7 days, 7 ways to Increase Testosterone

Day 1: Say good bye to sugar, high insulin levels decrease this mighty hormone. Testosterone previously thought of as a ‘male’ hormone is now known in the medical community to influence both males and females with weight loss, and increased concentration, energy, mood and libido.

Day 2: Step away from toxins. Chemicals toxins can disrupt your body’s ability to control its hormone production and function. Common disruptors are BPA ( often found in food that has been reheated and stored in plastic materials), phthalates( often called ‘plasticizers’ and parabens and triclosan.

Day 3: Zinc up. Research has show that supplementing your diet for as little as six weeks has been shown to improve low levels of testosterone. Real food is your best source of zinc; protein rich foods like meat and fish, beans, yogurt, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and oats.

Day 4: Take a sunshine break at lunch. Vitamin D, a steroid hormone, is essential for testosterone. Healthy sun exposure is your best way for your body to absorb Vitamin D, Enjoy wild caught salmon, sardines, shitake mushrooms and eggs – all of are Vitamin D rich.

Day 5: Learn the fat facts. Research shows that a diet with less than 40 percent of energy as fat leads to a decrease in testosterone levels.   Some excellent choices of both saturated fat and unsaturated fat are avocados, grass fed meat, raw nuts, olives and olive oil, coconut and coconut oil, organic milk and eggs.

Day 6: Love a glass of Red. Resveratrol, the natural pigment found in red wine and grapes, is the subject of much excitement. Studies show it switching on an anti-aging gene SIRT1, improving blood sugar and possibly increasing testosterone levels.

Day 7: Sleep more, Stress less. The Endocrinology Society concludes low levels of testosterone are associated with less healthy sleep. Healthy sleep also benefits chronic stress. When your body is under a lot of stress,   it releases high levels of the stress hormone cortisol and this actually blocks the effects of testosterone.