Tag

actually?

Browsing

A glass of red wine a day is good for the heart – right? Scientists have studied the effects of daily alcohol consumption on heart disease and found: This myth can be dangerous for some people.

Be careful with heart disease: it is better to do without the daily glass of wine

Dora Csengeri from the University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg explains the results as follows: “People with moderate alcohol consumption had a 16 percent higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation compared to abstinent people. Around 6000 of the study participants suffered during this time atrial fibrillation for the first time.” The cardiologist Csengeri confirms the connection between already low alcohol consumption and an increased risk of atrial fibrillation.

It has long been known that excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to the heart. The difference to previous research with this study is that even small amounts of alcohol can trigger heart diseases such as atrial fibrillation, reports heart specialist Andreas Götte of the German Heart Foundation. The scientist and doctor Csengeri therefore emphasizes: “With regard to atrial fibrillation, regular consumption of even small amounts must be discouraged”.

Csengeri adds the following in connection with the misconception that regular consumption of small amounts of alcohol, such as a glass of wine, does not harm or even protect the heart: “20 grams of alcohol per day have a certain protective effect”. However, the researcher explicitly points out that this positive effect only relates to cardiac insufficiency and heart attacks – in no way to atrial fibrillation.

Conclusion: Is it safe to drink a glass of wine?

The heart expert Andreas Götte emphasizes that the right balance is relevant when consuming alcohol. According to the German Heart Foundation, his recommendation is as follows:

People who are completely abstaining from alcohol should not start because of possible health benefits.
People with atrial fibrillation should reduce their alcohol consumption significantly or even completely avoid alcohol.
People who only occasionally drink a glass of alcohol should not be afraid of atrial fibrillation and, at best, can benefit from the positive effects on the risk of heart attack and heart failure.
People who consume alcohol regularly should be aware of the risk of developing atrial fibrillation.

Lose weight without much effort? – That’s fine. Because the key to every success in losing weight is not in meager diets: A fitness expert explains why it can theoretically also work with chips and cola to let those annoying pounds tumble.

In theory, you can also lose weight with chips and cola

The calorie requirement is the index of energy that the body needs to function. However, this is not the same for every person, but individual. Nutrients are divided into three so-called “macronutrients” or “macros”. These are carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
one gram of carbohydrates is over four calories
a gram of protein is over four calories
a gram of fat over nine calories
Fitness trainer Yannick Reinlein is certain that you can fill your calorie balance with unhealthy foods. For example, you can very well lose or maintain your weight with a diet that consists only of chips. However, Reinlein emphasizes that from his point of view this is not recommended. “You can definitely lose weight with the motto calories equal calories, but whether that’s healthy is a completely different question,” he says.

According to Reinlein, there are two main reasons why you shouldn’t do this: satiety and the feeling of hunger. “50 grams of carbohydrates from potatoes or gummy bears make no difference in terms of the calorie balance, but potatoes have a significantly higher satiety effect. So you don’t have to go hungry,” says Reinlein.

After all, unhealthy foods don’t have this name from just anywhere. Logically, it’s ultimately about the calorie balance that keeps the body functioning, but similar to an internal combustion engine, it’s always important to have the right fuel for the engine in question. “It’s exactly the same as cream and salmon. Both have fat, but the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in salmon is much higher than that in cream, making it a much healthier source of fat,” explains the fitness expert.

You can lose weight by eating unhealthy foods

Especially with a diet that focuses on losing weight, it is important to change your diet and use healthy foods. True to the motto “you are what you eat”, nutrition is the lynchpin for physical well-being.

“A healthy body loses weight better than a sick one. Digestion is negatively affected by an unhealthy diet, and it can also promote the formation of inflammation in the body. Only when the body is healthy can it fully perform the function of burning fat,” says Reinlein.

Nevertheless, everyday movement should not be underestimated. Every step and every extra effort ensures that the calorie turnover increases. Consequently, if you burn a lot, you also need a higher calorie intake. Conversely, this means that you increase your calorie turnover through an increased amount of exercise and the combustion is boosted. If you then also save on calorie intake here, you will quickly lose weight. A good example of this is Bernd Stelter. According to him, he has only changed small habits, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or simply walking more every day. With success: Stelter has become a whole 25 kilos lighter!

