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11 Top Testosterone boosting foods for men

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Have you been working out hard in the gym with no results? Have you wondered what could be the reason? We are all aware that workout does a lot of good to our body. A regular workout does everything from increasing your odds of living longer to supporting your memory function and for men, a good workout can also boost your testosterone.

While testosterone is the primary sex hormone in men, it is also responsible for everything from muscle development to hair growth to mood regulation to sex drive. So yeah, it’s pretty important when it comes to your health and well-being.

But, at times despite the work out the testosterone levels could be low and hence the desired results from the workout is not visible. But, there is nothing to worry. One can increase their testosterone levels naturally by eating the right foods.

Here is a list of testosterone boosting foods

  1. Brazil Nuts: This tree nut is an excellent natural source of the mineral selenium and a great testosterone booster. The high selenium content is mainly responsible for Brazil nuts positive benefit on T levels. Brazil nuts also have a good ratio of fats. These nuts contain zinc, amino acid Arginine and fatty acids which are needed to make hormone testosterone. Arginine is a precursor to nitric oxide, important for vasodilatation and known to increasing testicular blood flow for better hormone production. Brazil nuts are packed with the most bio-active form of Arginine. Just have 3-6nuts per day and boost your T levels.
  2. Beans: Are rich source of fibre, protein and zinc. Beans pack a bigger shot of zinc than any other member of the veg family. Add it to a food that’s high in protein and fibre\ and low in fat, and you have a winning combo. You can opt for baked beans, lima beans, navy beans, and kidney beans –All are good choices.
  3. Eggs: Testosterone is synthesized from cholesterol, and as such, food containing cholesterol is a good source of building blocks for testosterone. Start your day with three or four eggs or egg whites cooked in olive oil coconut oil. You can also opt for boiled eggs too.
  4. Cruciferous Veggies: Elevated oestrogens levels lead to fat accumulation and can interfere with muscle growth. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage may help a man’s body excrete excess oestrogens and increase the amount of testosterone available to cells. Indole-3-carbinol, a compound found in cruciferous vegetables, may increase the excretion of estradiol (one oestrogen hormone) thus increasing the testosterone production. Since these veggies are rich in fibre..it also helps you to keep full and thus helps in fat loss too.

5 Garlic: Garlic is an active ingredient, allicin, enhances testosterone levels and inhibits cortisol, a hormone that competes with testosterone by limiting its actions and breaking down muscle tissue. Season some foods with garlic, but eating crushed garlic cloves provides the most direct benefit.

6 Oyster: Oyster is loaded with Protein, magnesium, lots of zinc. Along with increasing physical endurance, oysters pack more zinc than almost any other food source. Just six oysters give you almost seven times the recommended daily allowance of zinc, and zinc plays a key role in muscle growth and testosterone levels.
Eat a serving of oysters once a week — raw or cooked but not fried.

  1. Pumpkin seeds: They are good source of zinc -a mineral that plays a role in thousands of different enzymatic reactions in the body, including those involved in testosterone production. Sprinkle more testosterone-boosting pumpkin seeds into your diet by adding them to oatmeal, yogurt, and salads, and even add them into your protein shakes.
  2. Coconut: Coconut can not only help your diet taste like a tropical meal, it can also keep your T-score at healthy levels. That’s because the giant nut is a source of saturated fat, which plays a role in testosterone production. A healthy person can take up to 8-10 percent of their calories from saturated fat to help keep testosterone at its peak without any major concern over increasing your risk of heart issues.

9 Wheat Bran: Who would have thought that brown wheat bran could help peak up your T-levels? But the fibre-rich bran of the wheat kernel is an excellent source of the mineral magnesium.  One study found that magnesium was more effective at boosting testosterone if paired with high-intensity exercise. Add wheat bran to your flour or oatmeal, pancake batter, and protein shakes.

10 Pomegranate: This beautiful red fruit has been used medicinally for centuries. With high levels of antioxidants, vitamins A, C, E and iron, researchers have found one glass of pomegranate juice/one fruit a day can increase testosterone levels between 16 percent and 30 percent, can improve mood and increase libido too.

