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Canned peas, carrots, and corn are popular pantry preserves. Once opened and not completely used up, the canned vegetables often end up in the refrigerator. However, cans that have just been opened should not be stored there.

Food cans: Opened do not put them in the refrigerator

If opened canned goods are stored in the refrigerator, the tin present in the can accumulates in the food inside. This happens especially with acidic content such as tomatoes and fruit.

However, canned mushrooms are also affected by the process in which the food reacts with the tin of the metal can after opening due to the oxygen. This reaction can change the taste of the food. Large amounts of tin in the body can also put an unnecessary strain on the kidneys and lead to stomach irritation.

Decant canned goods

To avoid a reaction with tin, canned food should always be transferred to porcelain or plastic container with a lid and then placed in the refrigerator. This keeps fruit and vegetables fresh for another two to three days. Unopened and in the undamaged original condition, the contents of the can have a shelf life of around one year if the canned food has been stored in the dark and below 20 degrees Celsius.

Fast food is frowned upon by health-conscious people – but you can treat yourself to it every now and then. But be careful: If you get the urge for a burger or a pizza, don’t eat it in front of small children, because even one-year-olds register good and bad eating habits! That’s the result of a new study. EAT SMARTER explains what’s behind it.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Child nutrition is an important issue, especially for first-time parents. What can the child eat and what is unhealthy for the little ones? What they often don’t think about is that what they eat also influences the child.

The parents shape their children. Even if the toddler happily munches his carrot mash, he can tell when dad is enjoying a greasy cheeseburger but grimaces at the vegetables. From an early age, we learn which foods we (should) like and which we don’t.

Regional and social factors play a major role here: Germans have different favorite foods than the French, and Hamburgers eat differently than Bavarians. How our parents raise us, our food experiences and genetics influence our eating habits. This is how personal taste develops, which of course is primarily shaped by family.

A study by Cornell University in Ithaca now shows that even small children from the age of one put out their feelers for it. “When babies see someone eating, they not only learn about the food, they also learn who is eating with whom,” explains one of the researchers.

For the study, 200 babies were shown different eating situations via video. In one video, people were apparently strangers to each other and spoke in different languages. In the other video, the actors looked familiar and spoke the same language.

Both groups clearly expressed their feelings towards the food: if they liked it, they looked enthusiastic, if they rejected it, they grimaced. The babies were particularly drawn to the video, in which people interacted intimately. It was striking that when the small children were clearly disgusted, they automatically expected that everyone would share the disgust.

The eye eats with you

Disgust at certain dishes is originally our body’s protective function: it warns of potential pathogens. Anthropologist and epidemiologist Valerie Curtis of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine believes that disgust evolved over time and is firmly embedded in our genes.

Disgust is expressed by people all over the world with the same facial expression: puckering up the upper lip, wrinkling the nose, sometimes even narrowing the eyes. Small children perceive these facial expressions and, according to the study, also categorize the food as repulsive.

So: Be careful when eating when small children are sitting at the table. Child nutrition is not only what the child gets to eat, but also what the parents eat in front of the child. Because even one-year-olds register disgust or satisfaction from the people around them – if you look peacefully at the burger and wrinkle your nose at the vegetables, you are laying a bad foundation in terms of upbringing.

With a newly published civil protection concept, the federal government has triggered a discussion about the sense and nonsense of buying hamsters. Everyone has to decide for themselves how useful they think the government’s checklist is. EAT SMARTER has put together a smart shopping list for you, with which you are always well prepared, at least for culinary emergencies.

Who doesn’t know this – it’s 9:30 p.m. on Saturday evening and the supermarket around the corner is closed. Or we are sick, have no strength to get out of bed, but have nothing left to eat in the house. So we order the pizza service. That’s not smart. But a well-stocked pantry can prevent cravings and frustration orders.

With a sensible selection of supplies, we are well prepared for culinary emergencies and can conjure up our favorite dish at any time.

Grain

A certain selection of different dried grain products should not be missing in any pantry. The products do have a best-before date, but according to Stiftung Warentest, this can be exceeded generously. As long as the food tastes impeccable, it is edible. Store grain products in airtight screw-top jars or plastic containers to prevent pests from attacking them.

