Tag

down,

Browsing

Does the man have to urinate standing up? Or are there good reasons to sit down? A doctor has commented on this. Why peeing sitting down is definitely better.

Sitting or rather standing? What does the doctor say about this?

Unfortunately, as a man, when you sit down on the toilet, you still have to hear from some of your sex that you are a “sit pee”. And this is equated with “wimp” or worse. It hits some people when masculinity is questioned. There are many reasons to say goodbye to this supposed symbol associated with a man.

There seems to be agreement that there is disagreement. While some say that it would be healthier for a man to sit down, others vehemently disagree. To clear things up a bit, you first have to take a look at the male anatomy, more precisely at the inside of the man. The male prostate sits between the bladder and the pelvic floor and encloses the beginning of the urethra. With age, this can increase. It does not necessarily have to be a malignant disease.

A healthy, i.e. non-enlarged, prostate doesn’t seem to have much of an impact on residual urine retention in the bladder whether standing or sitting to urinate. But what happens when the prostate is no longer healthy? And this is where opinions differ. While some physicians are of the opinion that when urinating while sitting, especially with an enlarged prostate, too much residual urine remains in the urinary bladder and this can lead to serious problems due to possible accumulation of pathogens. A scientific study shows that a benign enlargement occurs prostate empty the bladder better when sitting, leaving less residual urine. This would prevent the risk of developing bladder stones or inflammation. But what is right now? Unfortunately, that’s not an easy question to answer. Two contradictory statements meet here. In summary, one can say that one simply does not know for sure.

Why you should still sit there as a man

“I can aim.” “Nothing goes wrong with me.” The statements of the men who do their small business standing up sound something like this. But does it really have anything to do with accuracy? Rather less. Quite simply, the toilets that are installed in the bathrooms are not actually designed for standing up to urinate in

But that’s not all. Tests have shown that the spray mist spreads almost throughout the bathroom and is deposited on towels, the bathtub, the mirror and the toothbrush. And that’s anything but appetizing. Who would still like to brush their teeth with such a toothbrush? There are videos showing how the nebula spreads using fluorescence.

But the floor and walls are also at risk. Over time, the urine can form stains there, in the worst case so bad that they can no longer be removed. That means in the end that the bathroom needs to be renovated. In a rented apartment, this can very quickly lead to the loss of the deposit and more. But apart from that: If your loved one goes to the bathroom with bare feet and then has to wade through the man’s legacies, then you shouldn’t be surprised about a dispute. And honestly, dear men, you don’t break a tooth out of your crown when you sit down.

What to do with old pills and opened bottles of cough syrup? Just in the toilet and flush? Not a good idea: Medicines find their way into the wastewater and thus into the water cycle in many ways – with negative consequences for the environment.

Medicines in waste water: causes and problems

Drugs get into the wastewater in a number of ways. People take medicines and may excrete some of them in their faeces or urine. Medicines that are administered as a cream enter the sewage system when you shower and bathe. On the other hand, disposal via the toilet and sink is completely avoidable and also wrong, explains Philip Heldt, graduate human biologist and ecotoxicologist from the NRW consumer advice center. Not inconsiderable amounts of medical waste products also come from livestock farming. Especially in farms with conventional intensive animal husbandry, the animals receive medication that gets into the groundwater via excretions.

However, how difficult it is to filter the substances out of the wastewater varies widely. Many medicinal active ingredients are quickly and easily degradable. However, this is not the case with others because they cannot be defeated by bacteria. Bacterial degradation is the common process in water treatment. In some places, sewage treatment plants are therefore retrofitted with activated carbon filters or ozonation systems in order to also destroy substances that cannot be eliminated by bacterial degradation. “It’s successful, but it’s not happening across the board,” criticizes Philip Heldt.

The further course of the substances is problematic. Water that has passed through the treatment plant then flows into rivers and thus back into the natural water cycle. “This means that people and animals drink from it and thus absorb the substances,” explains expert Heldt.

