Having insufficient testosterone may not sound like a big deal if you're a woman, but it can actually have a huge impact on your life. Although women only produce one seventh the amount of this hormone that men produce, it's a vital part of every woman's sexual function and emotional awareness.
There are natural ways to improve your body's testosterone production, such as diet and exercise. Specifically, there is a nutrient found in certain vegetables which can boost your testosterone. Read on to find out more about how this super food can increase your levels of testosterone.
What Are Indoles?
Indoles are phytonutrients found in cruciferous (leafy green) vegetables. The word “cruciferous” refers to a cross-like leaf pattern usually found on the bottom of these veggies or on the stalk, making them easy to recognize. The specific compound found in these vegetables is Indole-3-carbinol, which boasts many health benefits, including the power to prevent the growth of cancer cells. Indole-3-carbinol is activated through crushing or cooking the vegetables.
How Do Indoles Control Testosterone?
To answer this question, it's important to examine the relationship between testosterone and its female counterpart, estrogen. Estrogen naturally has an inhibitive effect on testosterone.
When there is more estrogen present in the body, there will be less testosterone. However, when you consume the indoles found in certain green veggies, they produce enzymes that reduce the obstructive power of estrogen and consequently allow more testosterone production, which can be especially beneficial when you're experiencing low levels of testosterone.
What Foods Contain Indoles?
Although the following list is not exhaustive, it contains some examples of foods rich in indoles:
- Brussels sprouts
- Mustard greens
- Collard greens
- Watercress
- Garden cress
- Broccoli
- Bok choy
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Kale
By incorporating one of a variety of these indole-rich foods into your regular diet, your body will be able to work to restore your hormone levels naturally.
Recommendations about Testosterone Levels
Now that you are able to reap the benefits of indoles to increase testosterone, you can get your hormone levels back to normal. Having said that, normal is a subjective term, as experts agree that there is no “normal” measurement when it comes to how much testosterone a woman produces because everyone is different. However there are general guidelines. A woman with testosterone levels that fall between 15 and 70 ng/dl (nanograms per deciliter) has a healthy testosterone reading. Click on the following link for more information about testosterone levels.