Additional movement increases combustion

Ultimately, it is even true: Calories equal calories. But even if the body functions equally well on a diet of chips and cola as on a diet of vegetables and meat, you can’t compare it. This confirms that you can lose weight through an unhealthy diet, but that there is no guarantee that you will be healthier afterwards than before. If you also want to go one step further and lose weight as quickly as possible, you will still not be able to do with additional exercise. Nevertheless, the old rule applies here too: Patience makes perfect.

The selection of milk alternatives – including oat milk in particular – on the supermarket shelves is growing all the time. But what can the milk substitute actually do and how healthy and environmentally friendly is it?

Who is oat milk for?

Since the oat drink consists mainly of oat flakes and water, it is well tolerated by many people. In contrast to cow’s milk, oat milk is lactose-free and therefore a good alternative for people with lactose intolerance.

However, the grain-based drink contains gluten and therefore cannot be drunk by people with celiac disease. Anyone who does not want to use cow’s milk in favor of animal welfare and the climate is well served with the oat drink.

Plant-based milk alternatives, including oat milk, are still significantly more expensive than cow’s milk, although the ingredients used are relatively cheap. As always, supply and demand regulate the market here: the more sales are achieved with plant-based milk alternatives, the lower the production costs and the more producers* enter the business, which is accompanied by increasing competitive pressure and falling prices. If you make oat milk yourself, it is definitely cheaper.

Oat milk is so healthy

Oat milk is naturally sweet due to the starch in the processed grain. However, they are available in both unsweetened and sweetened versions. In terms of health, it is certainly worth making sure that you grab a pack with no added sugar on the shelf.

Oatmeal, the basis for the oat drink, is very healthy. They contain many vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Oats can also lower cholesterol levels. However, if you want to take full advantage of the health benefits, you should enjoy oatmeal unprocessed or make oat milk directly yourself, as many of these substances are lost during processing. Plant drinks also contain less saturated and more unsaturated fatty acids than cow’s milk. In general, oat milk has only little fat at one percent compared to cow’s milk. Nevertheless, there are some calories in the plant-based alternative: 100 milliliters have about 42 kilocalories.

Normally, oat drink contains hardly any calcium, which is why you can make sure to use oat milk that is fortified with calcium. Otherwise, calcium can also be absorbed through many other foods. Unlike cow’s milk, oat milk is not a source of protein. However, the necessary protein for a balanced diet can also be obtained from other sources, such as legumes, vegetables or nuts.

Make your own oat milk

If you value healthy nutrition and want to benefit from all the healthy ingredients that are otherwise partially destroyed in industrial production, you can quickly make the milk alternative yourself with just a few ingredients. As a result, it contains less sugar and tastes less sweet, as this is only produced during fermentation in industrial production. It’s also a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option. You need:
100g fine oat flakes
1l water
1 pinch of salt
optional: some sugar/dates to sweeten
First the water is boiled. The oatmeal is added to the boiling water and swells there for about an hour. Now add the salt and sweetener if desired. The mass is now pureed with the mixer, but it should not be too warm. Finally, the pulp is pressed through a cotton cloth or a fine sieve and the milk is collected in a bowl. Stored in a sealable bottle in the fridge, it will keep for up to 3 days.
Tip: Don’t throw away the leftovers! You can enjoy this in muesli.

How eco-friendly is oat milk?

One of the reasons why people are increasingly switching to plant-based alternatives is the negative environmental impact of milk production. Factory farming and industrial agriculture damage the environment and climate. Some of the climate-damaging emissions are already produced in the cow’s digestive system, but feed production also makes a large contribution. Rain forests are cleared again and again for the soy that is used as feed. Only a very small part of it is used for soy milk or tofu, since the soy mostly comes from Europe.

Since oat cultivation is widespread in Europe, the question of rainforest deforestation does not arise. Not only in comparison to cow’s milk, but also in comparison to other plant-based milk alternatives, the oat drink has the best environmental balance. According to a study by the BBC, it takes around 10 liters of water to produce a glass of oat milk. According to the Water Footprint organization, however, it takes around 200 liters to produce a glass of cow’s milk. About 74 liters are needed for a glass of almond milk.