These grain products belong in the pantry:

  • flour
  • pasta
  • rice
  • polenta
  • couscous
  • millet
  • quinoa
  • crispbread
  • oatmeal

Legumes

Legumes are super healthy because they provide plenty of fiber, protein, and minerals such as iron and potassium. They also provide variety in the kitchen. Dried lentils, chickpeas, and co. can be kept for over a year. Ensure optimal storage conditions by storing the food in an airtight container in a dark, cool, and dry place. If you are in a hurry, you can also buy canned cooked legumes and use them in stews, curries, or sauces.

These legumes belong in the pantry:

  • Chickpeas
  • lenses
  • different types of beans (e.g. kidney beans, white beans, or azuki beans)

Canned goods and jars

Of course, fresh food is always the better choice. Still, it makes sense to stock up on a selection of jars and jars that you can use to cook dishes when you need them. Tomato cans are essential. They often even contain more phytochemicals than fresh tomatoes. But dishes can also be easily spiced up with pesto, olives, and the like.

These preserves and jars should not be missing in the pantry:

  • chopped/peeled tomatoes
  • Pesto
  • olives
  • Sun-dried tomatoes
  • artichokes
  • capers
  • Corn
  • Peas
  • pickled cucumbers
  • Beetroot
  • tuna
  • vegetarian spreads
  • nut butter

Nuts and dried fruits

Whole, unshelled nuts and dried fruits can be kept for several months if stored correctly. As with grains and legumes, nuts and dried fruit should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place.

These nuts and dried fruits are perfect for storage:

  • unshelled walnuts
  • unshelled hazelnuts
  • unshelled peanuts
  • Apple crisps
  • dried apricots, prunes, or dates to taste
  • raisins

Spices

Without spices, the food would taste pretty monotonous. We, therefore, recommend that you always have a supply of different spices at home. Dried herbs and spice mixtures have a long shelf life and give even the simplest dishes that certain something.

These spices should not be missing in a well-stocked pantry:

  • Salt
  • pepper
  • dried vegetable broth
  • dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil
  • garlic powder
  • curry powder
  • coriander powder
  • nutmeg
  • paprika powder
  • Cinnamon

6. Vinegar and Oil

Cold-pressed oils can be kept unopened for up to twelve months. Refined oils can even be stored and sealed for a year or two. Sniff the oil to see if it’s still good. It is relatively easy to tell whether oil is rancid by smell. You can also try a small drop of the oil to make sure your nose was right. If it tastes bitter, throw it away and stop eating. Vinegar is sealed, stored in a dark and cool place, and can be stored almost indefinitely.

  • rapeseed oil
  • olive oil
  • sunflower oil
  • dark balsamic
  • light balsamic
  • Apple Cider Vinegar

This is probably the most delicate temptation since ice cream has existed: wafer-thin ice cream rolls! The trend is spilling over from Thailand to more and more countries, and so in many German cities, delicate rolls are now being formed with a sharp spatula and served in an ice cream sundae.

Delicate rolls as an ice cream trend

Foodies no longer order their ice cream in the form of large balls, but rather as wafer-thin rolls: Ice Cream Rolls are the name of the latest food trend that is spilling over from Thailand and making ice cream lovers happy. Best of all: the ice rolls are prepared individually for the customer on-site – this guarantees freshness and there is something for every taste!

This is how ice cream rolls are made

The basis of the ice cream rolls is the crème anglaise – a cream made of egg yolk, sugar, and milk. This mass is placed on a metal plate at a temperature of around minus 20 degrees and refined with the customer’s favorite ingredients. This can be fruit, chocolate, or biscuits, for example, which are chopped up directly on the plate, mixed with the cream, and then spread thinly on top.

Healthy ice cream enjoyment?

Depending on the method of preparation, there are around 110 kilocalories in 100 grams of crème anglaise alone – plus the calories from the toppings you have chosen. For comparison: 100 grams of vanilla ice cream have about 200 calories.

