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Vitamin K Deficiency Can Be Dangerous: These Are 3 Common Symptoms

A vitamin K deficiency can have serious consequences. You should pay attention to three specific symptoms, because they are particularly common in the case of a deficiency. We explain how to recognize a vitamin K deficiency.

Vitamin K: Deficiency occurs more quickly in certain people

Along with vitamins A, D and E, vitamin K is one of the fat-soluble vitamins. The body cannot produce it on its own, so it must be obtained from the diet. A deficiency can lead to blood clotting disorders.

According to the AOK, the vitamin is divided into vitamin K1 and K2. Vitamin K1 must be ingested through food. Intestinal bacteria in the large intestine also produce vitamin K2, but this is only insufficiently absorbed by the body and does not cover the vitamin K requirement overall.

Vitamin K is absorbed into the cells of the small intestine mucosa with the help of bile acid and pancreatic enzymes and then released into the lymphatic vessels. The vitamin is then transported to the liver, where it is repackaged into specific proteins for onward transport in the bloodstream. Vitamin K is found in the liver and other tissues, including the brain, heart, bones and pancreas.

Vitamin K is important for wound closure

The K in vitamin K stands for coagulation. Coagulation means that a blood clot forms in an open wound and the blood can clot. This blood clot causes the wound to close and we don’t bleed to death. Vitamin K activates the necessary coagulation factors for this process. A lack of vitamin K can therefore have serious health consequences and is particularly noticeable through impaired blood clotting.

Fortunately, according to vital.de, a vitamin K deficiency is almost impossible with a balanced diet. However, certain medications, an unbalanced diet or chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis can cause a vitamin K deficiency.

Vitamin K deficiency also affects newborns because the vitamin is poorly transported across the placenta. This can lead to bleeding in babies in the first few weeks of life, which is why they routinely receive vitamin K drops in Germany.

These 3 symptoms often indicate a vitamin K deficiency

Especially if you suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel disease, you should definitely have a blood test done to determine your vitamin K levels. Furthermore, the following symptoms can indicate an undersupply or deficiency:

1. Bleeding gums or nosebleeds

The most typical and noticeable symptom of a vitamin K deficiency is that you tend to bleed easily. Since blood clotting is disturbed due to the lack of vitamin K, the blood platelets can no longer close wounds sufficiently and bleeding gums or nosebleeds occur more often and even small injuries result in unexpectedly large amounts of blood.

2. Bruises

Vitamin K deficiency can not only promote external bleeding, but also internal bleeding. This bleeding can appear as bruises, i.e. bruises under the skin. If you bruise easily from light touches, this could indicate a vitamin K deficiency or a blood clotting disorder. It becomes dangerous if the deficiency occurs together with a stomach ulcer, for example, since serious internal bleeding can occur.

3. Brittle bones

Vitamin K is doubly important for bone health: together with vitamin D and calcium, it not only promotes the build-up of bone mass, but also inhibits the activity of the so-called osteoclasts. These break down the bone substance and thus promote osteoporosis. In a study of over 72,000 women, researchers at Harvard Medical School found that those with the lowest levels of vitamin K had a significantly increased risk of fractures. However, the daily consumption of lettuce and other green vegetables can effectively counteract this danger.

These foods are particularly high in vitamin K:

Kale
spinach
arugula
broccoli
lettuce
cauliflower
sauerkraut
Yoghurt and cottage cheese with a high fat content
chicken meat
beef
Vitamin K is hardly ever stored in the body, but is metabolized quickly. Excess is excreted through the intestines or kidneys.

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Insider Tip Black Garlic: What Can The Fermented Bulb do – and What Does it Taste Like?

Black garlic is an absolute insider tip for the kitchen. But how does the black tuber taste and what else can it do?

What is black garlic?

Black garlic or “Black Garlic” is a delicacy in Japan, China and Korea and belongs in every good kitchen there. But in the meantime, the black tuber has gradually become better known and, above all, more popular. However, the black bulb is not a special variety, but rather ordinary garlic (Allium sativum).