When buying oat milk, in order to save energy, you should make sure that the oats come from European production, ideally from organic farming. There is now also oat powder*, which can simply be mixed with water and thus saves the many milk packaging.

Alternatives to oat milk

Those who like variety can now choose between a number of plant-based alternatives. Besides oat milk, soy and almond milk are the best-known alternatives. Soy milk is most similar to cow’s milk in its main nutrients. With the same protein content, however, it sometimes contains fewer calories, less sugar and less fat than cow’s milk. Almond milk tastes sweet and is just as good for any food. When it comes to the environmental balance, however, almond milk should be consumed with caution.

Rice milk is a good choice for people with many allergies and intolerances. It is suitable for people with lactose intolerance, celiac disease and soy or nut allergies. It is also much more neutral in taste than other varieties. Hazelnut drink and coconut drink also bring a tasty change.
By the way: If you pay particular attention to proteins, a hemp or lupine drink* could be right for you.

Conclusion

Anyone who avoids animal products and pays attention to a healthy diet will not go wrong with oat milk.

It can be enjoyed pure and also used perfectly for cooking and baking. Because it tastes sweet by nature, additional sugar can be saved.

Another reason that speaks for oat drink is the good environmental balance. The ingredients don’t have to hide either. In order to fully benefit from the nutrients in oats, however, it is worth making the oat drink yourself.

So-called “superfoods” are all the rage right now. It is not always clear which foods fall under this designation and what they actually do.

What exactly is “superfood”?

There is no official definition of “superfood”. In everyday language, the term is used to describe foods with a particularly high amount of nutrients, minerals and vitamins.

The food in question is said to have various positive effects on health due to the ingredients. However, there is usually no scientific evidence for this. The superfood is available in many different versions: the superfood can be purchased in stores as a whole fruit, as seeds, in the form of juices, extracts or powders.

Well-known superfoods are, for example, chia seeds, goji berries, moringa, açai berries, barley grass, papaya, grape seeds or acerola. A more far-reaching limitation also names cabbage vegetables such as broccoli or kale, raw sauerkraut, shiitake mushrooms, almonds, pumpkin seeds, ginger, pomegranates, avocados, turmeric and oregano as “superfood”.

Use of Superfood and Possible Risks

Superfood can be integrated into the everyday diet in many ways. Chia seeds, powder, nuts or berries of any kind can be mixed well into the morning muesli, for example. An idea for starting the day with a superfood is a ginger tea, which you can also refine with turmeric.

You can also make smoothies with superfood – for example with cabbage or berries. You can always snack on roasted pumpkin seeds, almonds or papaya seeds in between meals. Simply serve avocado on bread and then enjoy it with a salad of broccoli, pomegranate seeds, shiitake mushrooms and hemp oil dressing.

If, like about half of the population, you use superfoods in everyday life, you should be careful, despite the healthy diet: the fragmentary scientific research on many superfoods can lead to undesirable reactions. These include, for example, previously undetected allergies, an overreaction to the food or interactions with medications that you are taking. So be sure to clarify any uncertainties with a doctor and always pay attention to a careful dosage of the superfood. You should be particularly careful with extracts: If the exotic superfoods come from abroad, there are often no exact dosage specifications or food controls. As a result, it may contain concentrated substances that can be harmful to health.

Focus on the phytochemicals: Most superfoods contain this

A healthy diet plays an important role not only if you want to lose weight: an adequate supply of all necessary vitamins and nutrients is crucial for maintaining all bodily functions. Superfoods are characterized by the fact that, in addition to many vitamins and minerals, they often contain a high concentration of secondary plant substances.

Some of the most important plant substances are, for example, flavonoids, carotenoids and phytoestrogens. These ensure that the plant appears in different colors: flavonoids color the plant, for example, red, light yellow, blue or violet.

