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Very tasty, but extremely unhealthy: Sugar is in various forms in almost every food. However, particularly large amounts of the fattening agent are hidden in processed products. Here are the consequences of eating too much sugar and the best tips for eating less.

How much sugar is ok?

Assuming an average calorie consumption of 2000 kcal, that is 50 grams of sugar that you can consume per day. That corresponds to about half a liter of lemonade, 17 sugar cubes, or 100 grams of chocolate. So the recommended amount is reached quickly – but how do you manage to eat less sugar effectively and easily?

There are many different testimonials from people who give up sugar, but not every way works. First of all, the most important thing is to reduce the daily amount of sugar – this is particularly difficult for many at the beginning, because our body and our taste buds are used to the sweet experience.

Ways to eat less sugar

The aim of the reduction is to sensitize our taste for sweets again. Because if you eat sugar again after giving up, it tastes all the sweeter. Now you have to either continue to do without sugar or cut out sugary foods. For example, Ökotest suggests diluting juices with water or mixing fruit yoghurt with plain yoghurt.

You should also pay attention to the list of ingredients when shopping: Sugar is often added as a flavor enhancer to many processed products. Especially here you can eat a lot of sugar quickly. The bestselling author of the “Nutrition Compass”, Bas Kast, therefore always recommends: “Cook yourself with fresh, natural food” – because this is the only way to really have control over the ingredients and the sugar intake.

Eat sugar: Less is always better

The realization that sugar is unhealthy and that we should eat as little of it as possible is nothing new. However, the fact that the health consequences can go as far as cancer is very shocking. So in order to really pay attention to a healthy diet with little sugar, the best thing to do is simply stop eating.

That means no sugar in the coffee, no sweets in the evening and always cook with fresh ingredients. This is difficult for many to implement, but reducing the amount of sugar is a step in the right direction. “Enjoy, the dose makes the poison,” agrees the expert Bas Kast.

Oiling squeaky doors and avoiding creaking doors made it easy. Do your doors squeak or creak loudly when opening or closing? Then normal vegetable oil, which can be found in every household, can help!

Simply unhook the door, use your finger or a brush to apply some vegetable oil to the door frame’s tenon, and hang the door back on – done! It’s best to let your strong man hold the door open…

If removing the door is too complicated and also too difficult, this trick is suitable: simply lift the door a little and slide old shoes underneath. Sports shoes are best for this. Then the door is on the shoe and you can drip oil on the hinges of the doors at your leisure.

Despite the digital age, annoying commercials are still common. As a flyer in the pedestrian zone, in the car, or in the mailbox, you are never safe. Now use the best tips for avoiding junk mail and unsubscribing to keep the mailbox free of really important messages.

What is promotional mail?

Advertising mail, flyers, or free magazines often end up in the mailbox unintentionally. Advertising flyers are the ideal means of distributing information very quickly in the local or regional environment. This usually happens as a personal handover in pedestrian zones, by being stuck behind car windscreen wipers, or by dropping it in mailboxes. However, an estimated 1.3 – 1.83 million tons of paper waste for unaddressed advertising material is generated every year. And that although most people do not want this advertising mail and find it annoying.

Tips against advertising in the mailbox

So that you can avoid annoying advertising mail, there are a few tricks to defend yourself against it. As a result, you avoid full mailboxes and unnecessary paper waste and can make your household more sustainable. Accordingly, proceed as follows:

1) Avoid unaddressed junk mail

This type of advertising mail annoys most people because it’s really just paper for the bin. It usually draws attention to the new pizza shop or the new nail salon around the corner. But now you can protect yourself well against this type of advertising mail. To do this, put a note or sticker in your mailbox that says “No advertising”. According to the Federal Court of Justice, companies must comply with this request.

2) Unsubscribe from addressed junk mail

Unfortunately, if the mailing is clearly addressed to your name and address, a simple sticker will not suffice. As a result, you can subscribe to the DVD Robinson list and unsubscribe from annoying advertising mail. But that only applies to advertising from companies that are members of the Association for German Dialogue Marketing Association. Accordingly, you must unsubscribe from advertising from other companies directly and in writing or prohibit delivery.

3) Get rid of free weeklies

Even for the free weekly papers, a sticker saying “No advertising” is not enough. In order to avoid this junk mail, you need to expand the request on the mailbox and clearly write, “No free newspapers, weeklies, or magazines.” Or contact the editors of the weekly newspaper directly and let them know that you would like to unsubscribe from the advertising mail. In addition, note tips on the right of withdrawal and return for internet orders.