Thus, none of the ice cream variants are really a figure-conscious choice. With the right toppings such as berries or nuts, however, some “empty” calories can be saved on the ice cream rolls. But the same applies here: Sweet sins are of course allowed from time to time and can then be enjoyed all the more!

If you combine Mexican burritos and Japanese sushi, you get the latest food trend that has reached us from overseas: susharitos! Here you can find out what is behind the food trend and how you can imitate it at home.

No sushi, no burrito—susharito!

They taste light and fresh like sushi and are easy to eat like burritos: susharitos! The delicious burrito-sushi hybrids have their origin in San Francisco. The delicious sushi wraps have been there since 2010. After the sushi burgers, they are finally conquering Germany’s street food markets and restaurants.

Nori sheets are filled with rice and fresh ingredients. There are no limits to creativity here: fish, meat, tofu, fresh vegetables, herbs, or salad – everything can be rolled into the susharito.

That’s how healthy susharitos are

Sushiritos prove that fast food can be healthy too! The delicious sushi wraps contain everything you need for a balanced and healthy diet: carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, minerals, and numerous vitamins. The nori seaweed sheets, which are filled with all sorts of healthy ingredients, are real health makers! In addition to vitamin A, B1, B2, niacin, and vitamin C, they contain iodine and protein.

From now on, susharitos can be on the menu more often! Since susharitos are easy to eat without cutlery, you can also take them to work or enjoy them on the go.

On the next page, we will show you how you can imitate the food trend at home.

Make sushi to yourself

Choose your favorites from the building blocks below and build your personal favorite Sushirito!

The building blocks

  1.  base. Nori Sheets, Sushi Rice
  2. Protein. Salmon, tuna, tofu, crab, shrimp, boiled egg
  3. Vegetables. Carrot, cucumber, bean, avocado, bell pepper, cooked sweet potato, mango, apple, arugula, radish, red cabbage, lettuce, coriander, mint
  4. Toppings. Sesame, wasabi, soy sauce, peanut sauce, lime juice, pickled ginger, chopped peanuts

Preparation:

  1. First cook the sushi rice.
  2. Then cut the vegetables, lettuce, and herbs into strips.
  3. Place a sheet of nori on a cutting board. If you have a bamboo mat handy, place it under the nori sheet. The mat makes it easier to roll up the susharito later. Cover the nori sheet with rice. The top and bottom edges should be left free, otherwise, the roll will not hold together later.
  4. Spread the desired protein component, vegetables, and toppings on the rice.
  5. Now use the mat to shape everything into a thick roll.

Now nothing stands in the way of enjoyment – enjoy your personal susharito creation!

What is fluffy, not too sweet, and fits perfectly on every cake board? The Angel Food Cake! With a handful of ingredients, a little patience, and loving preparation, this cake sensation can be conjured up in a short time. And best of all: This pleasure is not a calorie sin! EAT SMARTER shows you how to make the Angel Food Cake yourself.

Fluffy cake love

The special thing about Angel Food Cake is its unique consistency: it is tender and soft, like a pillow you want to sink into. A piece of cake can be easily squeezed together without breaking into a thousand crumbs – it springs back to its original shape just as undamaged and is by no means rubbery but absolutely fluffy!

The angel cake is so healthy

If you would like to treat yourself to a piece of cake, you can cut yourself a slice at the Angel Food Cake! A piece of angel cake contains around 200 kilocalories and little fat – a treat that you can enjoy with a clear conscience! The topping made of cream and low-fat quark makes the Angel Food Cake extra creamy. The berries bring a subtle sweetness and the taste of summer to the plate.

Make Angel Food Cake yourself

The ingredients:

For the dough:

  • 80 g wheat flour type 405
  • 70 g cornstarch
  • 270g powdered sugar
  • 10 egg whites (use the yolk for something else)

For the topping:

  • 200 ml whipped cream
  • 100 g low-fat quark
  • 1 tsp powdered sugar
  • 250 g berry mix
  • Powdered sugar for dusting, if desired

The preparation:

