Quarantine, power outage or worries about the political situation: Many are considering stocking up on emergency food in case of an emergency. The Ministry of Agriculture has created a corresponding shopping list with recommended foods – we have looked at them.

An emergency supply can feed you for a few days if new groceries can’t be delivered or you can’t leave the house.

However, panic and excessive hamster purchases are not appropriate. Since the first lockdown, we have known that the food supply is working well. According to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), however, it is still advisable to stock up on emergencies, regardless of the threat posed by the corona virus.

Apocalyptic scenarios are not understood as emergencies. A widespread power failure lasting several days can mean that supermarkets can no longer be supplied and the water supply is impaired.

But other unforeseen events such as natural disasters or epidemics can also mean that we suddenly no longer have access to fresh food. For these cases, the Federal Ministry has published a supply table with food that could feed a person for around ten days.

Emergency supplies: shopping list for cereals and potatoes

The list only includes products that do not need to be cooled, as it should also be valid in the event of a power failure. Therefore, frozen foods are not recommended. The ministry assumes a daily calorie intake of 2200 kilocalories per person. In addition to the “normal” table, which contains fish and meat, there is also a vegetarian shopping list. A vegan version does not yet exist.

In the cereals and potatoes category, the Ministry recommends the following foods for an emergency supply per person:

710g wholemeal bread
180g rusks
710g crispbread
280g pasta (raw)
180g rice (raw)
540g oats or other cereal flakes
710g potatoes (raw, without skin)

Emergency supplies: fruit and vegetables

With regard to fruit and vegetables, the ministry recommends using canned goods for the most part. Because they have a long sell-by date. Your shopping list should include:

570g green beans
640g peas/carrots
500g red cabbage
500g sauerkraut
290g of asparagus
290g corn
290g mushrooms
290g pickled cucumbers
290g beetroot
400g cherries
180g pears
180g apricots
250g tangerines
250g pineapple

The quantities always refer to the drained weight. Of course, canned food and well-travelled tropical fruits like pineapples are not exactly sustainable. The BMEL is primarily concerned with the list of shelf life and sufficient calorie intake. In order to improve the ecological balance of these foods, you could boil, pickle or ferment the fruit and vegetables yourself and use them to create a crisis supply.

Some dried fruit, nuts and fresh products are also on the BMEL’s emergency stock list. These are:

360g fresh onions
140g raisins
250g prunes
100g hazelnuts
710g fresh fruit (e.g. apples, bananas, pears, oranges)

Milk, eggs, substitutes, and fats on the shopping list

In the standard table, the Ministry recommends, among other things, canned tuna, sardines in oil, herring, corned beef, bockwurst or veal liver sausage. We think: Even in a temporary crisis situation, such food does not have to be. Tuna is heavily overfished, and canned sausage and meat products usually come from industrial factory farming.

The calories that the products are supposed to provide can also be consumed in other ways – without having to accept animal suffering. These products have been replaced by vegetarian alternatives in the vegetarian emergency stock list. The following foods can be found in this category:

200g tofu
150g vegetarian patties
230g vegetarian sausages
250g vegetarian spread
200g vegetarian salami
265g eggs (weight without shell)
Regarding dairy products, fats and oils, these products are on the list:

2l UHT milk (3.5 percent fat)
500g hard cheese
180g fat spread or butter
180g margarine
150ml cooking oil
To further reduce animal products, you can replace the UHT milk with oat milk or another plant-based drink. Make sure that it is a plant-based milk that does not need to be refrigerated, lasts as long as possible and has around 50 to 60 kilocalories per 100 milliliters.

Beverages and other items in emergency stock

For a 10-day emergency supply you need 20 liters of mineral water. This includes both the recommended drinking quantity of 1.5 liters per day and water for cooking pasta, rice and the like at 500 milliliters per day. For people over the age of 65, it is advisable to have even more water available, as they should drink around two liters of water a day.

In addition to mineral water, the following products are on the list in this category:

140ml lemon juice
180g coffee powder or instant coffee
90 grams of black tea
In addition, there is a table with other foods that are listed without a specific quantity. This includes:

sugar
sweetener
honey
jam
chocolate
iodized salt
ready meals
Dried potato products (e.g. mashed potatoes powder)
flour
cocoa powder
hard cookies
Pretzel Sticks

Create your individual emergency supply

The Ministry points out that this shopping list is only an example and must be adapted to individual needs such as allergies, intolerances and diets. Some foods are definitely not necessary for most people, such as artificial sweeteners or canned asparagus.

If you want to create a completely vegan emergency supply, you can rely more on legumes, which are not yet included in the ministry’s list. Lentils, chickpeas, beans and the like also provide you with important nutrients that keep you full for a long time. You can use both dried and canned products.

You can get dry groceries in bulk shops and thus avoid packaging waste. You can also reduce packaging in large containers and often save money at the same time.

If you want to grow your own fruit and vegetables, you don’t have to live in the country – these tips for self-sufficiency also work in the city and sometimes even without a balcony.
Self-sufficiency is fun, you learn a lot and the lettuce you plant yourself or the laboriously watered tomatoes simply taste better – probably also because of your own work. You don’t have to switch to complete self-sufficiency right away – that would be difficult and very time-consuming. Even those who only produce a little themselves gain a little bit of independence.

