

4. Umeda F, Kato K, Muta K, Ibayashi H. Effect of vitamin E on function of pituitary-gonadal axis in male rats and human subjects. Endocrinol Jpn. 1982;29(3):287-292. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6816576.

5. Takumi N, Shirakawa H, Ohsaki Y, et al. Dietary vitamin K alleviates the reduction in testosterone production induced by lipopolysaccharide administration in rat testis. Food Funct. 2011;2(7):406-411. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21894328.

6. Beaven C, Hopkins W, Hansen K, Wood M, Cronin J, Lowe T. Dose effect of caffeine on testosterone and cortisol responses to resistance exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2008;18(2):131-141. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18458357.

7. Jang Y, Son H, Choi Y, Ahn J, Jung C, Ha T. Apigenin enhances skeletal muscle hypertrophy and myoblast differentiation by regulating Prmt7. Oncotarget. 2017;8(45):78300-78311. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5667963.

8. Kooti W, Mansouri E, Ghasemiboroon M, Harizi M, Amirzargar A. Protective effects of celery (Apium Graveolens) on testis and cauda epididymal spermatozoa in rat. Iran J Reprod Med. 2014;12(5):365-366. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4094664.