Zinc is an essential trace element that is involved in more of your bodily functions than any other mineral, including cell growth, and muscle building. In fact, more than half of the body’s zinc supply is found in muscle tissue.

This essential mineral is also found in the bones, eyes, prostate gland, testes, skin and kidneys.

It is particularly important to men to make sure that they have adequate levels of this mineral as zinc is needed for maximum testosterone production. A deficiency of zinc can cause… a drop of 20% hormonal production in one month. On the other hand, studies have shown that increasing your zinc intake can boost testosterone levels by 85% over a six-month period.

In the U.S. there are widespread deficiencies even in well-fed men and this is due to aging, food processing and environmental changes.

Aging and environmental changes are usually beyond your control but exercising care over the food you consume isn’t. One vital thing you must do is offset the damage done to food by modern techniques of food processing.

For example, zinc is a water-soluble mineral, meaning it can be washed out easily – either from the body or from foods when they are over processed. Even cooking in excessive amounts of water can leach the mineral from good foods. So steam, bake or grill your food as much as possible and reduce the amount of canned foods consumed.

Another consideration is that much of the zinc in your body can be severely depleted by sweating so it’s advisable to consume zinc-rich foods before and after any exercise sessions. And this is especially important during hot weather.

The following foods are all rich sources of zinc:

  • oysters (preferably raw),
  • lean cuts of beef (try beef pot roast), lamb and pork,
  • crab and lobster,
  • turkey and chicken (dark has more zinc than white meat),
  • beans, including baked, limas, & garbanzo,
  • pumpkin seeds,
  • almonds (raw, unsalted are best), &
  • peanuts (also raw, unsalted).

Since the body only absorbs 15-40% of dietary zinc, the mineral is best absorbed by the body in small amounts. Therefore, a steady dietary supply of zinc to keep your testosterone levels at maximum is essential so add several servings from the above list to your daily diet.

A note of caution: the RDA for males 18+ is 11mg per day but this is on the low side. A more realistic amount would be 50mg/day but your day’s intake from all sources should not exceed 75mg – so don’t eat oysters too often as their zinc content is very high and a serving of 6 medium oysters can exceed the daily max.