  1. In a bowl, sift the wheat flour, cornstarch, and 70 grams of the icing sugar finely four times. Then preheat the oven to 180 degrees top and bottom heat.
  2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg whites until stiff, and then sprinkle in the remaining 200 grams of the powdered sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy.
  3. Sift half of the flour mixture over the egg white mixture and carefully fold in. Do the same with the other half of the mixture.
  4. Pour the batter into an Angel Food Cake mold (not greased), smooth it out, and tap it twice on the work surface to close the last air gaps. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.
  5. Take the Angel Food Cake out of the oven and turn it upside down on its metal feet – leave it to cool completely (at least four hours). If the cake has not slipped out of the mold by itself after this time, you can carefully help with a knife.
  6. Whip the cream until stiff, stir the low-fat quark until creamy and mix together carefully. Stir in the powdered sugar. Spread the cream and quark mixture on the cake and garnish with berries and powdered sugar, if you like.

Simply grow spring onions, garlic, and herbs yourself? What sounds like a beautiful dream can actually be implemented, because some herbs or types of fruit and vegetables can continue to thrive indefinitely – even on your windowsill.

Spring onions, leeks, lemongrass, and fennel (cabbage)

These foods are particularly easy to follow. To do this, place the bottom two to three centimeters of the respective vegetable with the root residue in a glass of water and change it every few days. After about seven days, the green part of the plant grows back at the top, creating a new plant. If you want, you can also plant them in a pot with soil. With fennel, however, only the herb thrives, not the tuber. When buying, you should make sure that onions, leeks, lemongrass, or fennel are fresh.

Garlic

As soon as garlic is left a little longer, small green shoots will sprout from the bulb. If this happens, you can put the toes in a bowl with some water. The shoots, which are very similar to the green of spring onions, thrive quickly. When the shoots are about 10 centimeters long, they can be easily harvested with kitchen scissors.

Alternatively, the clove of garlic can be planted in the ground with the shoot upward. After just a few weeks and regular watering, a new tuber will grow back.

Ginger

Perhaps you have already observed that new shoots grow from ginger bulbs. With a little skill, you can grow a new plant from a piece of ginger that has been expelled.

To do this, fill a pot three-quarters full with soil, place the ginger root on top and cover it loosely with soil. For ginger to thrive, it needs a warm and humid climate. You simply build a small “greenhouse” by covering the pot with foil or a plastic lid. Poke a few holes in the foil to allow air to get in.

After a few weeks, tender shoots break out of the ground. Now you can remove the cover, but watering enough moisture is still important. In a warm and sheltered place, ginger grows into a slender plant with reed-like leaves.

In autumn, when the ginger plant sheds its leaves, it is harvest time: you can simply dig up the ginger tubers that have grown back. The plant thrives ideally if you put the tuber in the ground in spring.

Romaine lettuce, cabbage, and bok choy

An undamaged stalk is enough for romaine lettuce and co. to grow back.

To do this, place the stalk without leaves in a glass of water and place the whole thing in a sunny spot, for example on the windowsill. The water should be changed every few days; In addition, it is advisable to wet the stalk with water from a spray bottle from time to time.
After about two weeks, the first leaves will grow back, and after three to four weeks you will have a complete head of lettuce, cabbage, or pak choi. The latter two can also be planted in the ground and grown there.

Herbs like mint, rosemary, basil, coriander

It is very easy to grow herbs. For this, you need a stalk of the desired herb, which is cut off just below a leaf. To avoid crushing the delicate stalk, use a sharp knife instead of scissors.

Now remove the lower leaves and put the stalk in a glass with water. Here, too, the water should be changed regularly. Roots will form quickly; as soon as these are about five centimeters long, the plantlet can be potted. Plenty of suns and sufficient water accelerate growth. Use stems from good quality plants for your planting experiment, as unfortunately supermarket stock is often grown in such a way that the plant will die when the leaves are removed.

Potatoes

From mid-April, the tuber can be grown wonderfully by burying a potato that has already germinated in a pot or bucket with soil. The shoots must also be completely covered with soil. During the summer, the potato plant blooms very nicely. When the flowering season is over and the potato tops are turning brown, you can dig up your home-grown potatoes.

Tip: If none of your potatoes have germinated yet, you can alternatively quarter them and place them in water for a few days. That’s how they cast out.