But where does the unusual color come from? The reason lies in the processing of the garlic. It is fermented for weeks in high humidity and heat. As a result, the sugar and amino acids contained in the garlic are converted into tanning substances, so-called melanoidins. The result: the tubers gradually turn black.

This fermented garlic is much easier on the stomach because it contains fewer polysaccharides. The fermentation also gives it a very special taste of vanilla, caramel or even plum and some liquorice

This is how you can ferment your garlic yourself

If you want to make your own fermented garlic yourself, you’ll need to prepare it a little differently. Because a week-long fermentation in the oven would be far too expensive. But if you can do without the black color, there are two simple production methods in particular:
With honey: peel the garlic and press it lightly. Then put it in a jar with a wire seal and pour honey over it until the jar is about 2/3 full. Keep the jar in a dark place for several weeks, turning it from time to time. Once the garlic has completely sunk in the honey, it’s done.
With salt: Make a saline solution by stirring 3 grams of salt into 100 milliliters of water. Place the peeled garlic cloves back into a mason jar and fill it 2/3 full with the brine. Now the jar is well sealed and put in the fridge for about four weeks. In the first few days you should open it briefly once a day and then close it tightly again.
Depending on your taste, you will like the sweet or salty variant of fermenting your garlic better. Try it yourself and then test your garlic in the kitchen.

Black garlic in the kitchen: the healthy black bulb goes well with it

Conventional garlic is inherently very aromatic and healthy. The little toes are antibacterial, can prevent cardiovascular diseases and are also considered a natural cholesterol-lowering agent. These are just some of the tuber’s effects. However, so-called secondary plant substances are still produced in the garlic as a result of the fermentation. They protect our cells and slow down free radicals. In addition, probiotics are produced, which protect both our intestinal flora and the immune system.

The Black Garlic is particularly popular in Asian dishes and is ideal for sauces and marinades. But in the meantime it is also becoming increasingly popular for pasta dishes. For example, you can also cook the classic spaghetti aglio e olio with black garlic. It is also ideal as “black” garlic butter. Serve them with fish, meat or potatoes, for example.

In addition to the flavor component, the black garlic is also ideal for decoration. However, you should rather use a copy from the Asian store. Like regular garlic, don’t use too much if you don’t tolerate it well or if you’re taking blood-thinning medication. Garlic can enhance the effects of such drugs. Otherwise you are doing something good for yourself, your health and your palate with black garlic!

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Fructose Intolerance: How To Recognize The First Symptoms – and What You Can Do

Fructose is found in fruits and vegetables, but it’s not always healthy for you. Fructose intolerance can lead to unpleasant symptoms. How can you treat these?

Do you like to eat fruit and vegetables and drink fruit juices? But do you often suffer from flatulence, abdominal pain, nausea or diarrhea afterwards? Then a so-called fructose intolerance or fructose intolerance could be the reason. Even if you don’t see it at first glance in the products, most foods contain more sugar than we would like. Fructose is found in numerous foods and at first glance an intolerance is not so easy to identify. Fructose intolerance is now affecting more and more people, with almost 40 percent of the western population now suffering from it.

What is fructose anyway?

Fruit sugar, also known as fructose/fructose, is found in numerous foods. It usually gives them their sweetness and is mainly found in fruit, fruit juices, jam, honey, some syrups and numerous finished products, but fructose is also found in table sugar, lemonade and sweets. It is absorbed in the small intestine via transport proteins and then reaches the liver via the bloodstream. Fructose provides no directly available energy and has no effect on insulin levels. However, our body is not at all dependent on fructose in terms of nutrition, which is why the human metabolism is overwhelmed by large quantities, only 25 to 50 grams can be used without any problems. The excess amount is always directed into the large intestine and can cause flatulence and abdominal pain there, even in healthy people. Fructose comes in different forms. Once in free form as a simple sugar (monosaccharide) in food, i.e. in fruit, vegetables, fruit juices and honey. Here it consists of a single sugar molecule. The simple sugars also include glucose, fructose and mucilage, but monosaccharides are also found in industrially manufactured drinks, sweets and finished products.