Self-sufficiency basic: Grow your own vegetables

Sowing radishes, growing lettuce or planting tomatoes – many things also grow on the balcony in pots, tubs and boxes. If you want to start small with self-sufficiency, you can first try a herb garden on the balcony. Take a look at our picture gallery to see how you can grow your own vegetables without a garden.

But you can also bring edible greens into your own four walls with a herb shelf for the window sill or the wall and start self-sufficiency. And yes, you can even grow some vegetables in the apartment.

Do you need more space than the window sill or the balcony at home offers? There are many ways to bring at least a little more self-sufficiency into your life and grow your own fruit and vegetables: urban community gardens, shared gardens or solidarity agriculture are just three ways you can harvest fresh vegetables without a garden.

What to do with all the harvest? This “problem” is familiar to many who grow themselves on a larger scale. You can make jam out of strawberries, apples can be stored well for a long time – and your friends will surely be happy about home-grown fruit and vegetables.

Grow fruit

Not only lettuce, tomatoes or potatoes can thrive in a relatively small space – there are also types of fruit that you can grow on the balcony or terrace. You will not be able to be completely self-sufficient. But depending on how much space, creativity, and patience you have, you may well harvest some apples, strawberries, or even peaches.

If you happen to have more fruit than you can use, you can preserve some by making jam or syrup from it.

Pull sprouts

If you don’t have a garden or balcony, you can still start self-sufficiency in mini format – for example with self-grown sprouts. Crunchy sprouts from alfalfa, lentils, radishes or mung beans are high-quality foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Especially in winter, when there are few seasonal fruits and vegetables, sprouts enrich our diet.

Read how easy it is to grow sprouts and how at least a little self-sufficiency can be achieved with it.

By the way: It’s even easier to grow your own cress. All you need is a bag of organic cress seeds, a shallow bowl and some potting soil or cotton wool and water every day. Line the bowl with the potting soil or cotton, moisten it and sprinkle the cress seeds on top. Don’t forget to moisten the bowl daily. You can harvest fresh cress after about five to seven days. Tastes great in a salad or on bread!

Preserving Food – Self-Sufficiency Level: Advanced

Knowing how to preserve food is also part of self-sufficiency – it’s not that difficult. Fermenting, boiling down, pickling or drying used to be part of kitchen knowledge. Luckily, many people are acquiring this knowledge again today.

Here is an overview:

Preserving: Is particularly suitable for fresh fruit and vegetables and is a simple way of preserving seasonal produce for a long time.
Pickling: This is where food is preserved in liquid, using vinegar, oil or alcohol. Works well with most fruits, herbs and vegetables.
Drying: One of the oldest and simplest methods of preserving food. Especially good for fruit, vegetables, herbs, seeds, nuts, fish and meat.
Fermentation: is the conversion of substances by bacteria, fungi or enzymes. This produces gases, alcohol and acids, which ensure that food lasts.

Collect wild herbs, mushrooms and fruit

If you want a little more self-sufficiency, you can go wild-gathering in addition to your home-grown vegetables and fruits. The classic are wild herbs – even in the city you can find a lot here if you know something. However, we advise you to take a course first so that you can correctly identify the right herbs – i.e. the edible and tasty ones. For inspiration, here are 10 weeds you can eat.

In addition to lots of herbs, there is also a lot of wild fruit in Germany that you can collect – for example blackberries, elderberries, pear or sloes.

And last but not least, if you know your way around, you can make fat loot by collecting mushrooms in autumn. In the beginning, it is not easy to identify the different species with certainty. It is best to let experienced collectors accompany you. Mushroom tours, which can often be booked at adult education centers, are a great help. NABU also offers such excursions in many regions.

By the way, you can easily preserve collected mushrooms by drying or freezing the mushrooms.

Save public fruit

Another possibility for self-sufficiency: Use the public fruit trees in your area and pick the apples, pears or cherries for the next cake. So you not only save valuable fruit from rotting, you also take care of yourself.

On the map of Mundraub you can find fruit trees, fruit bushes, nuts and herbs and also mark them on the map yourself.

The Mundraub organization has been taking care of fruit trees in Germany since 2009 and planting new ones. Their vision: More edible cityscapes. In addition, Mundraub organizes harvest, planting and care campaigns and offers guided discovery tours for self-sufficient people.

Bake your own bread

Strictly speaking, of course, it only indirectly contributes to self-sufficiency – at least as long as you don’t grow your own grain and paint flour. Nevertheless: Baking your own bread regularly makes you a little more independent – and it’s fun.

Most bread recipes contain yeast from the supermarket. But baking with sourdough in particular is an old art of natural baking: without yeast and without artificial additives or emulsifiers. The basis for the bread, the sourdough, must first be prepared – alternatively, you can order sourdough starters online or ask around among friends and acquaintances if anyone would make a starter.

Integrate self-sufficiency into your everyday life

As you can see, self-sufficiency doesn’t have to mean that you live in the country and only spend time gardening. With many small steps you can at least integrate a little more self-sufficiency into your everyday life. You can already think about it while shopping: Do I really need it or can I not do it myself? For example, you no longer need to buy cress, with a small balcony herb garden you can also save on supermarket herbs and you can make delicious vegan spreads from pumpkins or zucchini that you grow yourself.

Do you feel constantly hungry? Here we show you ten reasons why this can be and how you can prevent the constant feeling of hunger.

