Testosterone is considered the main male sex hormone and an anabolic androgen, which is found in both men and women. Although men typically have 7-10 times more than women, adequate levels are important for both sexes. Symptoms of low testosterone include: depression, difficulty building muscle, low libido. Naturally increasing testosterone requires patience, but its much better to fix your levels naturally than resorting to TRT, which doesn’t fix the root cause of the problem and can cause a myriad of health complications. Here’s how to increase your testosterone levels naturally:
1 – Get an adequate amount of sleep – Sleep is vital for many reasons including regeneration and healing, but it’s especially vital when it comes to testosterone production. One study done in Sweden which tracked the testosterone levels of a large group of men split into two group: One group slept for 4 hours per night and the other group slept for 8 hours per night on average. The group which slept 8 hours per night had double the level of testosterone on average than the men who slept for four hours on average. There is no set amount of sleep than can be universally recommended for everyone, but the majority of people will find their ideal sleep time lies somewhere in the 7-9 hour range. If you need an alarm to wake up every day then you likely aren’t getting enough sleep. Check out my article on sleep for tips to improve your sleep.
2 – Manage stress – Elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol is detrimental for testosterone production. This is due to testosterone and cortisol working inversely. Under a moment of stress the body’s resources are taken away from testosterone production to deal with the stressor at hand, but return to testosterone production shortly after in normal circumstances.In the case of chronically elevated cortisol levels from sustained stress, testosterone production will be significantly reduced. If you lead a stressful work life, or personal life then it might be time to make a big change for the sake of your hormonal health. Overtraining can also lead to chronically elevated cortisol levels, so I recommend following an intelligently designed weight training routine to avoid this (like the ones on this site). Meditation has also been proven in multiple studies to lower cortisol, and has many other benefits too, so I recommend starting with atleast 15 minutes per day of meditation. For more on meditation check out my article.
3 – Avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies – Vitamin and mineral deficiencies lead to an increased risk of various diseases and are also detrimental to optimal hormone health. Whilst a healthy diet should provide the majority of vitamins and minerals, it’s very likely that you are falling short on many vitamins and minerals without supplementation. Check out my article: Four supplements that everyone should take! In order to maximise your body’s testosterone production you need to keep your vitamin and mineral levels topped up, which may require you to track your micronutrients for a brief period to figure out where your diet is lacking and where you require supplementation. My key point:
make sure you don’t have deficiencies in the following vitamins: Vitamin A, B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Zinc, Boron, Calcium, Selenium, Copper, Vitamin K2, Choline, Iodine.
4 – Maintain a bodyfat percentage between 8-14% – The two common methods of quickly determining an individuals health are to measure their weight and record their B.M.I (body mass index). Weight and B.M.I are something you shouldn’t pay too much attention to because body composition is much more relevant. Body composition is the ratio of fat and muscle in an individual. Two people of identical weight can have a complete different composition of fat and muscle. One person can have very little fat and a large amount of muscle and another can have a large amount of fat and very little muscle. Bodyfat percentage is the ideal measure of a persons health and is much more useful than B.M.I or weight. Testosterone levels are at their highest in men at a bodyfat percentage of between 8-14%. Maintaining a healthy body fat percentage also drastically reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure. If you’re not sure what your body fat percentage is then check out my article: How to measure body fat percentage?
5 – Avoid Xeonestrogen’s – Whilst this may sound like some far fetched conspiracy theory, I can assure you that it’s not. Multiple studies show that exposure to xeonestrogen’s causes lower testosterone levels in men and higher oestrogen levels. Xeonestrogen’s include all things made from plastic, chemicals like BPA (which is commonly used to make plastic water bottles), pesticides sprayed on non organic fruit and vegetables, personal care items which contain chemicals such as parabens and fluoride which can be added to tap water supplies and is found in your toothpaste. I recommend throwing away all of your plastic cooking utensils, food containers and water bottles and finding a suitable glass, wood or metal replacement. I also recommend switching to natural personal care items, buying a water filter and switching to fluoride free toothpaste. For more information check out my article on Xeonestrogen’s.
6 – Limit Alcohol consumption – Excess consumption of alcohol lowers testosterone, increases oestrogen and can increase SHBG because of the damage it does to the liver. Since 98% of testosterone is bound to SHBG, an increased level will lead to lower free testosterone levels, which is a more accurate indicator of hormonal health than total testosterone. These negative effects can be avoided for the most part by drinking moderately as opposed to excessively. Not drinking alcohol at all is optimal for hormone health, but some people may be reluctant to quit drinking altogether, so here’s my recommendation: Limit alcohol consumption to two nights per week maximum, don’t drink on consecutive days, drink no more than 0.5g/KG alcohol in one drinking session. 0.5g/KG alcohol will equate to around 5-6 units of alcohol for most guys, which is approximately 3 bottles/2 pints of beer/cider, 2 large glasses of wine, or 5 single measures of spirits. Drinking at this reduced amount may require a big shift in your attitude towards drinking, especially if you’re a former binge drinker, but your hormonal health will thank you. As an added benefit you will save a lot of money and increase your social skills by not relying on alcohol.