There is also fructose as a double sugar (disaccaride), with fructose together with glucose forming the usual household sugar, which is used very frequently and is contained in numerous foods and drinks. Disaccarides consist of two simple sugar molecules, including lactose, cane and beet sugar or malt sugar (maltose). This occurs when grain germinates and is contained in pasta, potatoes and beer, among other things.

Fructose also occurs as multiple sugars (polysaccharides). This consists of many fructose molecules firmly connected to one another, at least ten simple sugar molecules, such as inulin or the levan type, which is also found in small amounts in local vegetables such as asparagus, leeks, garlic or onions. Polysaccharides also include starch, dextrins, glycogen or roughage.

What is fructose intolerance?

There is talk of a food intolerance when, for example, fructose is simply not well tolerated. On the other hand, one speaks of an intolerance when the body cannot break down a certain substance properly because it lacks the necessary enzyme. Fructose intolerance is more widespread than intolerance. The intestines can only absorb limited amounts of fructose, but can metabolize it normally, and an enzyme deficiency can also play a role here. A disease is present when the body cannot process unusually small amounts (less than 25 grams) of fructose in the small intestine or when no fructose can be metabolized at all. Doctors also speak of a “hereditary fructose intolerance”.

In the mucous membrane of the small intestine there are small transport proteins (so-called GLUT) through which the nutrients from the interior of the intestine get into the blood. Fructose is also transported in this way, but the transport proteins can only absorb a limited amount of fructose. How much the body can ultimately transport is very individual. If the transport limit is reached, fructose enters the large intestine undigested. The bacteria that live there use them as energy suppliers and break down the sugar. This produces gases and short-chain fatty acids, which can trigger typical symptoms such as abdominal pain, flatulence or diarrhea. Some of the gases are also absorbed into the blood and exhaled through the lungs. A so-called breath test can measure the increase in the concentration of the gas in the breath and thus provide a possible diagnosis of fructose intolerance.

Another cause of fructose intolerance, in addition to a transport limit of the GLUTs, can also be too fast digestion, i.e. the chyme passes through the small intestine too quickly. There may also be too few transport proteins present or they may only be able to perform to a limited extent by nature. Gastrointestinal infections or even a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that attacks the intestinal wall, such as Crohn’s disease, can also trigger intolerance to fructose. Fructose intolerance is not curable, but by changing your diet, those affected can lead a largely symptom-free life.

Symptoms of fructose intolerance

In addition to abdominal pain, flatulence and diarrhea, other symptoms can occur that indicate fructose intolerance. However, a doctor should be consulted for final clarification. First, the symptoms of fructose intolerance depend on whether the condition is congenital or acquired. As already mentioned, congenital and inherited fructose intolerance is also called hereditary fructose intolerance and is rather rare. This type of intolerance is caused by a genetic enzyme defect that leads to an intolerance to foods containing fructose and sucrose. If left untreated, this defect can initially lead to hypoglycaemia, later to liver, eye and kidney damage. The hereditary fructose intolerance shows up early on, because the smallest traces of fructose are found in breast milk or in the follow-on milk powder. In addition to nausea and vomiting, headaches and concentration problems often occur, coagulation disorders and hypoglycaemia are further consequences of the innate intolerance. Feeling weak, sweating, dizziness, or seizures and fainting are also symptoms. Fructose should definitely be avoided here. Early detection of the chronic disease in combination with a fructose-free diet can alleviate the course.

There is also the so-called fructose malabsorption, the acquired fructose intolerance. This is a disorder of the glucose transporter GLUT 5, which disrupts the absorption of fructose in the small intestine and causes the sugar to reach the large intestine, where it is broken down by bacteria. A feeling of fullness, bloating and abdominal pain, especially in the lower abdomen, which escalate to cramps, can be the first signs of fructose malabsorption. In addition to audible stomach noises and nausea, diarrhea and/or a changed, mushy or slimy stool can also indicate an intolerance. Constipation, heartburn, acid regurgitation or even extreme tiredness, especially after eating, can also indicate an intolerance. A nutrient deficiency can also be a consequence of acquired fructose intolerance, since zinc or folic acid, for example, cannot be properly absorbed. This can lead to other symptoms such as hair loss, anemia or headaches. In addition to fructose intolerance, milk sugar intolerance (lactose intolerance) often develops. Furthermore, a fructose intolerance can probably even affect the psyche, here scientists suspect that the deficiency cannot produce enough serotonin, which can contribute to the development of depression, among other things.