A constant feeling of hunger is not the same as cravings, i.e. short-term binge eating of unhealthy food. Constant hunger isn’t just a question of feeling hungry for particularly greasy, sweet or salty foods – even if you eat healthily, you can feel a constant hunger pang.

Feeling hungry is a positive thing. Hunger is an important signal from your body. If your body lacks energy and nutrients, the feeling of hunger sets in. This is triggered by the hormone ghrelin.

The causes of constant hunger range from poor nutrition to insulin resistance. Here we show you ten reasons why you could suffer from a constant feeling of hunger.

You eat too little

When you’re on a diet and eat very little, your body doesn’t have enough energy available. Therefore, it triggers a feeling of hunger. Too large a calorie deficit will not bring you long-term success. There is a risk that you will quickly fall into cravings. If you choose the right foods, you can eat your fill and still lose weight. You can find recipe inspiration here: Lose weight without feeling hungry: 3 healthy recipes.

You can find more information about how to lose weight effectively, healthily and sustainably here:

Important: For some people it makes sense to lose weight for health reasons. However, anyone who only loses weight to meet a beauty ideal is not always doing something good for their own body – and may suffer from a constant feeling of hunger.

Even if you do a lot of sport, your energy consumption increases. Because the more muscles you have, the more energy they need. If you then eat too little, you have to reckon with a constant feeling of hunger. If you’re not sure if you’re eating enough, you can calculate your energy needs and add more calories to your meals.

You eat unhealthily

Sugary foods and easily digestible carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta made from white flour or white rice can trigger almost addictive behavior. This is because the short-chain carbohydrates present in these foods are broken down into individual sugar molecules in a very short time. As a result, the blood sugar level rises quickly, but then falls again rapidly. The result: There is hardly any real, long-lasting feeling of hunger and you will quickly get hungry again.

On the other hand, dietary fiber from green vegetables or whole grain bread and proteins from legumes keep you full for longer.

Learn more about sugar withdrawal here: Sugar withdrawal: What effectively helps against sugar addiction.

A lack of protein in your diet also leads to constant hunger. Incorporating a large dose of protein into your meals will also keep you fuller for longer. In consideration of the environment, you should use more vegetable proteins instead of animal proteins.

You eat too fast

If you don’t give yourself enough time to eat, your brain will delay registering the energy intake. So you can’t tell while you’re eating whether your hunger pangs have been satisfied or not. As a result, you end up eating more than your body needs. As scientists at Osaka University have found, there is a connection between eating quickly and feeling full later. The study also showed that fast eaters were three times more likely to be overweight than those who didn’t eat fast.

When you eat slowly and chew thoroughly, your brain can sense satiety. This is the only way you will recognize your satisfied feeling of hunger.

You are thirsty

Sometimes hunger is confused with thirst. This is because hunger and thirst are both regulated by the hypothalamus. If you haven’t had a drink in too long and you’re already dehydrated, you may mistake hunger for thirst. So make sure you drink enough fluids regularly. If you feel hungry, drink water first.

You sleep too little

Lack of sleep affects your constant feeling of hunger. Sleeping too little can lead to a lack of the hormone leptin. Leptin ensures that a feeling of satiety occurs. Get enough sleep and at the same time ensure sufficient leptin production. This is a natural way to curb your hunger pangs. Seven to eight hours is recommended.

You take medication

Certain medications have the side effect of increasing your hunger pangs, particularly birth control pills, antidepressants, and cortisol supplements. The constant feeling of hunger goes away when you stop taking the medication. However, you should only do this after consulting a doctor and, if possible, have an alternative medication recommended to you.

You are stressed

A constant feeling of hunger can also be a side effect of permanent stress. When you are under stress, the hormone cortisol is released and your cortisol levels rise. You can find out how to lower your cortisol level here: Lower cortisol: The best tips against high cortisol levels. Cortisol ensures that the body is provided with more energy to deal with the stress that arises. When more energy is provided, the body cries out for new energy. Therefore, with constant stress, a constant feeling of hunger sets in. You get rid of the constant feeling of hunger when you lower your stress level. Conscious breaks, exercise, or spending time in nature can help you reduce stress.

Food on TV

You can see attractive photos depicting food everywhere. Whether on TV cooking shows, scrolling through your Instagram feed or in newspapers. As a study confirms, such images make us hungry. They create a virtual hunger. The more often you are confronted with such images, the more often the stimulus is triggered in your brain to want to eat these foods – regardless of whether your body really needs energy or not. This tasty representation of food is also called “food p*rn” because it makes you want to eat these foods. This creates a constant feeling of hunger in you.

You can consciously filter out and ignore such images. In addition, before you reach for food, you can always ask yourself whether you really have a need for energy, or whether you simply feel hungry because of “food p*rn” images.

You have an overactive thyroid

Constant hunger pangs can also be due to an overactive thyroid. Here the metabolism increases and thus also the energy requirement. So you have to eat more to cover the increased energy requirement and not suffer from constant hunger pangs.

If you suspect an overactive thyroid gland, go to the doctor and have yourself checked out.

 Insulin resistance

Another health reason for feeling hungry all the time is insulin resistance. Here, the cells do not respond or respond only weakly to insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar. Therefore, the pancreas produces more insulin than necessary. Insulin signals the body to eat. This creates a constant feeling of hunger.