11. Whey protein- or ricotta cheese: This is high in protein and low in fat.-This not only fix your protein dose but also helps in increasing testosterone production restricting body’s production of cortisol hormone. So Have it as post workout meal or grab as mid snack.

So, stack these foods if you haven’t already and enhance your workout and overall physical health!

 

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Confused about eating healthy? Follow these 13 Strategies to eat healthy

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Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and stabilizing your mood. There are loads of information and dietary advice floating out there where if an expert tells you that certain food is good for you, you’ll find another one saying exactly the opposite thus confusing you totally. But, let me give you some simple tips by which you can cut through the confusion and learn how to create a tasty, varied, and healthy food habit at work.

A healthy diet is good but, a key foundation for any healthy diet is moderation. What is moderation? In essence, it means eating only as much food as your body needs. You should feel satisfied at the end of a meal and not stuffed. Moderation is also about a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibre, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body.

  1. Simplify: Measure portion size and do not be concerned about counting calories. Think of your healthy meal in terms of colour, variety, and freshness. This way it should be easier to make a healthy choice. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your food will become healthier and more delicious.
  2.  Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your food healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different colour vegetables) to your daily routine once a day or switching from peanut butter to olive oil when cooking. As this small change becomes a habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your lifestyle.
  3. Every change you make matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate the foods you enjoy in order to have a healthy diet. Your long-term goal should be to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.
  4. Think Smaller Portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in restaurants. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entire plate, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms, and start small. In case you are not satisfied at the end of the meal try adding more leafy green vegetables or rounding off the meal with some fresh salad. Visual cues can help with portion sizes–your serving of Egg, fish, or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards and half a cup of mashed potato, rice, or pasta is about the size of the small bowl.
  5. Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savouring every bite. We tend to rush through our meals thereby forgetting to actually taste the flavours and feel the texture of our food. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
  6. Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty or hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
  7. Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.
  8. Avoid eating at night. Try to eat dinner earlier in the day and then fast for 10-12 hours until breakfast the next morning. These simple dietary adjustments such as eating only when you’re most active and giving your digestive system a long break each day will only help to regulate your weight. After-dinner snacks tend to be high in fat and calories, but some healthy options like mixed vegetable soup, salad, and buttermilk is good.
  9.  Most of us consume too much salt in our diets. Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure and lead to other health problems. Try to limit sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day which is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt.
  10.  Avoid processed or pre-packaged foods. Processed foods like canned soups or frozen dinners contain hidden sodium that quickly surpasses the recommended limit.
  11.  Be careful when eating out. Most restaurant and fast food meals are loaded with sodium. Some offer lower-sodium choices or you can ask for your meal to be made without salt. Most gravy and sauces are loaded with salt, so ask for it to be served on the side. Opt for fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables. Cut back on salty snacks such as potato chips, and nuts. Check labels and choose low-salt or reduced-sodium products, including breakfast cereals.
  12. Slowly reduce the salt in your diet to give your taste buds some time to adjust.
  13. Go high on Fibre – In general, the more natural and unprocessed the food, the higher it is in fibre. Good sources of fibre include whole grains, wheat cereals, barley, oatmeal, beans, nuts, vegetables such as carrots, celery, and tomatoes, and fruits such as apples, berries, citrus fruits, and pears—all the more reason to add more fruit and vegetables to your diet. There is no fibre in meat, dairy, or sugar. Refined or “white” foods, such as white bread, white rice, and pastries, have had all or most of their fibre removed. An easy way to add more fibre to your diet is to start your day with a whole grain cereal, such as Fibre-One or All-Bran, or by adding unprocessed wheat bran to your favourite cereal.

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Know all about ‘Eating Disorders’

eating problms

DO YOU look in the mirror and pick yourself apart? Do you constantly worry about what and how you look?

Ask yourself, “What percentage of your time in a day you are preoccupied with thoughts regarding food, weight, and body image?”

