Not all macronutrients are created equal. There are three types of macronutrients that we are all familiar with they are as follows fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Much has been written about each and they are all important to learn about for maximal functioning of your body. From hormonal health to body composition to energy levels to overall health. Micronutrients are things like zinc, potassium, and vitamin K. Which are also important but have been covered in other areas as far as optimizing testosterone goes. Like I’ve said never forget that a base line of health will help in all that you are trying to do. For example losing body fat will not only help with how good you look but also increase your testosterone levels as well as give you more energy.
Like good habits good health has a culminative effect. Alright so now let’s get down to the macronutrients. So much has been written about all three macronutrients before. Right now there is a hot debate going on about carbohydrates some say that they are the devil incarnate while others say you can build muscle or live a healthy life without them. One who has no idea what they are talking about will always say “the truth lies somewhere in the middle” or some other B.S. While both statements are false the truth does not lie somewhere in the middle and rarely ever does. Here we are going to go through a breakdown of the three macronutrients and how they relate to hormal optimization and in particular increasing testosterone levels as high as possible.
Carbohydrates & Protein
Alright we’re going to address carbohydrates and proteins first. Both are important for optimized health and both are important for body composition. And both can play a role in testosterone production and optimization albeit not directly. We’ll start with protein. If you’ve been around body building or fitness circles for any length of time then you’ve probably heard that as far as macronutrients go protein is the holy grail. While protein is certainly important getting in huge quantities of it isn’t going to do that much for your overall health, hormone optimization, or even muscle building. I used to eat one gram per pound and have found that to be way too high.
Now I eat much less but my body composition hasn’t changed. If you’re eating lots of meats, eggs, and good dairy each day then you don’t have to worry too much about protein. Too much protein won’t kill you or anything it just isn’t optimal and a waste. There comes a point where eating more protein won’t do much for you. As long as your getting somewhere around a gram per pound of learn body mass (and the source matters a ton too, such as a steak is one hundred times better than a powder) you’ll be fine. Anything above that takes away from other sources of nutrients.
Now for carbohydrates. First off carbohydrates are not needed for building muscle. Carbohydrates such as anything processed, grains, and starchy carbs aren’t good for you and should be removed from your diet. Not only do they spike insulin and cause insulin resistance. Which leads to higher body fat and lower testosterone but there are also a host of other negative effects that they have on the body that entire books have been written about. As far as carbohydrates go you want to make sure you’re getting them from sources such as sweet potatoes and green vegetables. All carbs are not created equal. And anyone who talks about carbs as a group making blanket statements such as “carbs increase testosterone” need to dive deeper. For example brocolli can increase testosterone levels while a potato or something made from wheat bread will cause insulin spikes that will lower testosterone. Stick to greens for optimized hormones when it comes to carbohydrates.
Fats
Alright now here is where we are getting into what really makes for great hormal health and high levels of testosterone. Put simply (as there are many body processes that take part in producing testosterone from the brain to the balls literally) testosterone comes from cholesterol (as well as a host of other hormones). Meaning that the macronutrient that is most important to optimized hormonal levels and in particular maximizing how much testosterone your body produces is fat. In particular saturated fat and cholesterol, you know the stuff that our benevolent protectors at the government and medical establishment have told us is straight up poison for the last twenty or more years. Yeah that stuff.
You want to eat things like grass fed beef, bacon, and free range eggs. Things that have good saturated fats (that are essential for testosterone production) as well as cholesterol (again essential for testosterone production). Fats are by far the most important macronutrient for hormone optimization and testosterone production. Especially saturated fats and cholesterol. Now like carbs (and protein, aka powder vs meat) not all fats are created equal. Trans fats and even high levels of polysaturated fats (omega-6 not omega-3) lower testosterone. So avoid vegetable oils (olives are a fruit) and fats from processed foods which lower testosterone. Eat lots of good saturated fats and cholesterol. Doing this will optimize your hormones and testosterone production.
Other Things To Avoid
Obviously there are many other things to avoid and take care of but you already know that. I’ll high light a couple things here as both a refresher and to include some new things I haven’t hit on as much as I would have liked too. Alright so one of the number one things that can wreak havoc not just with your overall health but your testosterone production as well (as the two are tied together) is sugar. One of the reason that low carb diets work so well (in addition to getting rid of grains which have much of the same effect as sugar sometimes even stronger) is because of the elimination of sugar from the diet and elimination of things that work like sugar. For example bread spikes your insulin level in much the same way as sugar (including “healthy” whole grain bread).
Another thing about sugar is that it depletes other micronutrients (also very important for hormonal health and testosterone production) for example potassium which most people don’t get enough of anyways. Now like everything else not all sugars are created equal. For example pure natural Tupelo honey isn’t nearly as bad for you as pure white sugar that you’ll find in all different kinds of food. Of course it’s still sugar it just isn’t going to have as much as a negative effect as the pure white stuff. For the most part you are going to want to avoid sugar especially processed sugar. This may be tough to kick but anyone who told you optimizing hormones, health, and testosterone levels was easy is a liar. You are going to have to change your lifestyle. It’s not easy but it is more than worth it. I should also note that alcohol (including wine or whatever drink you’ve rationalized is good for you) has much of the same negative effects, get rid of it.
Summary
So all macronutrients play a role on overall health, hormonal health, and testosterone optimization however by far the most important is fat in particular saturated fat and cholesterol. So make sure you’re cooking up lots of eggs (even though eating them raw is how you get the most nutrients from them) as well as bacon, beef, and other true “super foods”. Not all proteins, carbs, or fats are created equal so it’s hard to make blanket statements about each without clarifying. For example green vegetables (a carb) are awesome for hormonal health and testosterone production meanwhile grains and sugars (also carbs) are killers for testosterone and overall health. So make sure that you read the fine print when looking into all of this stuff. So now go out and eats lot of saturated fats and cholesterol from good sources and become more of a man.
If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it. You can follow me on Twitter here.
-Charles Sledge
