Testosterone is one of our most important hormones. It affects how our body functions, what we look like, how we perform, and so much more. With testosterone having such an impact on our lives it’s obvious that we need to take care of the testosterone levels in our body. Question is: how?
Luckily there are several natural ways to increase your testosterone and make you feel young and strong again. Are you low on testosterone and looking for a natural way to increase those t levels? Then keep reading below and find out more about how to give your body exactly what it needs; I’m here to help!
Let me first give you some more information about just how testosterone works, before going into the do’s (and don’ts) in terms of dietary choices. I’ll show you just how to naturally increase those t-levels; supercharging yourself with real superfoods. Time to list some of nature’s best testosterone boosters!
What is testosterone?
I can imagine you maybe only just heard about testosterone and what it means for your body. Maybe you felt low on energy, or noticed some problems in the bedroom, and while Googling for possible solutions you came across testosterone. Digging deeper you came across this page, and now here we are. Let me first give you some more information about testosterone and your t-levels.
Testosterone is a hormone found in both men and women, though in much higher levels in men. You find it in two different forms in the body: free and bound. Free testosterone is the type you want most as it’s the more useful kind of the two. Unfortunately, when you get older your testosterone production mainly decreases, while the testosterone that often does increase is the less useful, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). In other words, even though your testosterone can still increase, it’s less effective than it used to be. That’s why when measuring a man’s testosterone the free testosterone levels should be measured instead of the total testosterone levels.
The functions of testosterone
But so what does this mean for you as a man? Many things, in fact. Testosterone assists your body in maintaining many important bodily functions. These functions include, among others:
- Increasing muscle mass and strength
- Producing sperm
- Maintaining a healthy sex drive
- Distributing fat
- Producing red blood cells
Looking at this list you can start to imagine the severely low t level symptoms that can emerge. Lacking sex drive, less strength in your muscles, increased body fat… These symptoms can occur regardless of age, but generally, the older you get, the lower your t levels.
When you get older, simultaneous to free testosterone levels dropping, the levels of the enzyme aromatase are increasing. What is aromatase, you ask? It’s the enzyme which turns androgens – such as testosterone – into estrogen, thus lowering your t-levels even further. This conversion has two negative effects:
- Aromatase enzymes decrease your testosterone levels
- Aromatase enzymes increase your estrogen levels
For example, where testosterone promotes muscle growth, estrogen promotes increasing belly fat mass. Estrogen can have more negative effects like prostate enlargement or even an increased risk for prostate cancer.
One cause for this increase of aromatase and estrogen is the elevation of cortisol; often seen in people who are lacking sleep and often stressed. Too much cortisol leads to fat gain and muscle wasting, which is the complete opposite of the positive effects of testosterone: lean mass gain and muscular hypertrophy.
So when you get older you see your t-levels dropping, while for your estrogen levels there seems to be no stopping. Fortunately, making the right dietary decisions can help you tackle this problem in a safe, natural way. Let me introduce you to some serious superfoods to help you get your mojo back.
Superfoods to increase testosterone
You want to boost your testosterone levels, but you’re not looking forward to putting any weird chemicals in your body. I get that, and that’s why I’ve written this article to help you boost your low T using all-natural products. The following botanical extracts help boost effective free testosterone and curb estrogen, again making you the virile young man you once were.
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Maca (Lepidium meyenii)
The first one the list is maca, also known as Peruvian ginseng, which is found high in the Andes mountains in South America. The plant shows similarities with root vegetables like turnips and radishes, but it’s actually part of the same family as broccoli.
The vegetable has been used in traditional medicine for centuries, both as a fertility enhancer and aphrodisiac. In recent years, studies have started scientifically backing up these effects, showing the benefits of this special Peruvian plant. For example, Maca’s libido-boosting, sperm-enhancing attributes were put to the test in a study showing it managed to do all this, without having any negative effects on male sex hormone levels.
Chrysin
Unlike Maca, chrysin is not a plant on its own, but a so-called flavone; an extract found in several plants. The extract can especially be found in passion flower, but it’s also present in honey.
The main benefit for us? It has the ability to block aromatization; the process of androgens being converted to estrogens which we talked about earlier on in this article. In other words, it doesn’t exactly increase testosterone, but more stops the decrease of testosterone.
The extract on its own, however, does not have a strong bioavailability, meaning your body only absorbs a small amount of the active components when you take it. Luckily, nature has provided us with another extract to boost bioavailability: the alkaloid piperine (pepper extract). Combining these two extracts can help your body in battling those estrogen levels and keeping your testosterone levels thriving.
Vitamin D
Another beneficial extract is vitamin D. As you might know, our body needs this vitamin for several reasons, but did you also know it helps increase your testosterone levels? A group of German scientists performed an extensive study on two groups of men a few years ago to test the effects of vitamin D. One group received extra vitamin D, while the other received a placebo. The outcome: a significant increase in testosterone levels for men taking vitamin D, compared to men receiving the placebo.
Question is: where can you get this test booster? Unfortunately, it can be hard to actually receive enough of it without putting in some extra work. You can find it mostly in fungi (mushrooms) and animal products (especially fish), but you would have to go way too crazy on cans of tuna to really see a difference. Another well-known source for vitamin D is the sun, and although bare-skin exposure to the sun has been proven to increase vitamin D, simultaneously too much exposure is linked to an increased risk of skin cancer.
So what can you do to naturally increase vitamin D? The easiest and safest way is to take nutritional supplements that help boost your t levels by using natural ingredients. A good example is TestoGen testosterone booster, which not only contains vitamin D as one of its main ingredients, but also other natural ingredients that together create a powerful and natural testosterone boosting blend. Supplements like this can help boost your t levels and give you back your sex drive. Let vitamin D help you give her the D!
Muira puama (Ptychopetalum olacoides)
The fourth male enhancer nature has in store for you is muira puama. This plant is found in the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous name means “potency wood”; you can guess why. It has been used in traditional medicine for many years to try and help enhance men’s erectile function. One important reason for this is that the plant contains so-called sterols, which are part of the foundation of testosterone and other sex hormones.
Superfoods: the natural way to increase your t levels
There you go, four ways to boost your testosterone levels using only products that mother nature has to offer. If you are struggling with low t levels and looking for a way to get those levels up again then make sure to try out these natural products and supplements. The results might just blow you (and your partner) away!