Holiday Snacks That’ll Boost Your Testosterone

This post, based on an article from The Art of Manliness, is aimed primarily at men but is also helpful for women, just check out this article: The Female Low-Testosterone Epidemic.

Here are excerpts from The Art of Manliness article:

Diet and Testosterone

For any of this to make sense, you need to understand a few basics about how testosterone is produced in the body. Testosterone levels are affected by a whole range of things, diet being one of them. While eating testosterone-friendly food is necessary for optimizing testosterone levels, it isn’t sufficient. You also need to throw in some heavy weightlifting along with some lifestyle changes like reducing stress and sleeping better. (Click here for my complete list of ways to naturally boost your testosterone.) So if you were hoping to put some hair on your chest by eating summer sausage alone, I’m sorry to say that strategy won’t cut it.

You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that cholesterol is NOT some evil substance that must be avoided at all costs. In fact cholesterol is not only necessary to create testosterone and all other hormones, but it's also the fuel for your brain!

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is the building block of testosterone. Through a complex process, Leydig cells in your testicles convert cholesterol to testosterone. Sure, your Leydig cells can use the cholesterol that your body produces naturally, but if you want to truly optimize T levels you need to increase the amount of dietary cholesterol you’re consuming. Eggs, meats, and cheeses are all incredible sources of cholesterol. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to freak out about consuming too much cholesterol. For an in-depth treatment on the myths of cholesterol intake and heart disease I recommend the following articles:

• The Definitive Guide to Cholesterol
• The Straight Dope on Cholesterol Part 1
• The Straight Dope on Cholesterol Part 2

For anecdotal, n+1 evidence that consuming high amounts of cholesterol won’t put you on the path to a heart attack, you can take a look at my cholesterol levels after consuming pretty much nothing but eggs, bacon, and steak for six months, as I shared those numbers after my experiment with boosting my testosterone was complete. I’ve continued that diet (and have actually upped the daily egg consumption) and recent blood work has shown my cholesterol levels and blood pressure are optimal, and even better than they were back then.

The article goes on to talk about different foods that can boost your testosterone, such as summer sausage, cheddar cheese and nuts which are all delicious! I used to get a gift basket every year with summer sausage and cheese...that's probably the only thing I miss about being married.

And now we're getting to the key point of this article...eggnog, since Saturday (Christmas Eve) is Eggnog Day.

Eggnog

Eggnog combines two testosterone-boosting foods: whole milk and eggs. Eggs have tons of cholesterol (one egg has 187 mg of it). Sometimes before bed I’ll drink 3 raw eggs with a dash of cinnamon and vanilla to take advantage of these egg-cellent stats. Whole milk also contains a good amount of cholesterol — about 30 mg per serving, which is nothing to sniff at. What’s more, both milk and eggs provide lots of SHBG-reducing fats, particularly saturated fats.

What I found surprising is that despite supposedly being derived of eggs and whole milk, the eggnog I was buying at the store really didn’t have much cholesterol — about 45 mg per serving. Not shabby, but it could be better. Another downside is that it’s packed with waist-expanding sugar, and a big gut saps your T. It does have plenty of saturated fat, though.

Check out this recipe for Bro-nog:

I thought I could do better on the cholesterol and sugar content by making my own eggnog, so I that’s what I did. I call it “Bro-nog.” Significantly higher in cholesterol levels (419 mg!) and fat (21.6 g) and lower in sugar than store-bought eggnog, and it tastes pretty good to boot. Much better than my bedtime egg drink, which honestly, is kind of horrible.

Bro-nog Recipe (serves 1)

• 1 1/2 cups of whole milk

• 2 whole eggs

• 3 tsp of stevia

• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

• a dash of cinnamon

• powdered nutmeg to taste (to really get that nog flavor, be liberal with the nutmeg)

Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy and frothy. Tweak the ingredient ratios as you desire. If you’re a true bro, just drink it straight out of the blender. Or you can put it in a cup and even add your favorite adult beverage (like rum) if you’re so inclined.

So, raise a cup of bro-nog (with rum, bourbon or other alcohol if desired) and raise your testosterone levels!

Interesting days

Today - Flashlight Day, Look On The Bright Side Day, Humbug Day, Ribbon Candy Day, Don’t Make Your Bed Day, Short Girl Appreciation Day, Short Story Day, Crossword Puzzle Day and International Dalek Remembrance Day

Tomorrow - Forefathers' Day and Date Nut Bread Day

Next Wednesday - Card Playing Day

January 21 - Hugging Day, Granola Bar Day, Squirrel Appreciation Day and International Sweatpants Day