If your answer is that you spend so much time with these concerns that it interferes with your happiness and daily functioning, then let me tell you that you may be having an Eating Disorder.!

What Is an Eating Disorder?

Eating Disorders are illnesses that cause serious disturbances in a person’s everyday diet. They are characterized by irregular eating habits which include inadequate or excessive food intake which can damage individual’s well-being.

In addition to abnormal eating patterns, there are severe distress or concern about body weight and shape. An Eating Disorder also includes your beliefs about food and how they impact your body.

Who Suffers From Eating Disorder?

Eating disorders can develop during any stage in life but typically it appears during teen years or young adulthood but, may also develop in childhood. It can affect both men and women, however, it’s more common in women.

Eating disorder when manifested at a young age can cause severe impairment in growth development, and overall mental and social well- being.

Let’s move on to knowing three most common types of Eating Disorders

ANOREXIA NERVOSA

The Term Anorexia Nervosa literally means “Lack of Appetite induced by Nervousness”

This is perhaps the best- known eating disorder. It causes its sufferers to excessively fear to be overweight and restrict their eating habits in an unhealthy, dangerous way which leads to a significantly low body weight.

Male and female suffering from Anorexia show following hallmarks

  • Extremely limited food intake
  • Obsessive intense fear of weight gain
  • Problems with body image (Unrealistic perception of the body) and a low self-esteem
  • Denial of low body weight

Overtime, the following symptoms may develop as the body goes into starvation

Physical symptoms

  • Menstrual cessation
  • Osteopenia or osteoporosis(Thinning of bones)
  • Anaemia
  • Fatigue
  • Brittle nail and hair
  • Skin dries and can take on a yellowish cast
  • Severe constipation, Low BP

Emotional and behavioural symptoms

  • Excessive/Compulsive exercising
  • Frequently skipping a meal or refusing to eat
  • Denial of hunger
  • Frequent checking in the mirror for ‘perceived’ flaws
  • Flat mood(Lack of emotion)
  • Low self-esteem
  • Irritability
  • Low sex drive

BULIMIA NERVOSA

The Greek word for Bulimia is BOULIMIA which means extreme hunger. Patients with bulimia nervosa eat frequently in a discrete period of time (example within any 2 hour period) they also have a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode.

They often consume thousands of calories that are high in sugars, carbohydrates and fats. They can eat rapidly, sometimes gulping food without even tasting it.

After a binge, they PURGE their bodies of food and calories they FEAR by using laxatives, enemas, diuretics, vomiting or by excessive exercise. People with Bulimia can be underweight, overweight or even obese.

Many people don’t know when a family member or friend has Bulimia nervosa because they almost always hide their binges but Bulimia nervosa does have symptoms that should raise red flags:-

Physical Symptoms

  • Chronically inflamed or a sore throat
  • Salivary glands in the neck and below jaw bone swollen; cheeks and face often become puffy
  • Tooth enamel wears off and begins to decay from exposure to stomach acids
  • Constant vomiting causes GERD (Gastro oesophagal reflux disease)
  • Laxative and Diuretic abuse cause kidney and intestinal problems
  • Frequent Severe dehydration from purging of fluids

Emotional and Behavioural symptoms

  • Negative/distorted self- image
  • Hoarding or hiding food
  • Social withdrawal
  • Extreme guilt and sadness
  • Excessive worry about body weight and shape

binge eating

BINGE EATING DISORDER

It is a form of compulsive OVEREATING. Sufferers feel a compulsion to eat large amounts of food and as though they cannot stop and UNLIKE PEOPLE WITH BULIMIA, THEY DO NOT TRY TO PURGE OR GET RID OF FOOD BY INDUCING VOMITING AND BY USING OTHER UNSAFE PRACTICES.

Symptoms are more or less similar to Bulimia nervosa except for purging and laxative abuse.

Binge eaters eat a large amount of food when not feeling physically hungry, binge eating episodes typically take place in private and can last for hours or a whole day. It is common for sufferers to feel distressed or guilty about their lack of control, it is this shame and guilt that can prevent a person from talking and seeking help.