Pineapple

You need a little patience when breeding pineapples because the process takes about two years. Be sure to buy a ripe but not overripe fruit that has golden brown skin and unblemished leaves.

Twist off the stalk with the leaves, removing the lower leaves until the stalk is exposed about an inch. Place the stalk in a glass half-filled with water and place it in a warm place.

Once roots have formed, you can pot the seedling. Regular watering is important so that the soil always stays moist. After about two months, a real small pineapple plant has already grown, which you should report after a year. Your patience will be rewarded after about 20 months: the pineapple flowers for the first time! With a bit of luck, you may soon be able to harvest your first pineapple.

From sustainable snacks and healthy drinks to complete experiment boxes: If you are looking for great gifts or sustainable and innovative food start-ups, you should find them here.

Most food start-ups have a lot in common: They have a great team, the products taste great, are beautifully packaged, want a sustainable and better future – AND: You hardly ever find them when you search for them on the internet. We have put together a selection for you here.

1. My Chipsbox

The Mychipsbox combines classic chips with dried fruit – unfortunately not the healthiest option, since dried fruit contains a lot of fructose. However, the combination of chips and dried pineapple tasted very good and can definitely be seen on a nice TV evening with friends.

2. FOODIST

Foodist usually tries to inspire you with product boxes on themes such as fine food or selected country boxes. For this purpose, Foodbox works with small manufacturers and thus supports local trade. With Mission More, FOODIST is just launching its first own product range. The snack balls and protein balls consist mainly of dates, nuts and superfoods and taste incredibly good!

3. Snack heroes

Are you getting hungry or do you fancy something sweet that should be healthy? Then the snack balls from Snackhelden are just right because the small balls do not contain refined sugar and only rely on the sweetness of nature! The snack balls provide plenty of energy, made entirely from natural ingredients – support the crowdfunding campaign now. By eating the healthy snack, you are not only doing something good for yourself, you are also doing something good for the environment: with every pack of snack balls, sustainable projects are supported, currently for example the reforestation of German forests in cooperation with NABU.

4. Fine&Done

Fein & Ready produces wholesome main meals in beautiful glasses. The special thing about it: is the newly become mother and the owner does it without additives and superfluous packaging. The Healthy & Mother product range aims to relieve mothers without sacrificing taste. The beautiful glasses can then of course be reused.

5. Eat Performance

Eat Performance takes on the Paleo diet with its products. From muesli to snacks to soups, you will find everything a Paleo heart desires here. One of the co-founders has been following the Paleo diet for five years. We think that’s great and the start-up gains a lot of credibility for us.

6. LYCKA

Lycka is the Swedish word for happiness. Lycka is not only committed to the goal of “happiness” for its customers, but also for social projects. With every product sold, a school meal in Burundi is financed. According to Lycka, they have now been able to finance around 700,000 school meals! Oh yes, and about the product: The frozen yoghurt and the power bars from LYCKA look great, taste good and of course organic and 100 percent natural.

7. Kale & Me

Have you ever thought about fasting, but not sure what to look out for? Kale & Me provides six juices a day and a juice cleanse guide. The concept is very simple: each juice is given a number and every two hours you drink your way through the numbers from 1 to 6 until the day is over. Of course, you get more ideas and instructions for juice fasting. In addition, the design of the juices has a bit of New York smoothies and thus attracts attention even outside of the fasting cure. Cold-pressed, the drinks retain their vitamins.

8. KONKRUA Thai cooking

KONKRUA brings you the taste of Thailand directly into the kitchen. The beautifully packaged meals are imported directly from Thailand with no glutamate and no preservatives. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to try it yet, but the results look delicious! Plus, the beautiful bamboo packaging is reusable, so there’s no waste!

18 million tons of food end up in the bin every year. Including 1.7 million tons of baked goods alone, as the environmental organization, WWF found out in a new study. EAT SMARTER explains what this means for the environment, what happens to the products, and how food waste can be reduced in Germany.

Every year, 18 million tons of food end up in the trash in Germany. This affects not only private households, but also production (ignoring losses in agriculture) and processing, bulk consumers, and trade – a waste of valuable resources! A total of 18 million tons: That means that we throw away about every third of food.

