Low testosterone is a pretty common diagnosis lately.  Most people associate a low sex drive with low testosterone, but that isn’t always the case.  In men, testosterone slowly decreases with age, but sometimes it decreases more than it should.  Some other common reasons for low testosterone in the body are obesity, trauma to the testicles, infection, and type 2 diabetes.  The symptoms men with low testosterone present with are hair loss, fatigue, lower libido than normal, low sperm count, loss of muscle mass, increase in body fat, decrease in bone density, and mood changes like depression and irritability.

There are many things you can do to boost your testosterone.  First, start to loose weight.  Get yourself back into a work out routine, and stick with more burst type exercises.  Don’t get stuck in a work out rut, and keep switching up your routines.  Next, you need to start eating better.  Stay away from processed foods that are going to be loaded with sodium and sugar, and add more foods that contain zinc.  Zinc is an important mineral in keeping healthy testosterone levels.  The following is a list of foods know to help boost testosterone levels:

• oysters (zinc)
• olive oil
• beans (zinc and iron)
• nuts – almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, walnuts, and pecans.
• garlic – contains allicin and quercetin, which inhibit cortisol production
• salmon – high levels of vitamin d
• cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, watercress, broccoli)
• eggs (yolk contains good cholesterol – the building blocks for testosterone)
• pumpkin seeds (zinc, magnesium, and healthy fats)

If you are still not noticing much of a change after a couple of months, you can always go to your primary and get your testosterone levels checked.  Sometimes the lack in sex drive, low energy levels, and depression could be a thyroid issue.