Proper nutrition is important to keep many hormones in the body working at their best, and one of those hormones is testosterone. In fact, when a man doesn’t eat the right diet, his testosterone levels can drop while other hormones, such as estrogen, stay the same.

How can you naturally increase testosterone with nutrition?There are 5 things you can start doing today.

Add Zinc

Research has found that zinc helps to regulate testosterone production and that severe deficiency can lead to impotence. Most men get some zinc in their diet, but the problem is that most men don’t get an adequate amount of zinc in their diet. The upper limit recommended is 40 mg per day. You can find zinc in pumpkin seeds, seafood, cashews, cocoa powder, beans, pork, and mushrooms.

“We conclude that zinc may play an important role in modulating serum testosterone levels in normal men.” – NCBI

Include Magnesium

Research has found that magnesium can increase testosterone levels significantly, especially in men who are active. It helps to build muscle and bone mass, and it plays a role in male reproductive development.

While taking supplements can be beneficial, eating foods high in magnesium is always a better choice. It can be found in spinach, pumpkin seeds, mackerel, brown rice, bananas, avocados, and soy beans.

Eat More Fat

Fat and cholesterol has been shunned for years, but the importance of it is for testosterone levels will make you want to include it back into your diet on some level. Studies have shown that men who consume foods higher in fat and cholesterol increase their levels of testosterone, while men eating a low-fat diet tends to have lower levels of testosterone.

This means you may want to replace your morning fruit with bacon and eggs or an avocado based dish. Just don’t go crazy and eat only high-fat foods because that will do more harm than good in the long run.

“Individuals consuming a diet containing around 20% fat compared with a diet containing around 40% fat have significantly lower concentrations of T.” – Journal of Applied Physiology

Selenium Is Important

Studies have also shown that selenium can be beneficial at increasing testosterone levels. It has even been recommended for use in male infertility treatments.

Brazil nuts are an excellent source of selenium. In fact, you only need two of these nuts per day to reach the recommended amount of selenium.

Less Beer

Beer and manly have gone hand in hand for a long time. However, when it comes to testosterone, beer is really an enemy not a friend.

Beer has been found to lower testosterone level production directly at the source, in the testes. Moreover, the weight gain that occurs from beer can reduce testosterone levels even further.

The ethanol in beer slows down systems in the body that cause estrogen to stay in the body longer. And, the hops in beer is said to be estrogenic, which also negatively affects your testosterone levels.