CAUSES

Eating disorders are complex thus are influenced by a facet of factors. Though the exact cause is unknown, it is generally believed that a combination of biological, psychological, and/or environmental abnormalities contribute to the development.

Certain psychological, biological/genetic, and personality traits may predispose people to develop eating disorders.

However specific traits are linked to each of the disorders. People with Anorexia tend to be perfectionists and with bulimia and binge eating disorder impulsive nature is common. Hormonal irregularities and nutritional deficiencies can be among causes. As discussed earlier in this blog, negative body image, dissatisfaction with one’s body and low self-esteem can help build tendency towards abnormal eating patterns.

Among Socio-cultural factors, the media has the largest influence on people especially teens and young adults. The media pushes body image, clothes, fast food and weight loss with unrealistic results, the combination of all these lead teens and young adults down the road to eating disorders and a confusing self- image.

And on another side of continuum popular social media pages and videos with a variety of recipes and restaurants tempt people to eat more and more.

Other causes include disruptive thinking patterns and an inability to understand the healthy relationship between food and hunger, family dysfunctions and major life stressors/changes, negative emotions or traumas such as rape, childhood sexual abuse or death of loved ones can also trigger eating disorders.

Even a happy event, such as giving birth can lead to an eating disorder because of the stressful impact of the event on an individual’s new role and body image.

IMPORTANCE OF TREATMENT

Eating disorder untreated can have serious consequences like Malnutrition, stunted growth, osteoporosis, reduced metabolic rate, critically low blood pressure, serious heart, kidney and liver damages, obesity, diabetes (TYPE 1 AND 2), depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance abuse, cardiac arrests and even death!

Remember, the sooner the treatment starts, the better it is. The longer abnormal eating patterns continue the more deeply ingrained they become and more difficult to treat.

EFFECTIVE TREATMENT METHODS

  • PSYCHOTHERAPY
    • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is a therapy focussing on the beliefs, values, maladaptive cognitive processes and negative emotions which are associated with meaning of weight, shape and appearance, it aims at reducing destructive eating patterns and restoring a healthy relationship with food. Psychologists identify important issues associated with causes of destructive eating habits and develop CBT plan respectively.
    • Dialectical Behavioural Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps to cope with painful emotions. The focus is on individuals who react to emotional circumstances with extreme behaviours. Weekly sessions help a person with Eating disorder practice mindful eating, distress tolerance and emotional regulation which focus on identifying barriers to changing emotions to constructive ones and to increase positive emotional events.
    • Incorporating Family, Group and Marital Therapy: This can be helpful in addressing the underlying causes of eating disorders and help prevent relapses by resolving interpersonal issues which are related to eating disorders.
  • Nutritional Counselling: This would involve a nutritionist’s guiding plan through weight restoration and stabilization, guidance for normal eating by keeping a food journal which includes type of food, amount, benefits, feelings thoughts associated with intake of food and drink, it also includes which binge foods are to be avoided. The inclusion of individualized meal plans for specific patients to improve nutritional intake is created.
  • Medication: Some patients with Bulimia Nervosa benefit from placebo or anti- depressants. But, medication should always be paired with psychotherapy and nutritional counselling.

A holistic approach involving all above methods/ways with an experienced team of caregivers and healthcare professionals can help patients suffering from eating disorder regain control of their eating behaviour and their lives!

Good Health is more than just being free from disease or injury. A healthy lifestyle helps you feel good, have a vibrant energy and maintain a positive outlook on life thereby contributing to your physical, mental, social well- being. Your mental health is as important as physical health and work hand-and-hand. Letting go of your eating disorder is one of many ways to move towards good health!

 

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“Balancing discipline, good nutrition and karma as a way to a fulfilling life”: Pinaak

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Achieving a goal is a fairly exhilarating feeling, if you intend to flirt with the idea of giving up, you could well be throwing away something very beautiful….

