Testosterone is what separates the men from the boys. This hormone is not only crucial in shaping the male s*xual characteristics. It’s also plays a pivotal role in shaping your body by providing the necessary stamina to handle the exhausting workouts.
While excessive levels of testosterone can result in uncalled for aggression, low levels of testosterone make you lame, and you lack the energy.
Testosterone is even more important if you’re a bodybuilder. Winning big competitions requires you to always be at the top of your game. It’d be a shame if you let all those hours, days and months of sweating go down the drain, just because you’ve failed to maintain your testosterone levels.
Building up a testosterone friendly diet is the best way to keep your testosterone production up. In doing this it’s just as important to know which foods stimulate the testosterone production, as it’s important to know which foods inhibit it.
Probably all of us can pinpoint the major culprits in lowering your testosterone levels. Fast food, soda drinks, refined sugars and soy are the obvious villain. These are the first things that you scratch off the list if you want to be serious in your bodybuilding adventure.
Yet, there are others, less obvious rascals that can sneak into your diet and tip the scales of your testosterone levels. We reveal you a list of 5 foods that are testosterone killers in disguise.
Foods that lower testosterone levels
1. Graham Crackers
Did you know that the graham crackers started as health food? They were conceived by the Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham in 1829 as part of his Graham Diet, and were originally made of graham flour.
Their main function was to suppress the carnal urges, which according to Reverend Graham were unhealthy and source of many maladies. His theory was that mast*rbation in children was inspired by eating crackers, and that the s*xual appetites could be curbed by eating bland food.
However silly this may sound today, it turns out that he was unwittingly right about one thing. His crackers do lower the testosterone levels.
Yet, this is probably due to changing the main ingredient of the modern graham crackers, and switching from graham flour to mainly refined wheat flour, which Reverend Graham opposed.
Excess consumption of refined carbohydrates can have disastrous effects on your testosterone levels, and will not only deplete them, but can lead to weight gain.
2. Flax Seed
This might come as a slight surprise. What you’ve probably head is that flax seeds are the mother of all foods when it comes to Omega 3 fatty acids. Although this might be true, what you’ve probably haven’t heard is that flax seeds are natural born testosterone killers.
They are also packed with lignans, a chemical compounds that act like estrogens in the body. In fact, they have been identified as one of the mightiest sources of natural estrogens, containing 3 times more phytoestrogens than soy. So, if you don’t want to ruin your manly appearance, try getting your Omega 3 fatty acids from some other source, like fish.
3. Mint
Mint tea is one of the most commonly consumed teas. It has fantastic ability to soothe digestive upset, which is due to the high concentration of the naturally occurring menthol, is probably one of the oldest truths in the world of medicine.
However, mint has another somewhat less known characteristics, triggered by the spearmint, which is one of the best stimulants of estrogens. In fact, it’s often prescribed for treating hirsutism (excess growth of hair in women) through reducing testosterone levels.
4. Beans
True, beans are packed with proteins, and are great source of good carbohydrates. However, beans are brimming with phytoestrogenic lingans, and greatly affect the testosterone levels in your blood. In addition, the fiber in some bean varieties contains inositol, a phytoestrogenic compound that lowers the testosterone levels.
5. Coffee
Although many people use it as a fuel when they need quick boost of energy, it turns out that for some coffee can wreck havoc in the testosterone production. This is mainly affects the people who suffer from caffeine sensitivity.
So, before you resign to giving up your daily cup of pleasure, find out if you fall into this group. If you get all jittery and anxious after consuming a normal dose of coffee, than you should be on your toes.
It has been scientifically proven that increased anxiety can impair your s*x drive. This symptom also appears in people suffering from reduced testosterone levels.