An antioxidant effect is to be expected for the flavonoids. This means that free radicals are scavenged in the body. Inflammation can thus be alleviated, but blood pressure can also be lowered and the immune system strengthened. The carotenoids are said to actively support the cardiovascular system, prevent cancer and also have an antioxidant effect. Finally, the phytoestrogens should be mentioned, which can also protect against cancer and have an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect.

Focus on the environment: where does superfood come from?

When the term first emerged, it was primarily used for foods of exotic origin. These include, for example, aronia berries or goji berries; these usually have to cover long transport routes. This means that these superfoods are comparatively expensive and also have a major disadvantage with regard to the environment: long flight routes and sometimes no refrigeration of the food means that the superfoods have a bad climate balance.

In order to grow in a more environmentally friendly way, regional companies have also looked into planting some superfoods here. However, many cannot be grown under the climatic conditions in Germany. So if you buy a superfood in a specialist store or online, you should definitely make sure that you buy an organic product and take a look at the country of origin. If the product is not verified with an organic seal, it may be contaminated with pollutants or pesticides. As an alternative to the exotic superfoods, you can also use other regional foods that contain similar ingredients: instead of the acai berry, you can eat cherries, blackberries or red cabbage just as well.

Other regional “superfoods” are foods such as spinach, flaxseed, currants, walnuts*, oats or millet*. Also from these foods are rich in vitamins and nutrients. The advantage of regional superfoods is that they are cheaper and you not only support regional businesses, but also do something good for the environment.

Suitability of the superfood for weight loss

A high antioxidant potential is attributed to various superfoods. This should help you lose weight faster. A saturation effect, which is advantageous for losing weight, is also advertised. How effective the food really is has not been scientifically proven: any tips are mostly based on personal experience.

Many foods such as coconut or papaya are also said to be good for the skin. They are also said to curb appetite. In general, you can integrate various superfoods into a healthy diet as long as you dose them conscientiously: the regional superfoods in particular provide your body with important nutrients and vitamins.

You should take a closer look at exotic superfoods in particular: promises that the food will help you lose weight are not guaranteed and side effects are often not researched. Basically, it is important for a promising diet to pay attention to a healthy and balanced diet and to exercise accordingly.

Fish is a regular part of the menu for many; after all, he is generally considered to be very healthy. But you also want to consume fish sustainably

The problem with the fish: you should know that

Fish is generally considered healthy in our society. The reason for this assessment is the high-quality protein it contains, essential and health-promoting fatty acids (such as omega-3 fatty acids), valuable vitamins and numerous minerals. But not only the health aspect has to be considered when consuming fish: Sustainability must not be neglected either.

The term “fishing” is also associated with terms such as “animal suffering”, “environmental destruction” and “overfishing”. In order to decide whether the purchase of a fish is compatible with the concept of sustainability, the fishing areas, the fishing methods and the certificates must be examined. Only those who consciously consume fish can take a step against the problems of fishing and thus do something good for the environment.

You can use pseudo grains in the kitchen in almost the same way as real grains. The grains are healthy and gluten-free. However, they are not necessarily sustainable.

What is pseudo grain?

Pseudo grain is the umbrella term for grains that you can use in a similar way to grain. However, they do not officially belong to the sweet grasses – the genus to which cereals belong – but to other plant families. So, botanically, it is not a grain.

The most well-known pseudocereals are:
Amaranth from the foxtail family
Buckwheat, a plant species of the knotweed family
Quinoa, also a foxtail plant

Pseudo grains: advantages and disadvantages

Pseudo grains are popular alternatives to real grains because they offer a number of benefits:
They are gluten-free: pseudocereals do not contain gluten and are therefore also suitable for people with gluten intolerance
They have more protein and fiber than grains: amaranth, for example, contains more than three times the calcium of conventional grains. Pseudo-cereals can be important sources of protein, especially in a plant-based diet.
Their carbohydrate content is low: the consumption of pseudo-cereals does not have such a strong effect on the blood sugar level. This makes pseudocereals a good grain alternative for people who have problems with their blood sugar.

A major disadvantage of all pseudocereals is that they are not native plants. In Germany, they cannot compete with domestic crops and only bring a small harvest. The yield fluctuates greatly, making cultivation very uncertain for farmers.