If you suspect insulin resistance, you should see a doctor.

If you answer the question of what you eat roughly with “everything”, then you probably eat according to the mixed diet principle. We will explain to you exactly what a mixed diet means and how you can make this type of diet more sustainable.

There are many different types of diets. If you only consume plant-based foods, you are eating vegan. If you also eat eggs and dairy products, it is a vegetarian diet. Mixed diets also include meat and fish in the diet.

For environmental and animal protection, a vegan or at least vegetarian diet is particularly recommended. If you pay attention to a few points, you can at least make the mixed diet more sustainable. This article gives you specific tips on how to do this.

What does mixed food mean?

According to the Spectrum Nutrition Lexicon, mixed diet refers to “diets made up of plant and animal foods”. If you also pay attention to a good ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, you are talking about a balanced mixed diet.

A pizza with salami, for example, would be mixed food thanks to grain, meat, cheese and tomato sauce, but not particularly balanced.

The 10 recommendations of the DGE

The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) recommends ten rules for a wholesome diet as part of a mixed diet. Some of these also have a direct impact on the sustainability of your diet.

It is particularly important that you make your diet varied and plant-based. That means: more plant-based than animal-based foods and as many different ones as possible. As a guideline, the DGE recommends at least 400 grams of vegetables and 250 grams of fruit per day for adults. With the plant-based diet, you also eat more environmentally friendly. According to the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry, a plant-based mixed diet reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent compared to a meat-based one and saves land and water.
You can eat fish once or twice a week, but adults should limit themselves to 300 to 600 grams of meat and sausages per week. By consuming smaller amounts of meat and fish, you should be able to afford organic and more species-appropriate animal husbandry at the same time.
When preparing food, you can make sure that you only cook it for as long and as hot as it is really necessary. On the one hand, this means that more nutrients are retained, and on the other hand, you can easily save energy.

This is how sustainable mixed food works

The DGE also gives direct advice on sustainable nutrition. You can combine these with mixed foods.

The central aspect is the already mentioned plant-based diet.
It is also important that you buy ecologically and fairly produced food.
Whenever possible, you can also shop regionally.
It is best to only buy foods that are in season. Then you are more likely to find an offer from your region.
In addition to the diet itself, you can make your mixed diet sustainable by handling food consciously. For example, try to throw away as little as possible to avoid food waste:

When shopping, make sure you only buy as much as you can safely eat.
If an expiration date has passed, check food for its appearance, smell and taste. Most of the time, the food is still edible without any problems even after it has expired.
Buy unpackaged products whenever possible. You can find fruit and vegetables at a weekly market – but often also in supermarkets and always in organic markets – to buy loose. You can simply pack it in old paper or cloth bags you brought with you. Maybe you would like to pay a visit to a packaging-free shop? There you will find a lot of different things, such as pasta or muesli, to fill in containers you brought with you.

If possible, avoid ready meals and frozen foods or at least reduce your consumption. It is almost always heavily processed food that is provided with preservatives, colorings or other additives. And by the way, you save money if you cook yourself and plant-based.

Try new things

Even if you eat a mixed diet every day, it can be a valuable experience to try a different diet from time to time. A particularly popular example of this is the “Veganuary“. You eat vegan for a month. By name, most people try it in January, but there’s nothing wrong with going vegan in April – or any other time.

In the Veganuary or just like that you can test vegan meat alternatives and alternatives to dairy products as part of the mixed diet. For example, there are various vegan cheeses or plant milk as a milk substitute.

For maximum regionality, you can also grow your own fruit and vegetables. A garden is the best option for this, but even with a balcony, you can take care of a lot of things. For example, you can plant tomatoes on the balcony, and even potatoes on the balcony are an option.

Meal Prep is the solution for everyone who, despite the hustle and bustle of everyday life, values healthy food and wants to save money. We’ll tell you what’s behind this trend.

Meal Prep is made up of the English words “meal” (meal) and “preparation” (preparation). It’s all about pre-cooking food to save time and money. In Japan, food has been prepared in boxes, in so-called “bentos”, for on the go since the 5th century. And our grandparents were also excellent “meal preppers” by preserving fruit, beans and even roulades. Meal prep has been a trend in the US for years.

How does meal prep work?

Meal prep is about organization. Before you go shopping, think carefully about what you want to eat in the next few days. Instead of storing food until you need it, Meal Prep processes it right away.

It’s best to do this on a day when you have plenty of time. Because you may have to stand in the kitchen for a few hours to pre-cook. This saves you time for the rest of the week and you can eat the dishes right away or just heat them up when you get home from work.

You should note that dishes with uncooked food only keep for about two days. Cooked and fried food, on the other hand, is still fresh after three to four days in the refrigerator. Soups are easy to freeze and thaw as needed.

Since meal prep involves cooking for several days, you need space to store your supplies. It is best to store the components of your food separately in screw-top jars or cans. Don’t put them together until you’re finally preparing the food. That way everything keeps its consistency and doesn’t get mushy.

If you’re cooking for an entire week, you’re going to need a lot of containers. Start collecting large screw-top jars in good time.

Those are the benefits of meal prep

With meal prep, you do everything yourself. By pre-cooking, you know what is in your dishes. In this way you avoid processed foods and preservatives and can value healthy, regional and seasonal ingredients.