In general, it can be said that the symptoms of fructose intolerance mainly occur when large amounts of fructose have been consumed. When exactly the symptoms appear and how long they last varies from person to person. They are usually intensified by an unfavorable composition of food, for example if the food contains a lot of fructose but little protein and fat. In general, it can be recommended to consume fructose together with glucose and to ensure a sensible intake, but here too there are no specific limit values ​​for the intake of fructose in the event of fructose malabsorption.

What you can do about fructose intolerance

If you think you might have fructose intolerance, you should first consult your family doctor. They can carry out initial tests or refer you to specialists. There are several ways to diagnose fructose intolerance.

First, the medical history and the type of symptoms, their intensity and duration are queried. Another aspect is asking about nutrition and the daily menu. A physical examination is then carried out, the abdomen is palpated and listened to in order to be able to exclude unusual noises. This is often followed by a blood test and a fructose intolerance test, also known as the H2 breath test. The hydrogen breath test can be used to check whether the consumed fructose has reached the large intestine. Hydrogen is produced when the fructose is broken down by the bacteria in the large intestine. These tiny molecules then enter the blood and are exhaled through the lungs, which is why the hydrogen content in the breath can be determined. First, the doctor measures the basal value (initial value) for the hydrogen in the breathing air. To do this, you have to blow hard into a measuring device. A glass of water containing 25 grams of dissolved fructose is then drunk. Over the next two hours, the doctor measures the hydrogen content in the breath at regular intervals and records the values ​​and symptoms. If the value rises to more than 20 ppm above the initial value once or twice in a row, this indicates a fructose intolerance. However, there is an exception here, as some people do not emit any hydrogen at all. In these people, the bacteria in the large intestine do not produce hydrogen when they break down sugar and the hydrogen breath test is negative, even though they are fructose intolerant. For clear clarification of this there is the so-called methane test, which measures methane in the breathing air, since in some people the intestinal bacteria do not convert fructose into hydrogen but into methane gas.

In order to get the most meaningful test result possible, you should not eat flatulent or sweet foods 24 hours before the test and only drink water, do not smoke, do not chew gum and do not exercise 12 hours before the test. The tests usually take place in the early morning. There are now also fructose intolerance tests that you can take at home, but you should note that these are hardly meaningful and the test samples usually cannot be stored properly.

Conclusion

Even if fructose intolerance is more common than you think, you should generally pay attention to a conscious and healthy diet. Fructose is not only contained in many finished products, the rather unhealthy compounds are often also found in diabetic or light products, where fructose is often used as a sweetener, which is why special attention should be paid here.

Even if a fructose intolerance is not behind every feeling of fullness or bloating, a doctor should be consulted quickly if symptoms are frequent and intense, because if a fructose intolerance is noticed too late, it can have far-reaching consequences. Since the intensity of the symptoms is different for everyone, not every patient with fructose intolerance develops all symptoms. A permanent diet free of fruit or fructose is only recommended in the case of hereditary fructose intolerance. In the case of an acquired fructose intolerance, those affected are advised to avoid fructose for a while. After a phase of fructose and sorbitol-free food, you can start again with small amounts to find out whether and which food is tolerated without symptoms. There are now numerous lists of foods and products that contain fructose and fructans.

About 20 percent of people with fructose intolerance also have lactose intolerance. It is important to pay close attention to this, because the typical symptoms of both diseases can be similar and should be clarified by a doctor. Nutritional advice is often useful here, where an individual menu can be worked out together with the patient. Often a minimal change can bring a big success. When shopping, the list of ingredients should always be checked, as even the smallest amounts of sugar substitutes can promote intolerance. There are also over-the-counter products for people* with an acquired fructose intolerance, which convert fructose into more easily digestible components and can have a supportive effect even with a slight intolerance.