It’s starting again: Pumpkin season starts as early as August, the fruit is available almost everywhere from September and pumpkin season reaches its peak in October. However, the different varieties have different seasons – and they do not all store equally well…

Like so many other things, the pumpkin is not a German or European fruit: Seafarers brought the seeds of the pumpkin to Europe and it is now native to many gardens here – you can find tips on how to plant a pumpkin in the article. In addition to the increasing popularity of Halloween, the vegetarian-vegan cooking trend in particular is likely to have contributed to the pumpkin boom.

Ornamental pumpkins are used by many as decoration in autumn. Because of the sweet and at the same time nutty taste, it is also valued for rich, filling and yet not high-calorie pumpkin soups and for curry dishes. It is rich in vitamins, potassium, zinc and other nutrients, and the yellow varieties are also rich in carotene. But when is pumpkin actually in season?

When is pumpkin season?

The pumpkin likes it hot and sunny. The pumpkins are planted from the end of April to mid-May; from June it will be too late again. Pumpkins that are then planted will no longer come to fruition.

The pumpkin season starts at the end of July at the earliest, typically at the end of late summer in August.
Pumpkin season peaks in the fall months of September and October and lasts until frost.

Whether nougat is also available vegan is an important question for many beginners in this field – after all, the sweet mass is essential for various dessert recipes. We’ll tell you what you, as a vegan, have to look out for when buying.

Is nougat vegan?

Nougat is a popular ingredient in the world of desserts and cakes: the creamy mass is often used, for example, as a fine filling for pralines and the like. Nut nougat creams are also real classics among sweet spreads.

In itself, it is not a problem to make vegan nougat. The essential basic ingredients are hazelnuts and cocoa. In addition, the dark nut mass usually consists of sugar, fat (usually cocoa butter or palm fat) and vanilla flavoring. In addition to dark hazelnut nougat, there are many other types of nougat made from almonds, pistachios and other types of nuts, for example.

It is not uncommon for manufacturers to add animal ingredients to nougat and especially nougat creams, such as milk powder or butterfat. If you want to buy vegan nougat, you should therefore pay attention to vegan-certified goods or read the list of ingredients carefully beforehand.

Nougat: Vegan recipe ideas

You can also easily make nougat yourself at home. Here we show you a recipe for vegan nougat with coconut fat: Make nougat yourself: Recipe and tips.

You can find instructions for vegan nougat pralines in this article: Vegan pralines: 3 delicious recipes to make yourself.

In addition, nougat is suitable as an ingredient for:

Nougat thalers and cookies
cakes and muffins
Pie fillings and cupcake frostings
Fillings for croissants
Ice Cream and Parfaits

What about organic, fair trade and palm oil?

Even if nougat is vegan, it is not automatically a sustainable product. In order to really fall back on socially and ecologically responsible products, you should also pay attention to organic and fair trade seals when buying.

Organic seals guarantee, among other things, that no pesticides that are harmful to the environment or health were used in the cultivation of the ingredients. The Fairtrade logo assures you that everyone involved in the production chain has worked under fair working conditions and for a fair wage. This is particularly important with cocoa. You can find out more about this here: Fairtrade cocoa: you need to know that.

After all, some nougat fillings contain palm fat. Palm oil production is significantly involved in the clearing of rainforests and thus in the extinction of species and the progression of the climate crisis. In order not to support these abuses, you can use palm oil-free products. Alternatively, there are certifications for sustainably produced palm oil.

Have you ever wondered if baking soda is vegan? This is a tricky question to answer as it depends on the baking soda: some are vegan, some are not.

If you want to bake vegan, you have to use vegan baking powder. Baking powder is not inherently vegan. Depending on what kind of baking powder it is, it may contain animal ingredients.

Baking powder usually consists of one or more of these ingredients:

sodium bicarbonate (E 500ii),
potassium hydrogen carbonate (E 501ii),
potassium carbonate (“potash”),
disodium dihydrogen diphosphate (E 450a),
cream of tartar (E 336),
monocalcium orthophosphate (E 341a),
Strength.