On top of that, you have control over the portion sizes. Since many dishes are suitable for the lunch break and there is no need to go to the snack bar, you also save money. If you buy groceries seasonally and regionally and do this in a planned manner, you can also save money. Spontaneous purchases during the evening supermarket quick shop are no longer necessary. You also have more time for you and your family if you don’t have to shop and cook freshly every day.

These foods are suitable for “Meal Prep”

When it comes to meal prep, vegetables should dominate. For a balanced diet, however, proteins should not be neglected. You can spice up your dishes with sauces and vegan dips. The following foods are particularly suitable for meal prep:

• carrots
• zucchini
• broccoli
• potatoes
• rice
• millet
• tofu
• Legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans)
• Pesto
• hummus

Reducing your own meat consumption has many advantages for the environment, animals and health. And it’s easier than you think. We have tips on how to manage to eat less meat.

There are many good reasons to eat less meat: environmental protection, animal welfare, health, to name just a few. Perhaps you are toying with the idea of reducing your meat consumption or giving up meat altogether. On the one hand, this is not that difficult, on the other hand, we have a few tips here so that you can definitely succeed in eating less meat.

Don’t think too far into the future

If you start thinking too far ahead, you may feel a little overwhelmed by the change. It’s best not to think too much about what’s coming at first, just go for it and see how it goes for you. Thinking now about whether you will be able to do without a roast at Christmas is of relatively little use. Would you rather look for vegetarian snacks for a spring picnic or invite a few friends over for a vegetarian Easter brunch. That makes more sense – and more fun!

Don’t put yourself under pressure and don’t set big goals

Eating less meat shouldn’t become an exercise that puts you under pressure. Don’t set yourself any goals, at least not big ones. For example, from now on, “completely abstaining from meat forever” doesn’t have to be. Instead, try to set small goals, such as eating meat one day each week. Or set no specific goals at all, apart from reducing your meat consumption – without any benchmarks, quantities or time limits. So as little pressure as possible.

Tell others about it

Inform others about your intention to eat less meat (without brandishing the moral club). On the one hand, this strengthens your plan mentally, on the other hand, you may get positive encouragement that motivates you. Or – very practically – others may give you good tips or have meat-free recipe ideas to share with you.

Find like-minded people

It’s better together: This also applies to trying to eat less meat. Therefore, look for people who also want to remove meat from the menu or are already doing so. You may also find someone in your circle of friends who is also planning to eat less meat. Then you can start together and exchange ideas or support each other. It’s also more fun to try out new dishes and restaurants together.

There are also many veggie communities online. There you can exchange ideas with like-minded people, collect recipes or ask for insider tips: Where can you find good vegetarian sausages? How do I make Kohlrabi Schnitzel? Or who knows the best veggie kebab stand?

Try new things and experiment

Have you tried eggplant for the first time in your life? No problem, now is the opportunity to rediscover vegetables. For example, find a delicious recipe with aubergines and try again to see if you like aubergines. Or give Brussels sprouts a (new) chance, for example as a Brussels sprouts quiche.

But you can also combine vegetables that you have never eaten together before. For example, broccoli tastes great in a salad. Or fennel with orange – a poem!

Go eating

Especially if you live in a city, take advantage of the offer and look around for restaurants, cafes, takeaways and so on that have a vegetarian or vegan offer. There are now a variety of places in every major city that offer meat-free cuisine, from burgers to curries, sandwiches and home cooking, you’re sure to find something you’re looking for.

If you prefer to go to your local bar, then specifically ask for non-meat dishes there. Maybe you will discover new delicious dishes there that you have always overlooked. The advantage of eating out: You not only enjoy good vegetarian or vegan dishes, you also don’t have to cook or wash up yourself. Especially when starting out, it is also good to be inspired by chefs who have more experience with meat-free cuisine and show the corresponding finesse.

Eat less meat? Learn (vegetarian) cooking

If you prefer to cook for yourself, no problem either. On the contrary, you can now find countless recipes online, for example at Utopia. In addition, when you prepare (new dishes) yourself, you can enjoy the feeling of success that you get when you succeed in a recipe particularly well.

Especially if you don’t want to move in the direction of pudding vegetarian: in, it makes sense to lend a hand and cook with fresh and seasonal ingredients. The more colorful the better!

In many cities there are also vegetarian cooking courses and you will also find what you are looking for in bookstores if you are looking for vegetarian cookbooks. Maybe a good reason to visit your favorite bookstore again.

Eat what you like

Bolognese is your favorite dish? So why not cook vegan Bolognese from soy strips and make it your new favorite dish. If you don’t like something at all, for example the fennel mentioned above, then stick to meat-free foods or vegetables that you like to eat when making the switch. Or try it with dishes that you like. If you like tarte flambée, try a vegetarian version with asparagus.

Try plant-based meat alternatives

If you like schnitzel, sausage, nuggets and the like, then try vegan and vegetarian alternatives. You may be surprised and at the same time you don’t have to change your habits much.

If substitutes aren’t your thing, no problem, there are many vegan recipes that don’t require any meat substitutes at all.

Prevention is half the battle

So that you don’t throw in the towel out of habit, it’s better to take precautions. For example, if you don’t yet know where you can eat a good vegetarian meal during your lunch break, it’s better to pack leftovers from the previous evening’s dinner. At home, a supply of vegetarian ingredients, from lentils to vegetables, to tofu and tomato paste, is a good idea. In this way, delicious dishes can be conjured up quickly and you won’t be embarrassed to go back to the butcher’s meat loaf roll, especially during the break.