4) Sue companies

If you find annoying advertising mail in your mailbox despite the measures taken, you can sue the company in question. But you should keep in mind that it could be a lot of work and expense for you. And that is usually not worthwhile, although you could consider this if you have legal protection insurance.

5) Annoying advertising on the car

The flyer that is perceived as the most annoying is certainly the one on the car. As a private person, you don’t have that many options to defend yourself. The supposedly good idea with the charge of property damage (scratches on the car) fails because of the evidence. One of the few chances to indirectly get a little right is to have the authorities check whether a commercial advertising leaflet has the appropriate approval. This is needed because road traffic is misused (there is now a corresponding judgment from the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court). The penalty for distributing advertising leaflets alone without permission can be as high as 1,000 euros.

Cravings during and during your period. Every woman knows this sudden craving for chips, chocolate or other sweets. The greed is often so great that a single portion of these snacks is hardly enough to satisfy it. What is the female body trying to tell us? Now there is an explanation for this problem.

Deficiency symptoms as a trigger for cravings?

Shortly before menstruation, there is a lack of magnesium, which should be covered by the food cravings. For example, very dark chocolate with a high cocoa content contains a lot of magnesium. In addition, the body produces more cortisol just before and during the menstrual period than usual.

This increases insulin levels, increasing cravings for sweets. As cortisol levels rise, serotonin levels fall. This is a hormone-like substance that is responsible for various organ functions and healthy sleep.

Outside the period, with a normal serotonin level, women are more relaxed and less prone to stress than during the menstrual period. To compensate for the stress, the body looks for foods containing serotonin, such as chocolate.

Tips against food cravings:

Changing your diet just before and during your period
If chocolate exclusively with a high cocoa content
Consuming healthy foods rich in magnesium and serotonin, such as:
Oats contain a lot of magnesium
Whole grain products contain a lot of magnesium
Nuts, contains a lot of magnesium and serotonin
Seeds/pips, contains a lot of magnesium and serotonin
Legumes, contains a lot of magnesium and serotonin
Fish, good for menstrual problems
Beef, good for cravings
Bananas are high in serotonin
Mushrooms, contains a lot of serotonin
Cottage cheese, good against cravings
green vegetables, like broccoli or beans
Potatoes, contains a lot of magnesium
unsweetened drinks

Important rules and a simple guide to the fridge will help you to avoid common fridge mistakes. As a result, storing food properly saves you time and money. You can also find out what absolutely shouldn’t be in the fridge and what fridge size is right for you.

Proper storage of food is important

If you follow a few simple tips when storing the fridge correctly, you will not only save time that would be spent searching but also money. Because the food has a longer shelf life. And in extreme cases, even harmful germs can form. The rules of physics also apply to the refrigerator. Warm air rises. That means there are different temperatures in the refrigerator and there are different cooling zones. You should consider this fact for the correct storage of food. But what does the correct storage of food in the refrigerator look like and what mistakes can I avoid?

Correct instructions for the refrigerator

Refrigerators have different cold zones, which can differ by up to 7°C. Accordingly, it is warmer in the upper compartments than in the lower compartments. It’s coldest on the back wall and on the glass shelf above the vegetable compartment. And it’s warmest in the refrigerator door. Since some foods need to be stored cooler than others, it makes sense to follow a few rules here.

Avoid common fridge mistakes

Storing food incorrectly in the fridge is a common mistake. When storing the refrigerator properly, the milk should never be in the refrigerator door, as the temperatures here are too warm. In addition to these mistakes, there are others that you should definitely avoid:

1) Do not store tropical fruits in the refrigerator

When storing the fridge correctly, remember that tropical fruits such as bananas or mangoes do not belong in the fridge. Because that would spoil the taste. Tomatoes and courgettes also react negatively to the climate in the refrigerator. Therefore, it is better to store them in a shady place in the kitchen. Eggs don’t necessarily have to be stored in a cool place either unless they are washed. You can put them in the fridge after a certain time stated on the packaging. Also, read tips on storing eggs. In addition, cucumbers should not be stored in the refrigerator because of their high water content. Likewise, potatoes are not suitable for the cold. Fresh herbs last longer in the crisper, with the exception of healthy basil.

2) Avoid hot food in the refrigerator

Mistakes often happen even with correct storage. Who does not know it? There was a lot of cooking and half of the lunch left. Quickly in a Tupperware and the warm food in the fridge. And now we have an error. Refrigerators remove the heat from the products. The warmer an object is, the more electricity is used to cool it. So let the food cool down first. Then you can save electricity.

