Bread, Gluten and some healthy bread options

Bread Gluten

Gluten in GrainsGluten comes from the Latin word for ‘glue’ which gives dough the elastic property that holds gas when it rises.  Bubbles of carbon dioxide are released from fermenting yeast, which become trapped by the visco-elastic protein, ensuring a light honeycombed texture for the dough. The elastic nature of gluten also holds particles of the dough together, preventing crumbling during rolling and shaping. Hence, gluten plays a vital role in the production of leavened baked goods.Gluten is the name given to the protein found in some, but not all,…

Testosterone and Endurance

testosterone

 What can lower testosterone and what we can do about it naturally? Low Testosterone as a result of endurance trainingLow levels of testosterone can lead to poor muscle mass development, increased body fat stores, compromised athletic performance, reproductive issues and low libido.Endurance exercise can contribute to lowered levels of testosterone in men and can affect other important hormones in women. Many of us are avid exercisers that love endurance training so what can we do to ensure that our testosterone and other hormone levels are optimised?Exercise stress on androgen hormonesStudies consistently…

Overweight, stressed, fatigued and can’t lose weight?

Chronically elevated cortisol

Chronically elevated cortisol could be the culprit. Chronic stress is something most of us are dealing with in today’s fast paced lifestyle. Juggling family, work, travel, partners working away, no partner, finances, school and physical activity all increase the release of cortisol, a steroid hormone. Cortisol is produced from cholesterol in the adrenal glands and under normal circumstances is released when we wake, exercise or are under acute stress. Prolonged high levels of stress and chronically elevated cortisol can have deleterious effects on weight, immune function, and chronic disease risk.The following…