As you may know, testosterone is the male sex hormone, and estrogen is the female sex hormone. Dietary zinc prevents testosterone in your body from being converted into estrogen. In fact, dietary zinc actually turns estrogen into testosterone, thus increasing your testosterone levels while decreasing your estrogen levels. This is a win-win situation. Results may (nothing is ever certain, after all) increase your sex drive, elevate your sperm count, and increase your body's ability to burn fat and build muscle. That doesn't sound too shabby, right?
Foods that are rich in zinc are most types of seafood and poultry, along with nuts and dairy products. Aim for 100mg per day. If you have a trouble reaching this, the most commonly used supplement is ZMA - Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate - a highly revered bodybuilding supplement said to improve just about everything in your body. Take this kind of advertising with a grain of salt - salesmen are trying to sell, after all. But it is true that ZMA is very good for you, and can very well be a good supplement if you feel you are having problems reaching the recommended daily minimum.
2. Fat
Before you rush off to your local grease jockey, let me clarify: I'm talking about healthy fats! This includes monounsaturated fats and Omega-3 and Omega-6, not hamburgers and pizza.
To raise your testosterone levels with the help of healthy fats, eat more nuts and fatty fish. As you can see in the previous segment, eating plenty of nuts will boost both your body's intake of healthy fats and zinc! Try to make sure that at least 20-to-30% of your total daily calories comes from healthy fats, but don't go above 35% or so.
If you eat too much fat, even healthy fat (but especially the unhealthy varieties found in fast food and such), your body fat percentage will go up, and you will grow a flabby gut. This flabby gut actually decreases your testosterone levels. I would advise you to aim at about 25% of your totally daily caloric intake coming from fat, and that you minimize the unhealthy fat intake.
3. Vitamin C
Vitamin C reduces the effects of the process which converts testosterone into estrogen. It also lowers your cortisol-levels, which increases your body's natural testosterone production. Aim for 1000-1500 milligrams of vitamin C per day. The best source is citrus fruits, but it's also very common as a cheap supplement.