3) Stock the fridge properly with the right packaging

Well packed, you protect your food from drying out. You also prevent odors and germs from forming. Therefore, use cling film or storage boxes to store the products properly. In addition, storage boxes create a good basic organization in the refrigerator. A “sausage box” and a “cheesebox” are recommended. Nothing is lying around openly and everything can be stacked better. You should also defrost and clean your refrigerator regularly. This way you can avoid a musty stench in the fridge.

  • Use cling film to preserve flavor and prevent germs
  • Use storage boxes to avoid chaos and save space

4) Pay attention to hygiene when storing the fridge correctly

In order to avoid germ formation and damage to health from spoiled food, you must ensure adequate hygiene. Consequently, make sure that when storing meat and products with raw eggs, juice cannot leak. These should be packed well. Food that is placed in the refrigerator for defrosting should also be placed in a bowl that catches the defrost water. This is very important with meat and poultry because hygiene is the be-all and end-all here. The refrigerator can be washed out with lukewarm water once a month. A splash of vinegar essence in the wash water prevents the formation of bacteria and mold. You can read more about this under the tips for cleaning and cleaning the kitchen.

5) Bought the wrong refrigerator

In order to avoid mistakes when buying a refrigerator, you should estimate the required refrigerator size. In general, you can assume that size of 120 liters is sufficient for a single person. Tests have also shown that an additional 60 liters are required. This means that a refrigerator for 3 people should have a capacity of around 240 liters. Of course, these are only guidelines. Here it depends on my own shopping behavior and how often I find time to shop. If you enjoy doing a large weekly shop, then the above estimates are realistic.

Fridge size guidelines

  • One person: 120 liters
  • Two people: 180 liters
  • Each additional person + 60 liters

During the lunch break, many people grab fast food – after all, there is often not much time to eat. However, there are 5 dishes that you should better avoid.

Fast food during the lunch break: because it has to be fast

Although such a lunch “to go” is anything but relaxed, it saves time and is usually delicious. The choice of the right lunch should not be underestimated. Most people leave much more time for breakfast and rethink their eating habits more often. But at midday work is pressing and people only eat because of hunger. Lunch is the prerequisite for an energetic and successful second half of the day.

In the long run, the unhealthy lunch breaks can become a habit and have some nasty side effects. Fast and stress eaters are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome. These include obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure and insulin resistance. In the short term, symptoms such as bloating or heartburn can be expected.

In order to prevent the mentioned possible side effects of permanently unhealthy lunches, you should avoid the following dishes in the future:

#1Pizza

A well-known lunchtime classic. A whole pizza is usually eaten up in just 30 minutes, because the break just doesn’t allow for more time. However, our favorite Italian food should remain the exception, because it contains significantly more sodium than the average adult needs per day. Elevated sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

#2 Sandwich

Even the popular sandwich or roll is not necessarily good for our body. A lavishly filled roll with greasy sauces or cold cuts usually covers half of an adult’s nitrite and nitrate requirement. It is better to choose a vegetarian alternative or a simple sandwich – without sauces.

#3 Burgers

The burger is also a popular lunchtime dish. Most of the time, fries and a soft drink are ordered as well. In combination, the calorie value of the meal naturally jumps up quite a bit. However, with this high-fat, calorie- and sodium-rich food, overweight, diabetes and high blood pressure must be expected if consumed more frequently.

#4 Grilled Chicken

Grilled chicken is loaded with fat and sodium. In general, fried meals are often viewed very critically. In very large quantities, they often lead to cardiovascular problems and can even have fatal consequences.

#5 Hot Dogs

The well-known sausage with a roll, roasted onions and sauce almost completely fills the daily requirement of saturated fatty acids for an adult. In addition, there is a sodium intake that should not be underestimated, because a high sodium content can lead to high blood pressure. This also increases the risk of suffering a stroke or developing heart failure. In addition, excessive intake of fatty acids leads to higher cholesterol levels. This increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke even more.

Better: Tips for a healthy lunch

To avoid all side effects and dishes, but still enjoy a healthy and relaxed lunch break, here are a few tips:
60-30-10 principle: 60 percent of the break time is meal time, 30 percent exercise time and 10 percent relaxation time.
Eat in peace and take your time.
Choose lots of fruits and vegetables for your dish.
Avoid toppings on white bread, prefer whole grain rolls.
Consume animal products in moderation.
If possible, avoid fast food altogether.
Do you drink much

Phosphates are all-rounders in the food industry and are contained in numerous foods. However, a high-phosphate diet carries health risks. You can read here which foods you should therefore remove from your diet.