7 – Eat an adequate amount of Dietary fat – A sufficient dietary fat intake is essential for hormonal health. Dietary fat is converted to cholesterol in the body and used to fuel the production of many hormones. Multiple studies have been done comparing fat intake and testosterone levels in men. The studies found that those who ate low fat diets consisting of 20% of their daily calories from dietary fat; had significantly lower testosterone levels than the men who ate 40% of their calories from dietary fat. I recommend eating a dietary fat intake at 35% of your daily calories to allow room for an adequate protein and carbohydrate intake. I also recommend eating mostly saturated fat and monounsaturated fat, limiting polyunsaturated fat, and avoiding trans fat.
8 – Eat a sufficient amount of protein, but not too much! – Now when it comes to protein intake for optimal hormone health its all about eating in the sweet spot range without eating too little or too much. Protein intake is rarely demonised as being bad like dietary fat and carbohydrates are due to the obsession of protein amongst fitness minded people, and also the clever marketing of companies selling protein powders. This has led to some insanely high recommended protein intakes, which multiple studies show lower testosterone simply because adequate levels of fats and carbohydrates are sacrificed in the pursuit of a high protein intake. So an excessive protein intake is not something I recommend. On the flip side of this with the popularity of the vegan diet in recent times, and the silly diet myth that a moderate-high protein diet is bad for your kidney and not all the important. Check out my diet myths article for more common diet myths. Low protein diets such as the vegan diet have been show to lower testosterone in multiple studies, so avoiding the low extreme is something I also recommend. The sweet spot for protein intake lies between 0.8-1.2 grams per pound of bodyweight. If you weight train (which I believe everyone should do! Check out my article on Anaerobic training) then I recommend consuming 1-1.2 grams per pound range to support muscle growth, and if not I recommend consuming at least 0.8 gram per pound as a minimum.Please note these protein recommendations are based on a persons bodyweight when they are in the lean body fat percentage range. If you’re currently above this range then base your intake on what you would approximately weight when in that range. For more information on protein intake check out my protein article.
9 – Eat an adequate amount of carbohydrates – Carbohydrates have been under attack for a long time due to the popularity of Atkins diet and more recently the Ketogenic diet which is the latest trending fad diet. The truth is whilst carbohydrates aren’t necessary for survival like dietary fat and protein, eating a sufficient amount of carbohydrates is necessary for optimal hormone health, mental health and physical performance. Low carbohydrate diets have been linked to lower levels of testosterone in men and women and higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). Multiple studies confirm this. Athletes and those training for physical performance will suffer the most on a low carb diet due to lower energy levels. Many people enjoy the rapid weight loss from switching to a low carb diet, but the the initial weight loss experienced is due to glycogen loss, which is stored carbohydrates in the muscles and liver. This is not fat loss, which is why this weight is rapidly regained the next time you eat a significant amount of carbs. If your goal is fat loss, then eating a healthy balance of carbs, fats, and proteins whilst in a moderate calorie deficit is the optimal way to do it. My advice is to follow my recommended protein intake of 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per pound bodyweight, my recommended dietary fat intake of 35-40% of your calories and then all of your remaining calories should come from carbohydrates. That will provide you with a moderate to high carbohydrate intake, which will optimise your testosterone production. Check out my article on carbohydrates for a more information.
10 – Intermittent Fasting – Intermittent fasting, which was first popularised by Martin Berkhan has a myriad of benefits and is optimal for hormone health. Fasting has been used as an alternative medicine for hundreds of years and is the body’s natural healing mechanism. You’ll also find that dieting is much easier following an intermittent fasting protocol because of the positive influence it can have on blood sugar regulation. One study which has non-obese men do a short term overnight fast showed that LH increased by 67% on average and testosterone increased by 180%. To achieve these benefits I recommend following the 16/8 protocol of fasting, which gives you an eight hour eating window and a 16 hour fasting period every day. This is typically done by eating all of your food between 12pm-8PM and fasting from 8PM to 12PM, so you sleep during the fasted period, which makes its easy to adhere too.
11 – Anaerobic training – Anaerobic resistance training or weight training is one of the most reliable ways to increase your natural testosterone levels. Not only does it increase total testosterone, it also increases the amount of androgen receptors in your muscle tissue making your testosterone more effective. Multiple studies prove that trained men have more androgen receptors in their muscles than non trained individuals, and when you factor in all of the other benefits to anaerobic training like a better looking body, increased dopamine receptors and improved cardiovascular health; consistent weigh training is a no brainer!
I hope you enjoyed this article.
Optimising your hormonal health through your diet doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice eating delicious foods, and that’s why I created The Testosterone Cookbook:
Calling all people diagnosed with low testosterone, natural bodybuilders and anyone looking to improve their hormonal and physical health! This is the cookbook that will change your life!
- The science of how to naturally increase your testosterone levels and optimise other key hormones naturally.
- Testosterone boosting foods you should eat and what to avoid.
- Eight extensive sections of recipes: Beef & Lamb Dishes, Fish Dishes, Snacks & Sides, Pantry, Baking, Desert Treats, Barista and Cocktails.
- Over 100 delicious and easy to make recipes to support optimal hormone health.
- Top ten common diet myths exposed!