Also recommended: It is always good to have veggie snacks on hand for acute hunger pangs. Good snacks are nut mixes, crackers, fruit, muesli bars or a vegan snack sausage if you like to eat something like that in between. We recommend that you choose organic food here.

Pay attention to a balanced diet

Not least for the sake of your health, but also for the enjoyment of eating, you should ensure a balanced diet when you switch to a meat-free diet. Living only on fries may make you happy at times, but it takes revenge in the end.

By the way: How about chickpea fries? But not exclusively, please.

As with cooking, the same applies to eating: the more colourful, the better. When it comes to your diet, make sure that you cover your nutritional needs, for example to avoid hunger pangs. Vegetable proteins can help you with this. And try to eat as balanced and varied as possible, to integrate many different types of vegetables, fruit or cereals into your diet. Seeds, nuts and herbs (e.g. in salads) round off your meals and provide additional vitamins and nutrients. Also: the eye eats with you!

We also recommend that you buy regional, seasonal and organic food when it comes to groceries. This is not only good for you, but also protects the environment.

Eating in the evening makes you fat? Is a Salad the Right Diet? Are smoothies replacing fruit and veg? Utopia has examined 12 nutritional myths.

Nutrition Myth 1: Lettuce is healthy

Lettuce is low in calories, rich in nutrients and particularly healthy. One might think so, but that’s not entirely true. Lettuce consists mainly of water. A lettuce, for example, contains 95 percent water. What other nutrients are in the lettuce and to what extent depends on the state of ripeness and the type of lettuce.

For the right diet, it is advisable to use the respective seasonal variety – then the most nutrients are in the lettuce. In winter and spring, for example, there is lamb’s lettuce. It is rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, potassium, calcium and iron. You can check when which fruit or vegetable is in season in the Utopia seasonal calendar.

Whether a salad is healthy also depends on how it is prepared: For example, a Caesar salad with dressing, parmesan, croutons and chicken breast is not a low-calorie meal. Ready-made salad dressings in particular often contain a lot of fat, salt and sugar. Salad is not generally healthy. But if you chop fresh seasonal vegetables or wild herbs into your salad and sprinkle a few nuts or seeds over it, it can become a real taste experience.

Nutrition Myth 2: Margarine is worse than butter

Butter fans agree: butter simply tastes good. It consists mainly of fat, at least 80 percent. The rest: about 16 percent water, lactose, milk protein, vitamins and minerals. Butter mainly contains easily digestible, short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids. In addition, it is rich in cholesterol. Cholesterol has long been considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol is now considered unproblematic for healthy people.

Margarine, on the other hand, consists of vegetable oils, fats and water. Like butter, it contains about 80 percent fat. So that the whole thing tastes good and looks good, salt, acidifier and the coloring agent beta-carotene are added. Vitamins are often added – for example vitamin E, vitamin A and vitamin D.

Margarine needs to be hardened. In the past, the unhealthy trans fatty acids were created in the process. In the meantime, however, margarine manufacturers have changed production in such a way that the levels of trans fatty acids are low. Because margarine is made from vegetable oils and contains more unsaturated fatty acids, its fatty acid pattern is better. However, margarine often contains palm oil – but there are also palm oil-free margarines.

Ultimately, the choice between margarine and butter is a matter of taste. However, if you have high blood fat levels or want to avoid animal products, you should prefer margarine with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. And regardless of whether it’s butter or margarine: it’s best to spread it thinly on the bread.

Nutrition myth 3: Smoothies are as healthy as fruits and vegetables

Smoothies are trending. We should eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Smoothies are just what you need – but are they really just as healthy as fruit and vegetables?

Smoothies are made from pureed fruits and vegetables. Compared to the starting product, however, they contain fewer nutrients such as fiber and phytochemicals – especially when juice is added. Due to their lower volume, smoothies are less filling than fresh fruit and vegetables. And: The “chewing experience” is missing.

Smoothies are less filling, but at the same time the energy density is higher, so you run the risk of consuming more calories than you think. Store-bought smoothies also have the problem that they cannot do without (plastic) packaging and some sugar, flavorings or other additives are added to them.

Replacing an occasional serving or two of fruit and veg with a smoothie is fine for proper nutrition—but it shouldn’t replace daily servings of fresh fruit and veg. If you drink smoothies, it’s best to make them yourself.

Nutrition myth 4: Eating in the evening makes you fat

Many people – especially those who would like to lose a few pounds on their hips – forego eating in the evening. There are numerous studies that have addressed the issue. The answers are contradictory. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) takes the position that it doesn’t matter when you eat. The decisive factor is the total energy consumed or consumed throughout the day.

This means that if you eat too much during the day and in the evening, you will also gain weight. So it’s not necessarily helpful to skip dinner. A light and balanced dinner is better. If you want to lose weight, you should make sure that the energy intake corresponds to the energy requirement. So only eat as much energy as your body uses per day.

Nutrition myth 5: Light products make you slim

Light products should contain less energy, fat or sugar. But less sugar does not mean fewer calories. In 2015, the consumer advice center in Bremen examined the Vitalis chocolate muesli by Dr. Oetker with “30% less sugar”. There really was less sugar in the muesli, but the energy content hardly differed from normal muesli.

