5 Foods That Lower Testosterone But Are Considered Healthy
Are Some Of The Health Foods We See Promoted Really Foods That Lower Testosterone?
Yes, they are & in this article, we are going to look at five of the most commonly eaten “health foods” that lower testosterone. We’re going to look at why these foods are considered healthy & what elements make them foods that lower testosterone. That way you know to look out for other foods with a similar nutrition profile.
Soy
Soy beans are a very low fat & popular source of protein for many vegetarians and vegans. If you want healthy testosterone production, you really want to avoid all soy products. Soy interferes with your thyroid function. As your thyroid impacts hormone production, including testosterone, when your thyroid doesn’t function properly your T production is negatively impacted.
Most soy products in the West are also genetically modified which is never great for your health including testosterone. Finally, Soy contains phytoestrogens, which may lead to increased levels of estrogen. The chance is if you are trying to increase testosterone, that your estrogen levels are already too high. So you likely don’t want to introduce foods that increase estrogen levels.
Lentils/ Beans/ Legumes
These are all a popular source of protein amongst vegetarians and vegans, as they are low in fat and high in protein, they are often promoted as healthy. Part the issue as far as testosterone production is, you need fats for testosterone production. You then have to consider that pulses, grains & legumes are also high in phytoestrogens, which as we know may lead to increased estrogen levels.
Flaxseed
High in fiber, omega 3 oils and anti-oxidants, flax seed are a favorite among many and considered a “super food”. While the health benefits are legitimate they are very high in lignans which bind testosterone production, meaning the body can’t utilise it. If looking to increase Omega 3 intake, I suggest eating avocado, oily fish or supplementing with fish oil.
Mint
As we know mint is used in a number of oral health products, to season food, aid digestion and flavor drinks. While both spearmint and peppermint are shown to lower testosterone. Studies have shown that spearmint reduces T by almost double the amount peppermint does. So I advise to avoid both but especially spearmint!
Peanuts
Peanuts and particularly peanut butter are viewed as a healthy yet sweet snack for body builders across the globe. The problem is that peanut isn’t in fact a nut but a legume. As a legume it’s high in phytoestrogens & high in Omega 6 with no omega 3. Excessive omega 6 in relation to omega 3 leads to increased inflammation & high levels of inflammation result in lowered testosterone production.
Unfortunately, there is more bad news when it comes to the peanut butter effect on testosterone and health as a whole. Peanut butter can be quite prone to mold growing on it, these molds are extremely inflammatory, which interferes with the body operating as it should, negatively impacting T & health as a whole. In short peanut butter and testosterone just don’t fit together.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you’ve found this article useful & are now aware of foods that lower testosterone which you would not have expected. If serious about increasing your testosterone levels I strongly advise avoiding these foods. If you want an idea of what foods to eat for increased T, check out the below article.
48 Foods That Boost Testosterone Production
This will help you know exactly which foods are ideal for increased T production. If you have any questions in regards to this article or foods that lower testosterone just drop me comment & I’ll get back to you. Please share this article with anyone you think may find it interesting. You can also follow me on my social media sites. I cover plenty more on the different foods that lower testosterone & how you can optimize testosterone production.
Wow! I definitely learned something new. I don’t have a problem with testosterone balance, but I’ve worked with a lot of people who do. As you mentioned, these foods are marketed as healthy, so it’s odd there’s no disclaimer stating they can cause a problem with testosterone levels. You mentioned with soy that alot of the soybeans are genetically modified. Is that the reason why it’s bad for the testosterone, or does it have the phytoestogen components even without the GMOs? Where do you recommend we go to read more on this topic? I have lots of questions.
Yeah having low testosterone/ being estrogen dominant is an issue a lot of people have. Yes soybeans contain phytoestrogens as well but it’s the fact that they are GM which makes them very bad for your wider health including T production. If you keep an eye out for my future articles I will be covering these topics in far greater depth!
Thank you for this informative article. One of my colleagues is having problems with her high testosterone levels causing her to have excess body hair, especially on her upper lip. So she goes for threading regularly because her appearance is making her very uncomfortable. I will be sharing this article to her and I hope her problem will be solved the soonest.
I always knew that legumes are healthy foods but I had no idea that they can lower testosterone levels. Knowing the effects of these healthy foods on testosterone levels will make one be cautious on the amount they take.
By the way mentioned that peanut isn’t in fact a nut but a legume, aren’t they one and the same? If not, what’s the difference between the two?
Hi Alice,
I’m glad you found this useful!
Yes a few women do suffer from too much testosterone, that is usually down to a thyroid problem and it producing too little estrogen/ too much T, increasing intake of those foods will certainly help redress the balance.
Yes most people have to little estrogen but it’s a far bigger issue for men than women, a lot of health foods are actually promoted with female health in mind hence a number of these things being promoted as healthy.
I’m not suggesting eliminating these things from your diet altogether but just advising be people be cautious.