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Water Intoxication: Can Drinking Too Much Be Dangerous?

Water supplies the body with vital minerals. But how many liters you need every day to stay healthy depends on various factors. Drinking too much water can even be dangerous for digestion and blood values.

Water is the source of life and provides the human body with important minerals. On average, an adult should drink around 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day, although only seven out of ten adults claim to actually do this. Since the body loses about 2.5 liters of fluid a day, it must be replenished regularly. Depending on your age, weight, state of health and physical activity, the amount of water you should drink every day varies and can go up to 4 liters. We should drink more, especially on hot days, as we lose more fluid through heavy sweating.

Water Intoxication: Can You Drink Too Much Water?

If you take in more fluid than your body eliminates, the fluid stays in circulation and dilutes the blood. This has a negative effect on your body. Muscle weakness, disorientation or epileptic seizures can then follow. In very rare cases, it can also be fatal if water intoxication (hyponatraemia) occurs.

Symptoms of water intoxication:
drowsiness
nausea
headache
seizures
However, the risk of not drinking enough is much higher because it is often simply forgotten. Become aware of the importance of drinking enough water for you and your health.

Health benefits of drinking water

Drinking water has many health benefits:
high concentration/performance
improves the complexion
serves as a lubricant for the joints
helps against headaches and menstrual pain
promotes health and digestion
helps the body regulate temperature

Losing weight with water: is that possible?

You can lose weight by drinking water. Water increases the number of calories you burn even when you are resting. Drinking before and during meals is also said to help with weight loss as it fills the stomach and thus reduces appetite. However, too much liquid during food intake quenches the “digestive fire”, which in turn is less beneficial because the liquid prolongs digestion time.

Because hunger and thirst are closely related in the brain, it can make you feel hungry even though your body needs fluids. The advice here is to drink a glass of water first and wait to see if the feeling of hunger persists.

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Delicious Carcinogens: Beware, Popular Foods Can Grow Cancerous Cells

In many cases, cancer is linked to an unhealthy diet. Luckily, you can influence them yourself. By avoiding the following 5 foods, you prevent cancer.

Tasty but carcinogenic: These foods “feed” cancer cells

Research on the subject of nutrition and health is constantly coming up with new findings. Due to the large number of studies, it is sometimes difficult to keep track. In addition, there are sometimes contradictory results.

Stiftung Warentest categorizes five popular types of food that are suspected of promoting cancer. However, not all of them are clear to what extent they actually promote cancer. For example, the effect of milk is controversial (see below). Nevertheless worrying: All five end up on the plate or in the glass of many people every day.
Processed meat (sausage)
(Red meat
milk
alcohol
sugar

1. Processed meat: highest cancer risk level

The results on processed meat are particularly alarming: The “WHO” even classifies sausage, ham, cured, smoked and salted meat products as having the highest cancer risk level 1 – and thus on a level with tobacco smoking. Although the risk of dying from the effects of smoking is 175 times higher, processed meat is said to be responsible for 34,000 deaths worldwide every year.

The WHO therefore recommends eating as little sausage as possible, as it promotes cancer formation. According to test.de, “frequent daily consumption of more than 50 grams can increase the risk of colon cancer by 18 percent”. The recommendation for red meat is as little as possible up to a maximum of 500 grams per week. So steak and ground beef are also carcinogenic?

The findings of the “International Agency for Research on Cancer” are not quite as clear here, which is why red meat is classified as “probably carcinogenic” (category 2A). However, a connection with colon, pancreas and prostate cancer is also possible here. According to current assessments, poultry, game and offal are not of concern.

2. Milk: causes and prevents cancer

The results on milk are particularly interesting: While small amounts, i.e. 0.2 to 0.8 liters, can protect against colon cancer, consumption in large quantities is said to increase the risk of cancer. According to the German Society for Nutrition, calcium from dairy products can increase the risk of prostate cancer in men.

In women, on the other hand, small amounts of milk may protect against breast cancer.