When baking soda is vegan

Of the above ingredients, baking powder contains either phosphate (disodium dihydrogen diphospha) or cream of tartar as an acidifier. In a separate article, we already explained why cream of tartar is better. However, you have to keep in mind: While conventional baking powder is always vegan, there are sometimes animal ingredients in cream of tartar.

Why isn’t baking powder always vegan? The cream of tartar in baking soda is wine based. In some cases, this is clarified with gelatin or other animal substances. Although the gelatine is removed again, traces can always remain. For this reason, you have to make sure that Weinstein baking powder is explicitly marked with the addition “vegan”. Then the wine has been clarified with vegan substances.

Overview: Vegan Baking Powder

The conventional baking powder with phosphate is vegan, but not recommended. We recommend cream of tartar, which the companies also say is vegan in most cases. Here is an overview of major brand vegan cream of tartar:

dm organic baking powder with pure cream of tartar
RUF organic cream of tartar baking powder
REWE organic pure tartar baking powder (certified with vegan flower)
Alnatura organic pure tartar baking powder (certified with vegan flower)
Biovegan Master Baking Powder
Natura Organic Cream of Tartar Baking Powder
Organic Central Baking Soda Tartar
Tip: If you still have old baking powder with phosphate at home, you can use it to clean the baking tray or other household items, such as the ceramic hob.

Packed in a protective atmosphere – you can read that on many products in the self-service counter in the supermarket. In this article, you will find out whether this is good or bad.

What does “packaged in a protective atmosphere” mean?

Most groceries in the supermarket come in packaging. But packaged is not always packaged. For example, you can differentiate between “packaged under air” and “packaged in a protective atmosphere”.

Fish and meat from the self-service counter are most often packaged in a modified atmosphere. Bread, pre-baked rolls, pasta from the refrigerated section, packaged cheese, sausage, nuts or ready-cut fruit are now also packaged in this way.

If food is packed under air, this can lead to unfavorable changes. Some examples of this are:

faster corruption processes
proliferation of bacteria
oxidative changes, i.e. changes in color or taste.
In order to avoid such changes, many foods are packaged in a protective atmosphere. This works in such a way that the ambient air is first extracted and then replaced with a specifically modified gas mixture. The gas mixture is adapted to the individual product. It can consist of oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2) or other noble gases. The process is officially called “Modified Atmosphere Packaging”. The protective atmosphere then extends the shelf life of the food and you can recognize this from the note on the package (“Packaged in a protective atmosphere”).

Pork and beef are also often packaged using an advanced process. It’s called “High O2–MAP”. The special thing about this is that the oxygen content is higher than in normal air and higher than in normal packaging in a protective atmosphere.

Advantages and disadvantages of products packed in modified atmosphere

Disadvantages of food packed under modified atmosphere:

Food packed in a modified atmosphere is always packed in plastic.
You do not have the option to adjust the amount of the product to your consumption. This is relevant, for example, when you buy meat. If you buy groceries fresh at the counter, you can buy exactly as much as you need and thus avoid food waste.
In addition, products that have already been packaged are less fresh – even if they are packaged in a modified atmosphere.

Advantages of food packed in a modified atmosphere:

The packaged products are of higher quality. This is because changes in the products are reduced by the packaging.
The light red color of beef and pork is preserved.
The food has a longer shelf life.
Additional preservatives are not necessary.
Products that are packaged in a protective atmosphere must be stored with particular care. If the packaging is damaged, it is no longer effective.
Foodstuffs packaged in a modified atmosphere are also marked with a use-by date. In contrast to fresh products, it is clear to the consumer how long it can be enjoyed. The use-by date indicates the period in which bacteria and fungi do not noticeably multiply. Since the protective atmosphere slows down bacterial growth, the use-by date can also be found on the packaging.

Are there any health concerns?

According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, food packaged in a protective atmosphere is not harmful to health.

The products in a protective atmosphere are regularly checked for their gas composition. This means that the composition of the air in the packaging is checked. In an investigation by the State Office for Consumer Protection in Saxony-Anhalt, for example, the ambient air was completely replaced in 90 percent of the products.

One final tip: if you’re buying groceries that are packaged in a modified atmosphere, check the packaging for damage. She just looks undamaged.