The differences are hard to pin but legumes have multiple seeds (nuts have 1/2), nuts usually need to be cracked out of their shell but legumes don’t.
They also have different types of nutrition profiles when it comes to their fat content, hope that helps!
Thanks
Nathan
It seems like every time I turn around, I’m finding another reason to avoid peanuts and peanutbutter. Now I’m a woman, so I’m not worried for myself, but my husband probably shouldn’t be eating them. I just read something that said that peanuts can get bacteria or mold or something on them through the way they are processed, so best to avoid. I always thought peanutbutter was pushed as a “healthy” food to feed the kids, but I know bread is bad, so a peanutbutter sandwich is no longer sounding very healthy. Thanks for this great info. I did not know this information before!!!
Hi Babsie,
I’m glad you found it useful!
Yes peanuts and peanut butter has been pushed as a healthy snack for quite some time now and unfortunately your right bread isn’t healthy.
In fact you’re right in thinking that a peanut butter sandwich is very bad for testosterone [production you may also found this article interesting to be aware of the other foods to avoid regarding testosterone production: foods that lower testosterone – The big list
I always knew that soy lowered testosterone. When I had my baby boy in the hospital, he had an allergy to the formula they were giving him. I asked if they would switch him to soy formula and the nurse who primarily took care of my son told me that soy formula significantly affects boys when they hit puberty. She told me her nephew is 13 years old and doesn’t have body hair, has a high pitched voice and no manly features; she says that when he was a baby his parents gave him nothing but soy formula and she believes it has affected his puberty. When I learned that I immediately told the doctors that I didn’t want my son drinking soy formula.
I also didn’t realize that flax and peanut lowered testosterone. I give those things to my toddler from time to time but now that I learned this, I won’t be giving him peanut butter or flax seed ANYMORE. I just don’t want to mess with my little boys body like that, I want him to grow up into a strong man and not suffer any issues during puberty. Thank you for raising my awareness on this!
Hi Sophia,
I’m glad you found this article useful!
Yes you do need to be especially careful with developing boys, I suggest you check out this article foods that lower testosterone – The big list
They will give you an even wider picture of foods you need to look at avoiding feeding to your boys.
Thanks
Nathan
I read with great interest about testosterone foods to avoid and which foods increase testosterone.
Funny enough I eat plenty of parsley, avocados, flaxseeds, oily fish like salmon and nuts and peanut butter. From reading your article, I am now of the opinion that as long as I eat a balanced diet containing some of the foods mentioned and rotate the order in which I eat them, my diet will be balanced.
I also thought it was coriander that was good for men, while parsley is better for women, but I may stand to be corrected about this..
All in all a very informative article. Thanks for sharing it!
Hi Stella,
Yes both men and women require testosterone, men obviously require a lot more than women; most men (and a fair few women) suffer from low testosterone which can lead to a number of health issues.
Parsley helps your body utilise cholesterol for increased testosterone production but this aids both male and female health.
Thanks
Nathan
I didn’t even know that foods can affect testosterone production. It kinda sucks because I love peanut butter! This is definitely some eye opening information. It gets so confusing when dieting because there’s always data somewhere that shows that foods that people thought were good for you are actually bad for you in some way and other foods that people assume are bad can actually be good for you in different ways. Everything in moderation seems to be the words to live by.
Hi Ryan,
Yes it can be a minefield, part the issue is that a lot of healthy diets are driven from a female perspective which doesn’t take in to account testosterone production!
Yes things in moderation is a great way to go, the problem is a lot of people (men in particular) suffer from low T which causes a number of health issues, you can find out more about this here – Testosterone and Health
You can also check out this article that provides info on the best things to include in your diet for increased testosterone production – Foods That Boost Testosterone Production
Thanks
Nathan
I was aware of the soy and flax, legumes are kind of a necessity in my diet do to high testosterone production for body builders and could actually be beneficial as a balancing effect. Because the male body produces an excess of testosterone during certain workouts with larger muscle groups, such as the legs, a moderate portion of peanut butter or red beans, even garbanzo beans after the workout could help mitigate some of more undesirable effects of testosterone production. However, this is a special case and I would not recommend everyone follow it. Thanks for the info. I will definitely cut down of peanut butter from now on.
Hi,
Yeah if you have a hormone issue eating flax, beans etc. will help balance levels out if you produce too much testosterone. The problem is most people (men in particular) suffer from low testosterone so yours is an unusual case but yes just be sure you don’t over do it!
I did learn something new. I thought all these foods were healthy and never even took testosterone levels into account.
I’m sure that this would be great information for body builders as I doubt they want to lower thier testosterone. Who would have thought that the peanut was more pea then nut.
Hi,
I’m glad you learned something new!
Yes a number of foods lower your testosterone production, actually most people suffer from having a low level of testosterone and this can lead to a number of health issues, so it is important for this to be looked at.
This article on testosterone and health will help highlight some of the health issues.
Thanks
Nathan