Effects on people, wildlife and flora

In a period of 30 years, substances such as diclofenac cause environmental cleaning costs of up to 1.5 billion euros, according to a new study by Prof. Mark Oelmann from the Ruhr West University. In 2019, 40 watercourses in Austria were examined and the painkiller diclofenac was detected in all of them. In studies for certain fish species, harmful effects on the liver and kidneys could be demonstrated. In trout, for example, half a microgram of diclofenac per liter of water already leads to kidney damage.

But: People do not ingest any drug residues through their drinking water. “You can drink the water from the tap without hesitation,” assures the resource conservation expert Heldt. On the one hand, most substances in the sewage treatment plants are degraded to well below the limit values. On the other hand, the water works only take water from very pure sources for drinking water. “To ensure that this continues to be possible in the future, careful handling of the wastewater is important.” You should not waste water and, above all, give it back as clean as possible.

Because the sewage treatment plants do not manage to filter out all the substances from the wastewater. Careful, sustainable use of water therefore means not only saving on the quantity, but above all loading it with as few things as possible that do not belong in it. “The toilet is not a dump,” warns Astrid Hackenesch-Rump

Conclusion

You too can make a contribution by using medication correctly. The most important thing is not to throw medication down the toilet or sink. You can hand in medicines that have expired or are no longer needed in most pharmacies, and disposal with the residual waste is also possible in almost all cities. The medicines are then burned with the other residual waste in the waste incineration plant. Medicines should only be taken to the recycling center in municipalities with mechanical-biological waste treatment. You can find out more on the homepage of your local waste disposal company. “Last but not least, moderate meat consumption contributes to water protection. Buying meat from organic farms is also an alternative, since less medication is used,” says von Heldt.

Canning beans is a great way to make healthy vegetables last longer. Here we show you how it works and what variants there are.

Whether green, yellow or white – by preserving beans you can preserve them for a long time and also enjoy them outside of the bean season. Depending on your taste, you can boil them salty or sour.

Boil beans with salt

For about three jars of the salty beans you need the following ingredients:
1 kg of beans
20 grams of salt
water
You can easily cook beans in just a few steps:
Clean and wash the beans. Remove the ends and cut the beans to the desired size.
Preheat the oven to 100°C. Meanwhile, bring water and salt to a boil in a saucepan and blanch the beans for 5 minutes.
Then take the beans out of the pot and rinse them with cold water. Boil the bean water again.
Place the quenched beans in previously cleaned mason jars and pour the boiling bean water over them. Close the jars tightly.
Place the glasses in a roasting pan, large pan or casserole dish and fill the respective container with water. It is important: The glasses must not touch the edge of the container!
Now let the beans cook in the oven for two hours and then cool them down under a tea towel.

Boil the beans sour

If salty beans aren’t quite to your liking, you can easily boil them sour with just a few more ingredients. You will need for about three glasses:
1 kg of beans
2 onions
125 ml vinegar
500ml of water
30 grams of sugar
pickled spice
Salt
dill
savory
Preparing sour beans works a little differently than the first recipe:
Wash and trim the beans. remove the ends.
Boil them in salted water until al dente. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Take the beans out of the water, shock them with cold water and fill them into the previously cleaned mason jars.
Add dill and savory and 2 teaspoons of pickling spice.
Peel the onions and cut them into rings.
Bring the water, salt, vinegar, sugar and onions to a boil in a saucepan and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then fill the brew into the mason jars and seal them tightly.
Now place the glasses in a water-filled, oven-safe container as described in the first recipe. The glasses should not touch the edge of the container.
Cook the beans at 100°C for two hours, then take the jars out of the oven and let them cool, covered.

Clever tips for washing and caring for down comforters. We will tell you which detergent and which wash cycle you need to clean your feather bed. We also have tips on how to dry the down comforter.

One hears and reads, again and again, that down duvet or down pillows cannot be washed. When washing the down comforter, you often get the problem that the down sticks together. Then they are very difficult to separate from each other and they do not spread evenly. How can this be prevented?

What is down?