One looks in vain for milk on the list of the WHO or the IARC. This does not mean that milk cannot be carcinogenic in certain cases. However, the current research situation does not allow milk to be clearly classified as carcinogenic.

3. Alcohol and sugar: directly and indirectly carcinogenic

According to the WHO, the influence of alcohol is clearer: “Alcohol increases the risk of cancer in any quantity.” The IARC assigns alcohol to Category 1. This means that just complete abstinence eliminates the negative effects of alcohol. However, the more you drink, the higher the risk. It also doesn’t matter which type of alcohol: each is considered a risk factor for various types of cancer in the oral cavity, esophagus, throat, liver, colon and breast.

If you don’t want to do without, you should follow this rule of thumb: women should only have one drink a day and men should have a maximum of two drinks a day, experts advise. A drink is already 0.1 liters of wine or 0.3 liters of beer.

Conclusion: A healthy diet has a major impact on the development of cancer

A balanced and healthy diet with lots of fruit, vegetables and legumes makes more sense.
However, the risk of developing cancer can never be completely eliminated. Even if you completely avoid the foods mentioned, do a lot of sport and eat healthily, you can still get a malignant tumor.

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Clogged Arteries: These 8 Foods Can Cause Atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular diseases are still among the most common causes of death. The main reason is often diet. Here you can find out which 8 foods clog your arteries.

Smoking, alcohol consumption, too little exercise: all of this favors cardiovascular diseases. But one of the main reasons for heart attacks and the like is often an extremely unhealthy diet. If fats are deposited in our body, our arteries will gradually become clogged. If the blood can no longer flow properly, the risk of heart disease increases. For the sake of your health, you should actually avoid foods that many people like because they are very high in fat.

Clogged arteries: You should only eat these 8 foods in moderation – for the sake of your heart

Due to the lack of symptoms, clogged arteries are often only noticed when they have already triggered a heart attack. That’s why a balanced diet with lots of raw fruit and vegetables, as well as exercise, is very important to rule out an increased risk factor for a heart attack.

Above all, you should avoid foods and dishes that are high in saturated fat. You can find out here which foods you should add to your diet to permanently reduce your risk of heart attack and even clean your arteries.

However, since unhealthy foods in particular taste very good to many, it is important to be aware of the risks. These foods can cause fat to build up in the arteries

Meat and sausage – greasy and even carcinogenic

Even if many people can no longer hear it: Meat is not a healthy food. Due to the high content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol in meat, meat consumption is a particular risk for the cardiovascular system. Processed meat products such as sausage or bacon also contain a lot of salt. By the way: Even types of meat such as poultry, which are considered low in fat, can cause the LDL levels in the blood (the “bad” cholesterol) to skyrocket and thus be an increased risk factor for a heart attack.

Poultry skin – tasty, but extremely harmful

Think the skin is the tastiest thing about fried chicken? At least it’s the unhealthiest thing, because the skin of fried chicken & Co. contributes a lot to fat accumulation in your blood vessels. At first glance, poultry skin seems less relevant when it comes to the health of our blood vessels. However, it is full of calories and lipoprotein and is therefore very high in fat. It clogs your arteries and increases your risk of heart attack.

Eggs – Cholesterol clogs your arteries

Not only is the skin a potentially harmful part of poultry, the egg is also a tough one: an average egg contains five grams of fat and up to 280 mg of cholesterol, more than half the recommended daily allowance.

High-fat dairy products – Fat is deposited in blood vessels

Milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, ice cream or cream: Many eat these foods several times a day without realizing how harmful dairy products can be to their health. Because they can all lead to deposits and blockages in the blood vessels, especially whole milk products.

Trans fats – a high risk factor for heart attacks

They can be found in many everyday foods: trans fats or trans fatty acids. When talking about trans fats, it is usually about food fats containing trans fatty acids (triglycerides). These trans fats are mainly found in meat, dairy products and processed foods such as baked goods and are a particularly high risk factor for a heart attack.

Baked goods and candy – savory treats that clog your arteries

As expected, baked goods and sweets are by no means harmless to our health. There are several reasons for this: They contain very little antioxidants or fiber, but they do have high levels of trans fats, refined flour and processed sugar. The problem? All of these ingredients can clog human arteries.

