By Joy Nordenstrom
Cooking for Two and Romantic Meals Exper, about.com
Eat right to both boost your testosterone and minimize the excess
estrogen in your system. Nowadays, a diet that emphasizes this is needed
more than ever, especially for anyone over 30 years old and who is in a
long-term relationship. A curious finding is that studies show married men have lower testosterone
over their single counterparts and fathers have even less. For women,
testosterone begins to decline in their mid-20s and for men the decrease
starts in their 30’s. On average by age 40 a woman is at half the
amount of testosterone that she had in her early 20’s and by 60 years
old, 20% of all men have low testosterone levels.
Why are
decreased testosterone levels a concern? Nicknamed the “personality
hormone,” testosterone naturally influences our sex drive but stable
levels also provide us with a sense of well-being, power and motivation.
It gives us energy, helps with endurance and overall strength. Without
the optimal levels of testosterone, we may face the following ill
effects: lack of concentration and motivation, increased risk of
diabetes, low bone density, loss of sex drive and potential risk for
certain types of cancer. Thus being mindful of ways to increase
testosterone and reduce excess estrogen via natural means is crucial for
our ability to thrive for the years to come.
Testosterone Boosting Breakfast of Champions Menu:
Smoked Salmon Frittata with Mushrooms and Tomatoes
Smoothie with Blueberries, Greek Yogurt, Flax Seeds, Pomegranate Juice and Almond Milk (see recipe below)
Whole Grain Organic Wheat Toast with Blueberry Preserves (Go
hog wild and make your own wheat bread or get a quality, organic whole
grain wheat or mixed grain bread from you grocery store.)
Green Tea with Organic Honey - One of my favorite truly organic honey companies, Rare Hawaiian Honey Company, comes from Hawaii and is run by a husband and wife team. (There are a variety of green teas to choose from. Pick one that suits your taste and if you don't already know which that is have fun doing a taste test.)
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain 2% Greek Yogurt
- 2 cups frozen wild or organic blueberries
- 1 tablespoon organic almond or peanut butter
- 1 half banana or add the whole thing (optional)
- ½ cup pomegranate or tart cherry juice
- ¼ cup organic almond milk, either plain or vanilla
- 1 heaping teaspoon flax seeds, raw or toasted (can substitute with chia seeds)
Preparation
Making smoothies is easy if you have the right tools. My
preference for making smoothies is to use a Magic Bullet but if you do
use one with this recipe you'll have to make half the recipe at a time.
So first choice with this particular two-serving recipe is a blender.
The other option is a food processor but clean up is messier.
Put all the ingredients in whatever you are choosing to blend your smoothie in.
Blend for 1-2 minutes and then add either juice
or almond milk, if you would like to have it thinner. If you'd like it
to be thicker and colder, add a half cup of ice.
To serve, pour into an extra-large glass, add a few blueberries to the top and drink with a straw.