Down are the soft and delicate feathers of geese and ducks. Due to their structure, they are good at storing body heat. Therefore, they are an effective insulation material used in sleeping bags, outdoor clothing, and blankets. In addition, they are light, breathable, and durable with good care. However, they can also absorb a lot of moisture. That is why they are often impregnated.

How can I clean my down?

If you have now decided to buy down pillows and down duvets or already have some at home, then you should consider our following tips for down care. Because with the right tip, washing is also possible. You should wash you down pillows once a year and your down comforters at least every two years. Also note the instructions for washing and drying the pillow and duvet.

1) Wash down pillows and down comforters

Here the question often arises: Are down duvets and down pillows washable? And if so how? The answer is yes! You can wash your pillows and duvets. However, there are a few points that need to be considered when washing down comforters. To avoid damaging the down, the down should not be crushed in the machine. The usual washing machines have a capacity of between 5 and 7 kilos. Therefore, you can use it to wash small down comforters, but it could be difficult for larger ones. You should also darn tears and holes before washing the bed linen.

2) Wash down as a delicates or wool wash

You should choose the right washing program for washing the down comforters. The right detergent is also important. If you have a washing machine that can fit a down comforter or pillow, use the delicates or woolens cycle. Also, read our laundry tips.

3) The right detergent for down

Before washing the down comforter, you should choose the right detergent. To keep the feathers supple, you can use an extra detergent for down. Because these are neutral and easy to wash out. Other detergents can remove the oil from the down. As a result, the heat is no longer stored well and the volume is also lost. In contrast, for normal laundry, you can make your own detergent.

4) Wash duvets at 20 or 30 degrees

In no case should the temperature be above 30 degrees? To ensure that the last residue of the detergent is rinsed out, the rinsing process should be long enough after the wash. You might want to turn the washing machine on again and only set it to rinse. Then spin gently, but only use a very low number of revolutions. As a result, the feather bed becomes completely clean. Avoid other common laundry mistakes as well.

5) Always rinse down thoroughly

After the first wash, the white marks are often a problem. Looks like the ceiling wasn’t flushed thoroughly enough. It may be due to the dust that settled on the down during manufacture. That’s why you have to rinse the duvet a few times. Better to have the blanket flushed a few times right away, just to be safe. Also, read our tips on washing and caring for sportswear and functional clothing.

6) Tennis balls loosen the down

Many brands recommend customers use tennis balls when washing down fabrics. They go in the washing machine with the blanket. 3 tennis balls are in the washing machine with a blanket that makes them move. The down is opened up. As a result, sticking is prevented and there is a better effect when rinsing. Also, read tips for washing different jackets.

7) Hand wash down comforter

The question of hand washing or washing machine is often asked. If your washing machine isn’t big enough and you don’t want to clean it, you could wash your down comforter in the bathtub. But this is laborious and not always successful. Because there is a risk that the down will stick together. It is easier with down sleeping bags or down jackets. But if you dare to try, you should also make sure that the temperature is around 30 degrees. Also, use a down detergent and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. In addition, you also have to rinse several times here and only lightly press the down comforter.

8) Dry down pillows and down comforters

To dry down duvets, it is best to simply put them in the dryer. This is set to a low temperature. To prevent the down from clumping, you should also put a few tennis balls in the drum. To dry afterward, place the down comforter or down pillow in a place where it can be dried undisturbed. Also, note our tips for drying laundry properly.

9) Take care of feather beds and down

You should care for down duvets and down pillows regularly so that they remain nice and soft. To do this, regularly shake out and pat out the down duvet when making the bed. Regular airing of the down in the fresh air also ensures natural odor elimination. If with the best will in the world, the down is no longer usable and has become clumped or stinks, you should buy a new down comforter.

It has been the trend in hip cafés and bars for some time: the flat white – translated as “flat white”. This coffee specialty is something like the little Australian cousin of the Italian cappuccino. But what exactly is a flat white – and how is it prepared? Find out here.

The little difference between flat white and cappuccino

Although the delicious coffee specialty only recently came to Europe, the Flat White is actually a child of the 1980s. It was at this time that the recipe first spread to Australia and New Zealand. Basically, it’s a version of the world-famous Italian cappuccino, but with its own character.

