Testosterone is a hormone that plays a big part in the health of men. Testosterone is there to help with sex drive, muscle mass, weight, and can even make sure your mental health is stable as well. As you get older, your testosterone levels will go down, but there are many ways to help keep your T-levels at a stable rate and keep your body healthy and maintained.
This could have to do with giving yourself the proper amount of exercise, and your diet can also have a lot to do with your testosterone levels. There are many foods out there that can either be very good or very bad for both your health and your T-levels.
Foods That Help
When picking out foods to help raise your T-levels, vitamin D and zinc are extremely important to look for as they are the things that really help make testosterone in your body.
Shellfish and oysters are great foods to integrate into your diet. Oysters have an amazing amount of zinc in them and can help raise T-levels while also helping men who may have zinc deficiencies as well. Shellfish also holds a lot of zinc within it to help with this as well.
To get your vitamin D, low-fat milk with vitamin D and egg yolks can be a great supplier for those. On top of that, milk is a great way to keep bones strong and healthy anyways. Beans are also a great way to raise your testosterone levels. Beans offer a good source of zinc while also providing protein and fiber to help with your overall health.
Foods That Hurt
The lowering of testosterone levels can already lead to things like diabetes, obesity, and heart problems, so it is important to get a proper diet for those reasons as well. It can help keep your body healthy, while also raising T levels. An unlikely food would be vegetable oil. While this can be used to make all different types of food, it could cause a decrease in testosterone and even weight gain. It includes fatty acids which in large quantities can be dangerous over time.
Alcohol may also be what is bringing down your T-levels as well. The occasional wine can have its benefits, but having a few drinks a day could be bringing down your testosterone while bringing up the natural estrogen in your body.
Eating food with soy, or soy-based food, in general, could be lowering your levels as well. Soy has been shown to be high in phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogen is a plant-based substance that can mimic what estrogen does in your body. Meaning, if you take in too much soy, it could be raising estrogen while decreasing testosterone.
While it all depends on the person, it is important to learn what really affects you and how you are able to help yourself. Getting on a proper diet and understanding what you are eating can be a great help to your health in general and help combat things like weight gain and muscle loss, that low testosterone may give you. It all starts with food.