Natural phosphates: essential substances for the body

Phosphates occur naturally in almost all foods and, according to the Apothekenumschau, are neither harmful nor toxic. Quite the opposite: They are energy carriers, an important part of cell membranes and are mostly located in the bones. In its natural form, the substance is strongly bound to animal or vegetable proteins.

Natural phosphate is found, for example, in wholemeal bread, egg yolk, meat and nuts. Without the mineral, our muscles would perish. The body absorbs only 50 percent of phosphates from plant foods and 70 percent from animal proteins.

It becomes problematic with artificial phosphates. These are mostly freely soluble and are usually completely absorbed. With processed convenience foods, the body is significantly damaged.

These foods can be replaced with lower phosphate products

Basically, experts advise healthy people, as well as people with kidney disease, to buy fresh food instead of ready meals. Flavor enhancers, cheese, sausage products and baking powder should therefore be avoided as much as possible.

Many phosphate-rich foods can easily be replaced with lower-phosphate products:
Use Brie or cream cheese instead of Emmental slices
Dilute cream with water instead of milk
White bread instead of whole grain bread
Lemonade and wine instead of beer and coke
Pretzel sticks instead of peanuts
Cornflakes instead of muesli
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment criticizes the fact that there are no limit values ​​for phosphates in food supplements. Manufacturers add minerals in the form of phosphorus salts such as calcium and potassium phosphate to the preparations because the body cannot absorb pure calcium and potassium at all.

Especially in autumn and winter it is not advisable to buy fruit and vegetables indiscriminately. What looks harmless and tasty at first glance can even be harmful to health on closer inspection. We explain which 11 foods you should better avoid.

Diet in autumn and winter: These 11 foods are bad for you, those around you and the environment

Even in autumn and winter, our refrigerators and fruit baskets are well stocked. But: often with the “wrong” foods. Anyone who is mindful when shopping is not only doing something good for their own health, but also for the environment and those around them.

1. Strawberries

Unsurprisingly, strawberries are no longer in season in autumn and winter and therefore mainly come from abroad, such as Spain. However, these plantations have often been criticized for exploitative working conditions, massive use of pesticides and questionable irrigation methods. Be careful with strawberries from Germany. In this country, these only mature with considerable electricity consumption and are therefore not an environmentally friendly alternative.

2. Imported apples

Imported apples are generally not recommended and basically unnecessary. In any case, fresh apples from the region are available until mid-December, which do not have to be refrigerated using a lot of energy.

3. Green salad

Lettuce, iceberg lettuce or Batavia are less recommended in autumn and winter. They come from heated greenhouses and end up in the store “immature”. They not only contain less taste, but also fewer nutrients such as vitamins and phytochemicals and should therefore ideally not be consumed at all.
Fortunately, other salads are in season: lamb’s lettuce, chicory, endive or purslane can end up on our plates without worry.

4. Imported nuts

Unfortunately, many types of nuts also come from abroad and should therefore be avoided. However, we also grow nuts: walnuts and hazelnuts are particularly recommended and healthy.

5. Conventional citrus fruits

Residues of pesticides and preservatives are repeatedly found in conventional citrus fruits such as oranges, tangerines and lemons. Manufacturers often cheat and write “untreated” on their goods, even though they use pesticides. Prefer to buy fair trade organic fruit.

6. Conventional ACE juice

Many people like to drink an ACE juice in the morning and hope that they will do something good for themselves. But the fruit content in normal ACE juice is only between 20 and 60 percent. Water, sugar or sweeteners are often added. However, the added vitamins usually come from the laboratory and are therefore not necessarily recommended. If you like to drink fruit juices, it is best to use organic not-from-concentrate juices.

7. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are very popular. Unfortunately, in the cold season, almost all of them come from Spain, France or the Netherlands, where they are grown in greenhouses. The better alternative: organic tomatoes from the jar. These are harvested when ripe and therefore taste a lot better than imported goods.

8. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are also not recommended in autumn and winter. They are in season with us from June to the end of October. The imported goods have fewer healthy nutrients and long transport routes. You can often find cucumbers in the supermarket only wrapped in plastic so that they are better protected during transport.

