Boost testosterone naturally with these super foods.

Testosterone is a hormone that is mainly produced in your testicles. While many men associate it with their sex drive and stamina, testosterone is also important for men in other ways. Having a healthy testosterone level helps you maintain strong bones, muscle mass, strength, and energy. It helps you keep your waistline from expanding and even affects your mood and concentration.

When testosterone levels decline with age, stress, obesity, and environmental factors, men may experience changes in sleep habits, decreased libido, erectile function, mood changes, and body composition. Feeling like their masculinity is threatened, some men want to get a quick fix by starting testosterone replacement therapy, but there are many reasons to think twice about testosterone therapy.

Testosterone therapy can lead to:

• Decreased sperm production,
• Hair loss,
• Acne,
• Worsening of sleep apnea,
• Enlarged prostate,
• Heart problems, and
• Addiction.

When you start taking testosterone, your body also stops producing the hormone, making it so you have to rely on testosterone therapy for the rest of your life. Isn’t that the opposite of what you want?

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Ideally you want to boost your own body’s production of testosterone and to bring it back to normal, natural, and safe levels. Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing, so natural methods will help you keep your hormones in balance. One of the best natural ways to boost testosterone and energy is to eat foods that increase testosterone as well as taking supplements that help promote natural testosterone levels. You can get started with these 6 foods that naturally boost testosterone.

Beets
You can’t beat beets for healthy erectile function. Beet root is considered nature’s Viagra and for good reason. Beets and the popular ED drugs work in a similar way. Both increase nitric oxide levels in your blood, and that dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow to the penis for longer, harder erections.

Outside of the bedroom and onto the playing field, beets are also big winners. Studies show that beets can enhance athletic performance, which is why many Olympic athletes turned to this natural booster in the last summer Olympic Games. In terms of testosterone, beets are high in the mineral boron. Boron is essential for testosterone production and raising levels of free testosterone.

Oats
Avena sativa, also known as wild oats, can help you sow your own wild oats. This food has been shown to help free bound testosterone in the blood, making it more available. Oats can also help enhance your erectile function.

Broccoli and Other Cruciferous Vegetables
Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage all belong to a category of vegetable called “cruciferous vegetables.” Eating these vegetables regularly will benefit your health in many ways, but in terms of regulating your hormones they mainly help you excrete estradiol, a type of estrogen, while increasing the production of testosterone.

Salmon and Other Oily Fish
Cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, anchovies, herring, and mackerel are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids. Your body cannot produce these on its own, so you need to get these essential acids through diet. These acids raise dopamine levels in the brain and trigger sexual arousal. Fish contains the amino acid arginine, which increases nitric acid and leads to better erections.

Brazil Nuts
Nuts in general are good for boosting testosterone, but the king of them all is the Brazil nut. These nuts are very rich in selenium, which is linked to elevated testosterone levels. Brazil nuts are also high in arginine.

Bananas
A banana not only looks like an erect penis but can help achieve one too. This erotic-looking fruit is full of B vitamins, which some studies suggest produce and release testosterone. They (along with pineapple) are also rich in the enzyme bromelain — which is said to raise your libido.

Diet is not the only natural way to help give your hormone production a boost. You should also exercise, manage your stress level, and get a good night’s sleep every night. It is equally important to avoid doing things that decrease your testosterone like eating excess sugar, drinking alcohol excessively, and being sedentary.

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Once you learn how to keep your testosterone where you want it through diet and lifestyle changes, you will notice the positive changes in your energy, mood, and sexual health. It may not always be easy, but if you eat well (including these foods that naturally boost testosterone) and remain active, you can enjoy those health benefits for many years to come.

This article was originally published on Prostate.net. Read the original article.