Today, we have a story of an individual who has never learnt to say no or give up. As far as I know him, he has been pushing himself harder every time to achieve something more and new. He has been constantly setting the bar high for himself and keeps himself self-motivated to be able to do all the extreme things that he attempts. We are talking of barefoot runner and GOQii player Pinaak Pande.

An Investment Banker by profession, his true inner calling is running. Living in Pune but working in the US time zone has not stopped him from running daily. But, there is a history to how it all started for him as well. Prior to 2014, Pinaak was just another corporate guy who had excuses galore for not being fit. He weighed 89 kgs and his erratic work timings kept him away from healthy living and healthy eating habits. Then one day in 2014, he decided to join the Fitness class conducted by Reebok Running Squad. He attended the fitness for 2-3 sessions and these sessions would be conducted on weekends. Thereafter they gave each one a training plan which they had to follow. People were being trained to run 5km, 10 km and so on. Since then and now there has been no looking back for Pinaak.

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An active GOQii player since 2015, this June he attempted the 12-hour stadium run and here is how he trained for it?

Pinaak had made up his mind to take up this challenge in the month of January. After having done several 10 km, 21 km and 42 km run, he thought, he should attempt something crazy this year and looked at the running calendar and got to see this ultra and registered for it. He said to himself, “Now that you have registered, you have no choice but to train and train hard”. Given that he works in night shifts where typically, his day ends at about 4.30AM in the morning. By this time most of his energy is already drained out at work but, he already had one moto behind on his mind, ‘never give up’. He constantly kept saying to himself, “Pinnaak, you have registered for a crazy ultrarace so prepare, no giving up”.

His week’s mileage from January started increasing. 2 weeks intense training, 1-week low-intensity training. The high-intensity training weeks went up to 96kms for a weekly mileage and the low-intensity training weeks average was about 50kms as the weekly mileage.

“Believe me, I clocked over 800+kms to train for this since January, 5 days of running that included strength training and swimming (at times). Strength training is so important for the ultras,” Pinaak says. He adds, “The mental challenge was, going around the 400mtrs track for 12 damn hours. I wondered how. I ran all my runs solo, except for 5 long runs. Out of these 5 long runs, I got to pace 5 different groups (Good brownie Karma points you see) and help achieve their targets too. That kept me happy and going”.

Running solo is a challenge in itself and solo of 45+ kms will tell you what you are made of. At times Pinnak says he has gotten home post work drained at 6 AM in the morning but he never said a no to the run because he loves his runs. Pinaakk backed up his runs with quick swims to give him a quick recovery and he says, it played a major role on his recoveries. Pinaak had absolutely no recovery days in the plan but at times on Friday’s he forcefully put his body to rest.

“On the race day— I had jitters on the morning of the race. I must say, the food from Herbivore (Thank you, Bela, for the food) just before the race day, gave me that extra carbs to run those 12 long hours. I will rate the food here as superduper excellent. I finished the first 6 hours of running and I had clocked about 40 odd kms. Trust me, the weather was just so different from what I trained in. Humid as hell and it kept pouring at times. I told myself, I have 6 more hours and I have to survive this. I was focused and determined to complete this no matter what. We had the best food on the course and were taken care of like babies by the organizers. Finally, at the end of 12 hours, I clocked a 74.8kms (187 laps of the damn 400 mts track). Goqii has been the best support system too for this run”.

On his diet, while training Pinaak’s plate had clean stuff every single day except for few weekends. His diet included- Fruits and Sattu mixed in water (natural protein) being the breakfast so in good quantity. Very less rice for lunch, 3 chapatis and some dal or vegetable. Pre-dinner included-Protein (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, chicken at times) and then a dinner with 3 chapati and some vegetables.

On a lighter note- Pinaak adds: “After the race, I binged on some junk food for the next two or three days. These were like small sized pizzas by myself, 1 garlic bread. 4 bhaturas and chole for breakfast and pani puris. Pinaak however after 3 days of binge eating is back to clean eating since Thursday as he prepares for the next biggie.

Pinaak believes in balancing discipline, good nutrition and karma as a way to a fulfilling life.

 

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