9. Zucchini

Although the zucchini belongs to the pumpkin family, it is only in season from June to the end of October. Therefore: Better to use Hokkaido or Butternut. These are also available from us until December.

10. Conventional tea

Exploitation, discrimination and poverty are the order of the day in conventional tea plantations. Therefore, you should be particularly careful when shopping for tea. It is best to only buy black and green tea from fair trade and with the EU organic seal.

11. Imported Grapes

We also have to say goodbye to delicious grapes. From November, grapes mostly come from South Africa, India, Chile, Peru or Brazil. Conventional grapes are also often heavily contaminated with pesticides. Grapes should therefore primarily be bought regionally, during the season and in organic quality.

Drinking a lot is known to be very important. An adult needs between two and three liters of fluid a day. But you should rather do without three drinks.

#1 Lemonade

One of the favorite drinks of many people are sodas, like cola or similar. But because of their high sugar content, they not only damage the teeth, but also our intestinal flora. The excessive sweetener promotes both obesity and inflammation, which can lead to various diseases.

Consumption of sugary sodas increases the risk of disease

Cola in particular is very high on the red list with almost ten teaspoons of sugar. Regular consumption of sugary drinks can significantly increase the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and fatty liver.

#2 alcohol

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a white sausage breakfast or a champagne reception, especially in Germany a beer after work or a glass of wine with dinner is part of the order of the day – but regular alcohol consumption is bad for your health. It is well known that alcohol damages the liver: regular drinking can lead to fatty liver or cardiovascular diseases such as strokes and heart attacks. But excessive consumption can also cause damage to the brain. This is mainly shown by a poor memory or lack of concentration.

Moderation rather than abstinence counts when it comes to alcohol consumption

Alcohol is a trigger for many diseases, which is why the motto when consuming alcoholic beverages applies: in moderation, not in bulk! You don’t have to give up alcohol completely, but reducing your consumption can’t hurt.

#3 Energy drinks

Pupils and students in particular like to use an energy drink as an energy booster or pick-me-up during the exam phases or after a long night of partying. But just like sodas, these drinks also have a very high sugar content, which has a negative effect on health.

In addition to sugar, energy drinks also contain caffeine. This can increase blood pressure and heart rate, which is why these drinks should be consumed with caution, especially by people with cardiovascular diseases.

Trembling and sweating after energy drinks: be careful with pick-me-ups

Regular consumption can lead to nausea, headaches, insomnia, nervousness and sweating. Particularly heavy consumption of energy drinks can trigger cardiovascular diseases and circulatory collapse.

Not only because of the ethical dilemma, many people nowadays leave out dairy products or replace them with plant-based alternatives. But if you still like to use animal products, you should still avoid these three foods, which are considered particularly hazardous to health.

#1 whipped cream

Whipped cream is particularly popular with cake or ice cream. A cup of cream is also needed in some cooking recipes, but this dairy product is particularly rich in fats. With a fat content of 30 percent, cream can be very detrimental to calorie balance and cholesterol.

Whipped cream: only consume in small amounts
Therefore, the consumption of whipped cream should not happen regularly and only in small amounts. As with almost all unhealthy products, the same applies here: a small amount goes a long way. Now and then you can enjoy the milk product with caution.

#2 Fruit Yogurt

Whether for breakfast or as a small snack in between, fruit yoghurts initially appear to be healthy. But appearances are deceptive: most yoghurts have an excessive sugar content.

A 250 gram cup can easily contain more than 30 grams of sweetener. Therefore, the seemingly healthy dairy product can be counted as a candy rather than a healthy snack.

Fruit yoghurt: this is how you make it yourself very quickly
But the remedy is easy: You can easily conjure up a delicious fruit yoghurt yourself from natural yoghurt and fresh fruit. If you like it a bit sweeter, you can also add a little honey or agave syrup.

#3 butter

One of the most unhealthy dairy products is butter. Under cheese or jam, for cooking or baking, butter is used very often in the kitchen. However, butter is an absolute calorie bomb:
100 grams of butter can contain over 700 calories. Therefore, you should use the fat spread very sparingly, otherwise excessive consumption quickly leads to unwanted weight gain.

In addition, the dairy product is full of saturated fats, which cause cholesterol to rise sharply. Elevated cholesterol levels, in turn, increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease.

Be careful when consuming dairy products

It is up to you whether you want to consume dairy products, but you should always be careful when consuming them. Although milk is said to promote bone formation due to its high calcium content, its high lactose content can also increase the risk of diabetes.