It’s different with drinks: Less sugar often means fewer calories, but the sweet taste is replaced by sweeteners instead. Sweeteners can have side effects and are not recommended, especially for children. Drinks with sweeteners still taste sweet and make us get used to the sweet taste. In addition, some sweeteners may even have an appetizing effect.

Products with less fat, such as potato chips, often have the same problem: the reduced fat content is hardly noticeable in the number of calories. And if they do, the reduced-fat product often contains more water. Since fat is a flavor carrier, aromas and flavor enhancers are added to make the light product taste good. Industrially processed light products are therefore not much better than normal products.

Nutrition myth 6: Everyone needs to drink at least 2 liters every day

Drinking is important because we need liquid to live. Everyone knows the rule of thumb “drink two liters a day” by now. It is true that adults need about 2.5 liters of liquid per day. This also includes the liquid from food. You should take in the remaining 1.5 liters through drinks to ensure proper nutrition.

However, the individual fluid requirement depends on age and the time of year. The body also quickly needs 0.5 to 1 liter more liquid during sports, heat or illness. Those who tend to drink too little should try to drink at least a liter a day. Pay attention to your thirst and always have something to drink nearby – preferably water or unsweetened tea.

Don’t reach for bottled water from plastic bottles: The tap water in this country is of very high quality and more environmentally friendly – it doesn’t get any cheaper.

Nutrition Myth 7: Vegetable chips are better than potato chips

The name suggests that they are healthy: vegetable chips. Plus, it sounds like a healthier alternative to greasy potato chips. Vegetable chips are also true calorie bombs and can keep up with conventional chips in terms of fat content.

Vegetable chips made from sweet potatoes, carrots and beetroot are not a healthier alternative to potato chips, as confirmed by Stiftung Warentest. In addition to fat, some of the tested products also contained a lot of sugar and even harmful substances. The pollutant load may have been lower since then, provided that the manufacturers reacted, but the recipe will have changed less since then, because: fat tastes good and is a flavor carrier. It’s even better with (a lot of) sugar. So with veggie chips, like any other chips, the snack isn’t healthy just because it has veggies in it. That’s why it should only be enjoyed in moderation, whether made from potatoes or other vegetables.

Nutrition Myth 8: Juice is better than soft drinks

Cola, Fanta and Co. are unhealthy sugar bombs – we all know that. Orange juice for breakfast in the morning, on the other hand, is considered a healthy pick-me-up and almost part of proper nutrition. Fruit juice is made from fruit and contains vitamins and minerals.

But we forget: Juice also contains a lot of calories. A liter of juice can contain about as many calories as a liter of cola. On average between 400 and 500 kilocalories. And not all juices are the same: When buying, you should make sure that you buy real fruit juice. Sugar may have been added to the so-called fruit nectar.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s cola or juice: We should drink water to quench our thirst. Treating yourself to something every now and then is perfectly fine. Compared to cola, juice is the better choice: After all, juice contains vitamins and minerals.

Nutrition Myth 9: Carbohydrates make you fat

This nutritional myth ignores the fact that carbohydrates are a main nutrient in our diet and are not “bad” per se. We need them as a source of energy and so that our brain can work. But there are differences: There are simple and complex carbohydrates.

For example, table sugar is a simple, easily digestible carbohydrate. The blood sugar level rises quickly after consumption and quickly falls again due to increased insulin release. So you quickly regain your appetite. Whole grains or potatoes, on the other hand, contain a lot of complex carbohydrates and our body needs much more time to digest them. This means that the blood sugar level rises much more slowly and we feel full for longer.

So it all depends on what carbohydrates we eat. If you want to lose weight or eat healthily, you should eat complex carbohydrates from vegetables, potatoes and whole grain products. They also contain many vitamins, minerals, secondary plant substances and fiber and have a low fat content. And they fill you up longer.

Nutrition myth 10: Superfoods make you fit and heal diseases

Superfoods are on everyone’s lips – literally. They should be particularly healthy, make you fit and heal diseases. But “superfood” is actually little more than a marketing term for foods that are said to have particular health benefits. Numerous fruits, seeds or berries are among the superfoods.

They all contain a lot of nutrients, are supposed to support bodily functions such as muscle building, the immune system or the metabolism and in some cases even heal diseases. However, these effects are often not scientifically proven. Superfoods are certainly good for your health and in no way harmful – at most for your wallet, because chia seeds, goji berries and quinoa are not cheap.

But what many forget when it comes to superfoods: There is actually no fruit or vegetable that does not have a positive effect on the human body. Therefore, one can ask the question whether the goji berries and the matcha powder really have to be imported from distant countries just so that we can do something good for our health. What is overlooked in this nutritional myth: Regional superfoods such as broccoli, beetroot or flaxseed are better (and significantly cheaper).

Nutrition Myth 11: Frozen foods aren’t as good as fresh produce

What you buy from the freezer is not as healthy as what you buy fresh. Not quite, because that may be true for frozen meals, but not for frozen fruits and vegetables.

If fruit and vegetables are frozen immediately after harvest – as is often the case when processing frozen products – then this has an advantage over fruit and vegetables from the fresh department. Nutrients such as vitamin C are sometimes lost on transport routes and under the influence of light, whereas these are preserved during shock freezing.

