Avoid These 3 Things and Boost Low Testosterone

author avatar Dr. Eric Berg 08/31/2023

Hey guys, we're going to talk about the secret ways to boost low testosterone. Are you ready for the first secret? The most important secret to boosting low testosterone levels is not about trying to boost your testosterone directly. Instead, it's about the avoidance of things that will lower your testosterone. We're adding by taking away. It may sound counterintuitive, but I'll show you what I mean in just a moment.

Before we jump into all of that, I'm going to explain what testosterone is and the symptoms of low testosterone so that we don't miss any crucial details.

In this article:

  1. What is Testosterone?
  2. Symptoms of Low Testosterone
  3. Avoid 3 Things that Lower Testosterone
  4. Try Testosterone Boosters
     

A man lifting weights |  Avoid These 3 Things and Boost Low Testosterone


What is Testosterone?

Testosterone is a hormone in both men and women. Healthy men naturally have far more testosterone than healthy women. The body's testosterone production begins at puberty, and it starts to lower around age thirty. Testosterone is most known for its significant role in sex drive.

While it is a sex hormone, which is vital for sperm production, there are other ways it affects the body as well. Healthy testosterone levels play a role in your ability to increase muscle mass and it impacts your overall energy levels. This is why many men with low testosterone often feel drained of energy.

 

Symptoms of Low Testosterone

When testosterone levels get low, there are a number of symptoms you may experience. The most common symptoms of low testosterone are...

  • Decreased sex drive
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Lower energy levels
  • Increased belly fat
  • Muscle loss
  • Inability to build new muscle
     

When you start reaching your 40s, 50s, and 60s, the symptoms of an inadequate testosterone level become more and more evident because testosterone levels reduce with age. As you know, testosterone is a male sex hormone. So that's why as men get older, they have more problems related to sexual function. Most often, low levels of testosterone in men causes a dip in libido, and the testicles start producing less sperm.

If you notice yourself feeling sluggish and unmotivated, even after a good night's sleep, there's a chance that your testosterone levels could be low. You might even notice that more fat is building up around your middle. This is a good sign your T levels are low.

If you know that you have low testosterone levels, what do you do now?

Tablet with the chemical formula of testosterone  |  Avoid These 3 Things and Boost Low Testosterone


Avoid These 3 Things that Lower Testosterone

The best way to boost testosterone is to avoid these three things that mess up your hormone levels: Fat Storing Hormone, cortisol, and estrogen. Now, I'm really going to focus the most on estrogen. Why? While Fat Storing Hormone and cortisol can cause your testosterone levels to plummet, estrogen is far worse. If you get your estrogen under control, this will make the most difference.

Let's take a look at each of these three things and how they affect your testosterone levels.

Fat Storing Hormone

Having a lot of sugar is not good for your testosterone levels. This is because of high Fat Storing Hormone levels. High Fat Storing Hormone levels can disrupt your hormone balance and cause your testosterone levels to take a nosedive.

There are three things I recommend for keeping Fat Storing Hormone under control. The first is to reduce your sugar intake. It's especially challenging to do if you're addicted to sugar, but your body will thank you.

Next, you should try a low-carb or ketogenic diet. As you may know, carbs turn into sugar in the body. So that means if you're eating a ton of carbs every day, your encouraging high Fat Storing Hormone levels which will disrupt your hormones. Finally, you should do intermittent fasting. If you do these, you'll find that your Fat Storing Hormone levels go back to normal, which will really help boost testosterone and regulate your hormones.

Cortisol

Cortisol is a steroid hormone which helps regulate a number of processes in the body that affect everything from blood sugar to inflammation. Although a small amount of cortisol is necessary, too much can disrupt hormones and wreak havoc on the body.

When you get stressed, your body releases cortisol. This is why cortisol is known as the "stress hormone." It helps fuel the body's fight or flight instinct. If you're consistently stressed, your body will overload on cortisol which will bring on some nasty side effects. One of which is low testosterone levels.

Testosterone and cortisol are essentially enemies. If you have low T levels, an excellent way to boost testosterone is to lower your stress level. Mindfulness and meditation, as well as practicing healthy habits, can help with this. Not only will getting your cortisol under control help with your testosterone, but you may also notice some weight loss and many other health benefits.

Estrogen

Lowering your estrogen is the most important thing you can do to boost testosterone levels. As you get older, your estrogen goes up, and your testosterone goes down. You may notice your voice getting higher, your skin getting thinner and softer, and your libido diminishing—these are signs of too much estrogen.

Estrogen and testosterone compete against each other. So if you have a lot of estrogen in your system, you're likely to have low testosterone. That means if you can decrease the estrogen in your body, you can help boost your testosterone levels naturally.

The single most significant source of hidden estrogen in your diet is animal products. It's not because the animals are given estrogen injections, it's because of what they eat. Many animals are fed soy feed. Soy increases their estrogen levels, which is then passed on to you.

If you are going to consume animals products, they need to be organic and grass-fed. Otherwise, they are most likely fed soy. Avoid anything that says that it's "vegetarian fed." This is just a healthy-sounding way of saying the product is fed GMO corn and soy. On top of this, you should stop consuming other products with soy. Many many products have soy in the ingredient list, so watch out for these.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there's an enzyme called aromatase that builds up in fat. Aromatase turns testosterone into estrogen. So for those that are overweight, this process is happening, and the best way to boost testosterone levels is to work on weight loss.

Along with avoiding non-grass-fed animal products and keeping your weight down, you should begin consuming natural anti-estrogenic foods and avoid things that promote high estrogen levels—such as alcohol and processed foods with soy.

The best anti-estrogenic foods to consume are:

  • Cruciferous vegetables
  • Mushrooms
  • Celery
  • Olive oil
  • Parsley.
     

All of these will help reduce estrogen and in turn, increase your testosterone levels.

 

Try These Testosterone Boosters

Once you have your Fat Storing Hormone, cortisol, and estrogen under control, you can try some of these natural testosterone boosters:

  • Zinc - you can find this nutrient in seafood, beef, lamb, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds
  • Vitamin D - the best way to get vitamin D is from the sun
  • Vitamin A - you can find vitamin A in cod liver fish oil
  • Resistance exercise - exercises like pushups, sit-ups, and pull-ups can help trigger testosterone
     

Keep in mind that even though these will boost your testosterone levels, they won't have a significant effect compared to lowering your Fat Storing Hormone, cortisol, and estrogen. As I mentioned before, the absolute best thing to boost low testosterone is the avoidance of things that lower it.

Give these tips a try and see how they work for you.

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