Testosterone diet: 12 foods that boost testosterone

Can food really move the dial on testosterone? Up to a point, yes. No single meal will transform your levels, but certain foods give your body the raw materials it needs to make the hormone, while other foods can subtly drag testosterone down. Here are 12 foods worth putting on your plate, the three nutrients that matter most, and a simple 7-day meal plan to pull it all together.

Can food really increase testosterone?

There's no magic food that switches testosterone on. What matters is your overall pattern. Men whose diets lean towards protein, leafy greens, and some healthy fat tend to have higher testosterone, while diets heavy in processed and fried food are linked to lower levels and a greater risk of low testosterone.¹

Cutting fat too hard can backfire, too. Very low-fat diets are associated with lower testosterone in men.² And because carrying excess weight is one of the most common drivers of low testosterone, what your diet does to your waistline matters as much as any single nutrient.³

12 foods that boost testosterone

These foods are rich in the nutrients your body uses to make testosterone, mainly zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, and healthy fat.

Garlic, onions, and pomegranate get mentioned a lot too. The evidence is thinner, but they're healthy additions, so there's no harm in keeping them on the menu.

The three nutrients that matter most

Zinc

Zinc deficiency is associated with lower testosterone, and correcting a shortfall can help. If your levels are already sufficient, more won't push testosterone higher.⁴ Oysters top the list, followed by red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood, and dairy.⁵

Magnesium

Magnesium is positively linked with testosterone levels in men.⁶ You'll find it in spinach, quinoa, nuts, black beans, and dark chocolate.

Vitamin D

Low vitamin D is associated with lower testosterone, and supplementing deficient men has raised their levels.⁷ In men who already have enough, topping up doesn't seem to add anything.⁸ Oily fish, egg yolks and fortified foods provide a little, but most of us rely on sunlight and supplementation, especially over a UK winter.⁹

Foods and habits that can lower testosterone

What you leave off the plate matters as much as what you add. A few things worth watching:

• Very low-fat diets. Fat is a building block for testosterone, and cutting it too far is linked to lower levels.²

• Ultra-processed and fried food. Diets built around these are associated with lower testosterone and a higher risk of low levels.¹

• Very low-carb, very high-protein diets. Taken to extremes, especially around hard training, these can raise cortisol and lower testosterone.¹⁰

• Excess weight and heavy drinking. Both are linked to reduced testosterone over time.³

7-day testosterone meal plan

A week of nutrient-dense meals built around the foods above. Adjust portions to your own appetite and goals.

How quickly can food raise testosterone?

Don't expect an overnight change. Diet works by fixing shortfalls and supporting a healthy weight, which plays out over weeks and months, not days. Correcting a genuine zinc or vitamin D deficiency tends to show the clearest benefit.

Does chicken increase testosterone?

Not directly, but it helps. Chicken is a lean source of protein and zinc, both useful for maintaining muscle and supporting hormone production, which makes it a solid base for testosterone-friendly meals.

What are the best nuts for testosterone?

Nuts like almonds, cashews and Brazil nuts provide magnesium, zinc and healthy fats. Keep portions modest: they're calorie-dense, and there's no benefit to overdoing them.

What foods lower testosterone?

Ultra-processed and fried foods, excess alcohol, and very low-fat or extreme low-carb diets are the main culprits. Anything that pushes your weight up over time works against you too.

Can diet alone fix low testosterone?

Diet can help, especially if you're low on a key nutrient or carrying extra weight. But if your testosterone is clinically low and symptoms persist, food won't be enough on its own, and it's worth speaking to a clinician.

For more ways to support your levels, read our guides to 7 effective ways to increase testosterone and whether exercise increases testosterone.

The numan take

You can't eat your way to sky-high testosterone, but a good diet gives your body what it needs and stops it working against you. Prioritise protein, plenty of zinc and magnesium, enough healthy fat, and sort your vitamin D. Keep processed food and heavy drinking in check, stay a healthy weight, and let sleep and training do the rest.

References

^{1 Hu TY, Chen YC, Lin P, et al. Testosterone-associated dietary pattern predicts low testosterone levels and hypogonadism. Nutrients. 2018;10(11):1786. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30453566/}

^{2 Whittaker J, Wu K. Low-fat diets and testosterone in men: systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2021;210:105878. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076021000716}

^{3 Kelly DM, Jones TH. Testosterone and obesity. Obes Rev. 2015;16(7):581–606. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25982085/}

^{4 Te L, Liu J, Ma J, Wang S. Correlation between serum zinc and testosterone: a systematic review. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2023;76:127124. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36577241/}

^{5 National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Zinc: fact sheet for health professionals. Bethesda: NIH; 2022. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/}

^{6 Maggio M, Ceda GP, Lauretani F, et al. Magnesium and anabolic hormones in older men. Int J Androl. 2011;34(6 Pt 2):e594–e600. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21675994/}

^{7 Pilz S, Frisch S, Koertke H, et al. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men. Horm Metab Res. 2011;43(3):223–225. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21154195/}

^{8 Lerchbaum E, Pilz S, Trummer C, et al. Vitamin D and testosterone in healthy men: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017;102(11):4292–4302. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28938446/}

^{9 National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D: fact sheet for health professionals. Bethesda: NIH; 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/}

^{10 Whittaker J, Harris M. Low-carbohydrate diets and men's cortisol and testosterone: systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Health. 2022;28(4):543–554. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35254136/}