The main difference between flat white and cappuccino is already evident in the name: the “flat white” contains a lower proportion of milk foam. It is also more liquid and homogeneous overall than the half-solid, half-liquid froth of the cappuccino. This is because, unlike cappuccino, the milk is frothed with just a little air.

This so-called micro-foam should be a maximum of 5 mm high for Flat White. Accordingly, the almost liquid foam of the “flat white” ends with the rim of the cup. With a cappuccino, on the other hand, it typically curves up a bit.

What the flat white lacks in foam, it makes up for in espresso: instead of a simple one, like a cappuccino, it has an espresso doppio intus and accordingly contains twice the amount of caffeine. The right drink for everyone who likes milk froth but likes to have a little more punch in the cup.

Make Flat White yourself: The recipe

You need:

Coffee machine with steam nozzle for milk froth (preferably a portafilter machine or fully automatic machine)
milk can
cappuccino cup
50ml espresso
130 ml whole milk
That’s how it works:

Warm up the cappuccino cup.
Prepare double espresso in the cup.
Make milk froth: Pour milk into the jug and use the steam nozzle to prepare the froth. Tip: The typical “hissing” should only be heard briefly when foaming, so that not too much air gets into the foam and it remains nice and fine-pored and creamy. Swirl the jug under the nozzle for an even consistency.
Pour the milk froth onto the espresso: the froth should have a consistency that blends well with the espresso and is flush with the rim of the cup.
Tip: Want to impress your guests? Try your hand at latte art and conjure up a work of art out of milk foam and crema on the top layer of the flat white.

Introduction: Grenadian Cuisine

Grenadian cuisine is a reflection of the island’s diverse cultural influences, including African, European, and indigenous Amerindian. The cuisine is known for its bold and intense flavors, featuring a variety of spices and herbs that are grown on the island. Grenadian cuisine is heavily based on seafood, as the island is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The island is also known for its exotic fruits and vegetables, including breadfruit, dasheen, and yam.

What is Oil Down?

Oil Down is a popular dish in Grenada that is considered the national dish. It is a one-pot meal that is made by cooking a combination of meats, vegetables, and spices in coconut milk until they are tender and flavorful. The dish is traditionally cooked in a large pot over an open fire, giving it a unique smoky flavor. Oil Down is often served at special occasions, such as weddings and funerals, and is a staple at Grenadian festivals.

Ingredients in Oil Down

The main ingredients in Oil Down are salted meat, such as salted cod or pork, breadfruit, dasheen, callaloo, pumpkin, and dumplings. Other ingredients can include green banana, carrots, onions, garlic, and hot peppers. The dish is cooked in coconut milk, which gives it a rich, creamy flavor. The combination of meats and vegetables creates a hearty and filling meal that is perfect for feeding large groups of people.

Cooking Oil Down

To cook Oil Down, the ingredients are layered in a large pot, starting with the salted meat at the bottom, followed by the breadfruit, vegetables, and dumplings. The coconut milk is then added, covering the ingredients. The pot is then covered and cooked over low heat until the coconut milk is absorbed and the ingredients are tender. The dish is often stirred periodically to ensure that the ingredients are evenly cooked and the flavors are well distributed.

Significance of Oil Down in Grenadian Cuisine

Oil Down is a significant dish in Grenadian cuisine, representing the island’s cultural heritage and community spirit. The dish is often prepared and shared among family and friends, with each person bringing their own ingredients to contribute. The act of cooking Oil Down is seen as a communal activity, bringing people together to share food and stories. The dish is also a symbol of Grenadian resilience, as it was traditionally cooked over open fires and using local ingredients that were readily available.

Conclusion: Try Oil Down!

Oil Down is a delicious and unique dish that is a must-try for anyone visiting Grenada or interested in Caribbean cuisine. The dish is a reflection of the island’s rich history and cultural traditions, and is a testament to the community spirit of the people of Grenada. Whether you are cooking it over an open fire or on your stovetop, Oil Down is a meal that will satisfy your hunger and leave you with a deep appreciation for Grenadian culture.