9 Foods that Lower

Cortisol Levels Naturally

ALI KUOPPALA

FOOD, HORMONES

2 COMMENTS

23/06/2014

Cortisol is one of the arch enemies of testosterone. Thats because cortisol being the
principal stress hormone in the body, is able to destroy your testosterone molecules before
they even leave your testicles.
The process of why this happens is extremely simple:
Your balls produce this enzyme called 11HSD-1 which normally protects your testosterone

molecules from cortisol, but in the times of prolonged stress and chronically elevated cortisol,
there simply is too much cortisol for 11HSD-1 to handle.
Thus when your cortisol overrides the protective effects of 11HSD-1, youre hormonally
fucked, because thats when your testosterone levels will head south really fast.
High cortisol is much more common than people think, and its often caused by adrenal fatigue,
chronic stress, and poor diet ( eating foods that cause inflammation and oxidative stress).
Thats why I have made you this list of 9 foods to reduce high cortisol levels naturally:

1. Wild Salmon

Salmon has a beneficial effect for your stress hormone

levels via multiple pathways.
Firstly, its jam packed with omega-3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in
the body.
In this study, the researchers saw that omega-3s in salmon reduced cortisol secretion in stressed
individuals.
Secondly, salmon is one of the best sources of high quality dietary protein.
By making sure that you get adequate amounts of protein from solid food sources (not liquid
protein shakes), you make sure that your body always has slow release amino-acids available to
feed your muscles.
This prevents catabolia and the acute cortisol response of it.
NOTE: Make sure to get wild salmon as the grown alternative is fed with soy pellets and is highly estrogenic due to that.

2. Black Tea

Sure black tea has some caffeine, and caffeine is

known to increase cortisol
But still, according to a study conducted by Andrew Steptoe from the University College
London, the individuals who drank 4 cups of black tea daily for six weeks, had lower cortisol
levels after a stressful event when compared to a placebo group which didnt drink black tea.
The research group wasnt sure what caused this reduction in cortisol, but they suspected that it
may have something to do with the high content of theanine found in black tea.
No matter what it was, it was so effective that it did override the cortisol inducing effects of
caffeine and ended up lowering cortisol levels
NOTE: To lower cortisol levels even more effectively, invest in decaffeinated black tea.

3. Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is rich in multiple antioxidants, such as flavonols

and polyphenols.
Being high in antioxidants, dark chocolate effectively reduces oxidative stress inside the body
which in theory should lead to lower levels of cortisol.
To support that theory theres this controlled human study where the researchers saw that dark
chocolate significantly reduced cortisol levels when compared to placebo.
NOTE: The dark chocolate in most grocery stores is made in too hot temperatures, meaning that the antioxidants are most likely gone. Thats why you should always
get raw chocolate.

4. Berries

Berries are one hell of a great way to lower high cortisol levels
naturally
Theyre very high in vitamin C, which has reduced cortisol levels successfully in multiple
studies (this and this for example)
Darker berries are also loaded with antochyanins, which also have cortisol lowering benefits.
Not to mention the fact that most berries are loaded with antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress
in the body, leading to lower cortisol levels.
NOTE: If you want to have a berry with huge amount of antioxidants, solid vitamin C, and loads of antochyanins, try some Acai berries.

5. Chamomille Tea

Chamomille tea has been used for centuries as a sleep

aid, and its not for nothing as the drink truly has a relaxing effect.

It contains flavonoids, essential oils, coumarin and other compounds that help you relax.
Chamomille has also shown to improve sleep quality in few studies. And better sleep will
decrease cortisol levels for sure.
Also in this study, chamomille was seen to block the precursor hormone of cortisol
(adrenocorticotropic hormone) being secreted from the adrenal glands.

6. Garlic

Garlic is truly a real superfood.

Not only does it increase testosterone and nitric oxide, it also offers some anti-inflammatory
benefits.
Obviously everything that reduces oxidative damage and bodily inflammation will also decrease
cortisol levels too.
And it comes not as a surprise that in this study, garlic was seen to decrease cortisol levels quite
nicely.

7. Olive Oil

Olive oil is known to have extremely strong anti-inflammatory benefits.

It just may be one of the best dietary fats to use if youre a man, because it also converts
cholesterol more easily into testosterone and is cardio-protective.
But thats not all
A compound called oleuropein which gives olive oil its distinctive taste, was found in this
study to be very good at reducing cortisol levels.
I have a bigger post about the many benefits of olive oil here, so read that if you want to learn
more about this awesome oil.

8. Oats

Im not that big of a fan of grains. Mainly because

theyre not the optimal nutrition for the human body, as I discuss in this article.
However oats are the only grain that I usually cut some slack to.
Thats because oats are filled with testosterone boosting steroidal saponins.
But the saponins are no longer the only reason why I as a grain-hater consume some
oats
Because in this study, oats were shown to elevate serotonin levels in the brain.
Serotonin is the feel good hormone in humans and increased levels of it will reduce cortisol.

9. Oysters

Oysters are a real man food for sure.

Theyre known for their aphrodisiac effects and the worlds most famous ladies man, Giacomo
Casanova, allegedly ate 50 oysters as breakfast every morning.

The aphrodisiac effect can most likely be explained with the fact that oysters are one of the
highest known sources for bio-active zinc, which boosts testosterone levels
But zinc does not only boost testosterone, as its also known for its cortisol lowering effects.
Meaning that oysters are also effective at reducing high cortisol.

Conclusion
So those were the 9 research backed foods that can bring down your elevated cortisol levels.
Even if your cortisol levels wouldnt be high, its still beneficial to eat these foods as most of
them also have testosterone boosting effects, and all of these foods are overall quite healthy.
Thank you for reading!

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