This is not only a major problem from an ethical point of view, but also from an ecological and economic perspective. Because raw materials, energy, and water are required, whether for the production or for the destruction of food.

Of the food thrown away, 1.7 million tons of baked goods end up in the garbage every year in Germany. There is such an enormous amount of food waste in the baked goods sector because consumers expect a large and varied range and the demand for the freshness of the products has increased.

Bakeries try to meet these expectations by offering almost their entire range until shortly before closing time. This oversupply of baked goods means that in some shops about one in five baked goods has to be thrown away.

Far-reaching consequences for the environment

“Food wastage has far-reaching consequences for our environment, because it has a negative impact on land use, eutrophication of water bodies, biodiversity, the production of pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.”, according to the environmental organization WWF, which conducted the study on food waste in the baked goods sector (1).

A harvest area of ​​398,000 hectares of arable land is required for the baked goods produced and then thrown away, which could also have been cultivated otherwise. To clarify the extent: This is an area that is roughly the size of the Balearic island of Mallorca and the state of Hamburg together.

Furthermore, the overproduction of baked goods results in 2.46 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which harm the environment unnecessarily. More conscious use of the available bread and baked goods would therefore make a significant contribution to protecting our resources and the climate and reducing food waste in Germany.

Especially against the background of this year’s drought in Germany, the wastage has to be questioned even more, since it also led to enormous harvest losses in the grain sector. Arable land can no longer be claimed on the scale previously used to “throw in the garbage as bread, pizza or pasta” (1).

At 49 percent, private households are the frontrunners in throwing away baked goods, followed by returns from bakeries (36 percent) and retailers (13 percent). These baked goods that are not eaten are then energetically utilized in biogas plants, destroyed in waste incineration plants, or ended up in the animal feed.

Critical: Excess baked goods become pet food

A large part of the baked goods that are not sold is processed into animal feed. This is particularly critical because the baked goods are usually shredded, including the packaging, in the feed manufacturers’ plants.

Most of the plastic is then removed again, but it can be assumed that this rarely happens without leaving any residue and that there is plastic, especially microplastic, in the animal feed. It is, therefore, possible that the animals have plastic particles in their bodies, which humans also ingest by eating meat.

Clear demand of the WWF

The WWF is in favor of computer systems better calculating the production and sale of baked goods so that excess production can be avoided and returns reduced. In addition, consumers should refrain from expecting a well-stocked counter before the shop closes – actions must be reconsidered and changed here.

Good food is well known for making us happier inside and out. A study shows how a simple trick can increase this effect.

Basics of the study

Every person has a different way to feel more comfortable. While for some it is relaxation methods such as yoga or meditation, others rely on sports, painting or talking to friends. But it is not uncommon for people to feel completely at ease after a delicious meal.

Based on the assumption that good food makes you happy, Edith Cowan University (ECU) initiated a study to prove that there is a connection between good food and our mental health.

A total of 657 people took part in the study, each of whom underwent a seven-week cooking course focused on preparing healthy food. After completing the cooking course, it was examined to what extent participation in the program affected general, but also mental health and subjective vitality. The term “subjective vitality” includes, among other things, perceived energy, willingness to perform and zest for life.

Cooking yourself: Good food should make you even happier

The results were impressive: The participants not only had a higher self-confidence when it came to cooking in general, but even adopted new and healthy eating habits in everyday life. In all three areas that were examined after the study, positive effects were found in the test persons: in general, but also in mental health and subjective vitality.

Basically, the study shows that there is a connection between health and healthy eating. Significant for an improvement in nutrition is not only healthy cooking, but also cooking at home – which increases the good feeling even more. According to the researchers, such nutritional improvement is also a way to combat mental health problems, obesity and other metabolic health disorders.

How much time is invested in cooking and the quality of the ingredients used is less relevant. It’s more about consciously turning to healthy cooking and doing something good for yourself; for example, just eating more fruit and vegetables can have a big effect.

Conclusion

In summary, it can be said that a healthier diet can be implemented at home and can have a positive effect on your physical and mental health. The question of how food can make you happier can be answered easily: Cooking at home is fresh, healthy and fun.