A study by the University of Hamburg shows, for example, that the vitamin C content of raw peas has already decreased significantly after seven days of storage at room temperature, while the content hardly changed after two years of deep-freeze storage at -25 degrees.

Nutrition myth 12: Vitamin supplements replace fruit and vegetables

We need vitamins: they are important for many functions in our body. We cannot make them ourselves and must ingest them with food. Anyone who feels weak or sick likes to take a few vitamin pills. They should solve the problem.

The problem with vitamin supplements: The vitamins are isolated. Eating an apple or swallowing a pill – there is no comparison. The Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR) says that in most cases taking dietary supplements, which also include vitamin preparations, is superfluous. According to the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), Germany is also not a country with a vitamin deficiency: Most people are adequately supplied.

But there are situations in which it makes sense to resort to such preparations: in the case of unbalanced or inadequate nutrition, pregnancy, breastfeeding or in the elderly and in the case of chronic diseases. But it is better to have a doctor check what is really necessary for proper nutrition.

This also means a healthy amount of vitamins, because a lot doesn’t help much here. On the contrary: an overdose of vitamin D can lead to symptoms of poisoning or cause calcification of the heart, kidneys or lungs. If you consume too much vitamin A, your skin can change and hair loss, headaches or even organ damage can occur. The daily requirement of vitamins can be covered by a varied and balanced diet.

Conclusion: Don’t fall for the marketing promises of light products, superfoods or dietary supplements, but listen to your gut feeling.

Imagine you go shopping and throw a third of the goods in the garbage can. Absurd? Should you think! But a third is actually exactly the amount of food that ends up in the garbage worldwide every year. This enormous food waste is a major problem of our time. And a large part of this goes back to private households. Find out here what you can do to reduce food waste.

Far too large a proportion of the world’s population has no access to food and is starving. While a third of our food is literally produced “for the bin”. Around 12 tons of food are wasted along the food supply chain in Germany alone. 173 kilograms are thrown away by every person in the EU every year. That’s shocking. We live in an abundance that has reached dangerous levels – for people, but also for the environment.

Food waste – a gigantic problem for people and the planet

Mindful handling of food offers numerous advantages for us humans and the planet. If we didn’t waste food on a massive scale, we could improve global food security, combat climate change, strengthen biodiversity and relieve waste management systems, to name just a few positive aspects. Unfortunately, far too little attention has been paid to this topic so far.

It is not that difficult to avoid food waste in your own household – there is often simply a lack of awareness of it. It would be really important in private. At around 52 percent, an enormous proportion of food waste along the food supply chain can be traced back to private households. And with that on us, because we are at the end of the supply chain. But that also means: We consumers have the greatest power to change something about this problem.

There are many tips on how to avoid food waste. This starts with a well-planned purchase, through the correct storage of fruit and vegetables, for example, to the fact that the best-before date is not an indicator for simply throwing away a product unopened. Awareness of food rations and the courage to simply reuse leftovers are also decisive for less food waste.

Foodprep instead of foodwaste: creativity and intuition in the kitchen

A well thought-out collection of recipes can help you to perfectly match dishes and ingredients so that as little as possible is left over or can be reused. Key word: food prep.

For example, if you plan your week culinary with a menu, you can pre-cook the basis of rice, potatoes or pasta in reasonable quantities and refine them with vegetables or other side dishes, toppings and fresh herbs. If something is left over, it’s time to get creative: You can often combine leftovers from the previous day wonderfully or spice them up with little tricks.

For example, have you ever tried to process leftover vegetables into a delicious spread? Fine soups can still be conjured up from the tired carrot and the no longer quite so crunchy beetroot. Greens that would otherwise end up in the compost are suitable as the basis for a delicious pesto. Leftover potatoes or pasta are great as a casserole or fried can make you full and happy. Rice, quinoa, millet & Co. are the best basis for colorful bowls. The imagination knows no limits.

Dare and let your intuition guide you. You’ll see how much fun it is to fight food waste in your own kitchen.

The best for leftovers – A universal seasoning for the leftover kitchen

Are you still missing a bit of pep with your leftover dishes? If salt and pepper are too boring for you, the herb specialist SONNENTOR has just the thing for you!

“The best for leftovers” is a spice mixture that was specially developed for the leftover kitchen. The mixture has two special features: First, it goes with every dish. Secondly, it comes from experts – namely from the social media community of the Austrian company. She created and designed the seasoning all-rounder especially for leftovers. The name also goes back to the herbal community. Edith and Johannes Gutmann, the owners of SONNENTOR, chose the final name “Das Beste für Reste” from hundreds of fan submissions.

The fans of Sonnentor agreed: For a perfect mixture of spices for leftovers, you need tomato flakes, sea salt, parsley, onion pieces, oregano, garlic and black pepper. According to fans, this combination of the finest organic spices gets the best out of the leftovers.

ZeroWaste in the kitchen – attract attention and raise awareness

With this project, SONNENTOR not only wants to revolutionize the taste of leftovers, but above all wants to raise awareness of food waste. The aim is to shape a sustainable future together – and with “The best for leftovers” everyone will succeed in avoiding food waste in their own kitchen.

Under the hashtag #missionleftoverkitchen, the organic pioneer launched a call to use up all the supplies at home and to ban the topic of food waste from the kitchen. SONNENTOR fans also regularly receive tips and inspiration for leftover dishes.