What diet is best to boost your testosterone

The debate rages but allow me to be your guinea pig

Author

Jared Thurmon
May 20, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Low testosterone is a symptom of something much bigger than we realize.

My testosterone journey:

3 years ago was 584.

2 years ago 263.

1 year ago 497.

1 month ago 693.

TRT is declared as the answer to so many - but before you go that route - consider this: (See below for the screenshots)

What has led to recent increases? More lentils, almonds, hemp seeds, more strength training, better sleep, eating less packaged foods.

I don’t know about you but diet is as controversial and unique as our taste in music - perhaps more so. As I continue to delve deeper into the world of wellness and health influencers - there is a pattern I see more and more - the message that if you want to be a real man and have real muscles you have to eat animal protein.

When I met with a metabolic nutritionist about 6 months ago, I told her that I wanted to put on some muscle, lower body fat, increase bone density and that I wanted to do it while eating a plant-based gluten free diet. She smiled - ok she laughed - but then said ‘that’s hard - but it’s possible.’

That’s all I needed to hear.

But I know I’m swimming up stream. If I want to find men or women singing the praises of a whole food plant-based diet - you usually have to look for the gray hairs. Guys like Rip Esselstyn, Michael Greger, Rich Roll, T. Colin Campbell and…not as many as you’d think. I will give Dan Buettner some credit - he shows the primarily plant-rich diets of the longest living people around the world living in Blue Zones.

All those guys are talking about how plants lead to lower inflammation, longevity and lower chronic disease risk.

On the other side of the coin are all the guys with the muscles - Huberman, Brecka, Saladino, Attia, Greenfield, Williamson, Rogan and I could go on.

I am increasingly convinced that for many - diet comes down to worldview. Do you believe you were designed or just evolved from apes? One says survival of the kindest, the other says survival of the fittest. One says you were designed for longevity - like eternal longevity - the other to get all you can out of this life because this is it.

I know there are 31 flavors of variation so don’t get lost in my examples or religious jargon. My point is people eat based on worldview and goals and all the evidence they can find to make their best choice. Diet’s are much more personal than we realize.

I wanted to prove - and still do - that a sustainable diet of plants can see similar results to that of all the studies on animal proteins.

The results? I’m eating only plants - my testosterone is going up, hypertrophy is up, strength is up, libido is up, my sleep is better, my inflammation markers are down (A1C, C reactive Protein) and cholesterol is great.

I’m on a mission to show that a plant-forward diet of real food can make you externally and internally as healthy as you want to be. It takes discipline - but I think I’m seeing the results internally and externally.

If you want to eat animal protein, I would encourage you to get it from a source where you know how that animal was raised and humanely slaughtered- not for climate reasons - but for your health. A stressed out, sickly animal in life or death doesn’t do a body good. Animals raised on hormones and antibiotics - i.e. fast food are kept alive long enough to get to slaughter weight - not for your health - for maximizing profit. I think the ancient methods of proper care in life and death in both the kosher and halal traditions of animal husbandry are ideal.

My current opinion - I think there appear to be more short term benefits from animal protein and long term benefits from plant-proteins. I’m trying to find the balance and beauty of both benefits - and I’m trying to do it with just plants.

To anyone wondering about soy - I eat it about every day and more so in the last 6 months and I’m seeing gains in testosterone. I think the hype of soy is bad is just that - hype.

Here are my labs for reference: Function Health is fantastic if you haven’t assessed your biomarkers lately. I find my cortisol levels and testosterone levels are on a seesaw - whoever is more in the day is winning the day whether I like cortisol (stress) or not.

What does the science say?

Low testosterone often reflects underlying health issues such as inflammation and metabolic imbalance rather than simply aging [1,2]. Research shows that plant-based diets, when adequately planned, support muscle growth and strength comparable to animal-based diets [3,4]. Experts emphasize that whole food plants reduce inflammation, enhance recovery, and promote longevity [5]. While animal proteins provide important nutrients and may offer short-term muscle-building benefits, the quality and ethical sourcing of these products critically affect long-term health [6]. My improvements in testosterone, strength, and inflammation markers align with studies demonstrating the metabolic and hormonal benefits of plant-forward diets [2,5].

I’d love to hear about your testosterone journey. 👋

I write this newsletter each week because I feel my best when my body, mind and soul are all healthy. I want the same for you. If you feel like you’ve seen something valuable here, please do me a favor and forward this newsletter to a friend or let me know what you think by replying or texting me - (310) 879-8441

I think the world is in desperate need of healthy, happy men who love the strong women in their lives with a self-sacrificing type of love.

I have found the following four books to be the 4 books every man should read and every woman should want their man to read.

Here are a few other links to things that have changed my life:

Whoop - Track your HRV and REM Sleep

Function Health - Optimize Your Health via 100+ BioMarkers

Here are a few topics I think you’ll love if you haven’t checked them out before:

-Jared

P.S. - This newsletter does not provide medical advice. The content, such as graphics, images, text, and all other materials, is provided for reference and educational purposes only. The content is not meant to be complete or exhaustive or to be applicable to any specific individual's medical condition.

References

  1. Morgentaler, A. Testosterone deficiency and testosterone therapy in men. Mayo Clin Proc. 2016;91(5):649-661.

  2. Travison, T. G., et al. Changes in testosterone levels with aging in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017;102(6):2167–2174.

  3. Wilson, J. M., et al. Plant protein and muscle protein synthesis: a review of recent findings. Nutrients. 2021;13(4):1173.

  4. Gorissen, S. H., & Witard, O. C. Characterising muscle anabolic potential of dairy, meat, and plant-based proteins in older adults. Proc Nutr Soc. 2018;77(1):20-31.

  5. Kahleova, H., et al. Vegetarian diet improves insulin resistance and oxidative stress markers in type 2 diabetes. Nutrition. 2017;33:61-68.

  6. Daley, C. A., et al. Fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed vs grain-fed beef. Nutr J. 2010;9:10.