Oils, salty snacks and junk food – tempting and unhealthy

Most cooking oils in our kitchens, such as sunflower oil or corn oil, contain high levels of saturated fat. These damage the cardiovascular system and can clog the arteries. Common snacks such as fries, roasted peanuts or potato chips also contain saturated fatty acids and should only be eaten in small amounts.

Sweets and sweetened drinks – tasty addictive

Foods high in sugar also have a negative effect on your arteries. In addition, sweets, cakes and the like increase your risk of being overweight – a key factor in the development of hardening of the arteries and a major risk factor for a heart attack. Excess sugar is converted to fat in the liver and transported through the bloodstream surrounded by LDL cholesterol. The result: an increased risk of high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, adiposity (obesity) and type 2 diabetes.

While conventional desserts fill you up a little and are therefore not normally eaten by the kilo, this is unfortunately different with sweet drinks: Cola, lemonades or sugary iced tea are so dangerous because large amounts of liquid sugar end up in our bodies within a very short time – an enormous risk factor for heart attack, obesity, type 2 diabetes and arteriosclerosis. According to the current state of research, sweeteners are probably not harmless either, since they get us used to an extremely sweet taste and possibly (!) damage the intestinal flora.

Still, all indications are that no-calorie beverages sweetened with artificial sweeteners are the lesser evil. It is still better to drink water, coffee or unsweetened tea to reduce your risk of heart attack.

Another tip: Make sure you drink enough fluids

Due to the high temperatures, you can sweat out several liters of water every day. Caution: People with heart disease are sometimes not allowed to drink too much water, as their cardiac output can be impaired if they drink too much water. If you already have heart problems, you should definitely discuss the right amount of water with your doctor.

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This is How You Can Save Money While You are at School

From the school cone to the graduation trip – over the years, parents face high costs related to school attendance. In many areas, however, there is potential for savings that add up over the entire school year and are therefore worthwhile. Because not everything is really necessary for the school success of your child.

Parents pay around 21,000 euros for their children’s 12-year school education. There are sometimes horrendous differences between the individual federal states: If you live in Lower Saxony, for example, you will have to pay almost 30,000 euros for your child’s schooling. If you live in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, it is just under half. It is therefore worth taking a close look and exploiting the existing savings potential.

Potential savings in care

More and more parents are working full-time while their children are at school. In this respect, they are dependent on supervision. It is therefore not surprising that the costs for after-school care make up the largest proportion of the total costs of school life. Because: In the open all-day schools, care is offered at lunchtime and also in the afternoon, even if there are no more classes. Many parents are happy to take advantage of this, which means that a share of the childcare costs is incurred. On average in Germany, this amounts to 7,911 euros over the course of school life. In Thuringia, parents only pay 2,750 euros, while in Lower Saxony they are asked to pay 14,000 euros.

If you don’t want to resort to school care, you should try to organize care yourself. Together with other parents or even grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and uncles, neighborhood care can be organized that is completely free of charge. If a childcare contract is drawn up, the costs up to the age of 14 can even be deducted from tax as a special expense. Alternatively, you can hire a childminder or a student to organize the children’s afternoons in a meaningful way. This may even be beneficial for school success.

Potential savings in school materials

School satchels and sports gear are offered in new designs by the manufacturers every year. However, if you go back to a previous year’s model instead, you can save significantly. In terms of quality, this usually makes no difference and most materials are not used for long anyway. And since the children in the higher grades use the same models, your child is not at a disadvantage. In any case, it is worthwhile to compare different providers online, as the prices sometimes vary greatly. If the things no longer fit after a year, it is also advisable to sell them on. For this purpose, many schools have book fairs for school books, where you can buy used books and sell them again.

Potential savings in school meals

A healthy lunch is important. Nevertheless, you can still save here if you give your child a lunch box that you have put together yourself instead of letting them take part in the school lunch. However, arithmetic is required here, since school meals are often subsidized and therefore very cheap.

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