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Arachidonic Acid: These Foods Contain The Fatty Acid

The immune system does not work without arachidonic acid – the immune system reacts sensitively if the amounts are too large. If you eat a balanced diet and avoid certain foods, the fatty acid will not cause you any problems.

What the body needs arachidonic acid for

Arachidonic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid that belongs to the group of omega-6 fatty acids. It is mainly found in animal foods: Larger amounts are mainly found in meat, animal fats such as butter and offal.

The arachidonic acid provides the building blocks for hormones with which the body can activate the immune system. The counterpart, the off switch so to speak, is mainly provided by the omega-3 fatty acids.

But arachidonic acid is not one of the essential fatty acids in the narrower sense.

The science magazine Spektrum explains why: the body can absorb arachidonic acid from meals, but it can also produce it itself from linoleic acid. Therefore, arachidonic acid is one of the semi-essential fatty acids.
Linoleic acid, on the other hand, is an essential fatty acid: the body cannot produce it itself, but can only absorb it from food. Linoleic acid is found in plant foods such as sunflower oil or walnuts, but also in meat and dairy products.

Arachidonic acid: These foods are particularly high

Some foods are particularly high in arachidonic acid. If you suffer from rheumatism or arthrosis, you should remove them from your diet if possible. Otherwise, it is recommended not to take them in large quantities.

These animal products are rich in arachidonic acid (the information relates to 100 grams):
Pork Lard: Contains 1.7 grams of arachidonic acid — by far the most of the products on this list. Attention: Pastries with lard, such as shortbread cookies and other Christmas cookies, often contain large amounts of the problematic fatty acid.
Liver and Liverwurst:
Pork liver (870 milligrams)
Calf liver (352 milligrams)
Liverwurst (230 milligrams)
pork (120 milligrams) and streaky bacon (250 milligrams).
Fish: Some types of fish not only contain omega-3 fatty acids, but also arachidonic acid. These include above all:
Salmon (300 milligrams)
Tuna (280 milligrams)
Redfish (240 milligrams)
Carp (190 milligrams)
Eel (120 milligrams)
Chicken eggs: On average, you get about 70 milligrams of arachidonic acid with eggs. It mainly collects in the yolk – 100 grams of yolk contain almost 300 milligrams.

These animal products, on the other hand, contain less arachidonic acid:
Poultry: The lean brisket is better suited to a low-arachidon diet: chicken contains an average of 112 milligrams and turkey 50 milligrams. The meat on the legs contains more of the fatty acid: chicken has 190 milligrams and turkey 150 milligrams.
Beef or veal: fillets and lean muscle meat contain relatively little arachidonic acid. There are 53 milligrams in 100 grams of veal and around 70 milligrams in 100 grams of beef.
Dairy products:
Butter (83 milligrams)
Fatty cheeses such as Camembert (34 milligrams at 60 percent fat) or Tilsiter (27 milligrams)
whipping cream (32 milligrams)

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18 Foods You Can Easily Freeze

Freezing food preserves it and can thus reduce waste – and that works with a surprising number of foods. We show what you can freeze and what you should pay attention to.

Freezing is a good way to avoid wasting food, especially when you have leftover food that would otherwise go bad. Fruit or vegetables, for example, that you just can’t manage to use up or leftovers from dinner that nobody can eat anymore.

Of course, freezers or chest freezers need electricity – that’s why it’s important to make sure you choose efficient devices and the right location.

1. Fruits and vegetables

Mushrooms: Simply (dry!) ​​clean button mushrooms or oyster mushrooms, trim stems if necessary, then cut into quarters or slices and prefreeze flat on a chopping board or baking sheet to prevent them from sticking together, then transfer to cans. Blanch chanterelles briefly in salted water before freezing, otherwise they taste slightly bitter after thawing. Tip: simply use frozen mushrooms! If you let them thaw before processing, they will become slightly mushy.
Avocados: You should only freeze ripe fruits, either halved, without the stone and sprinkled with lemon juice, or pureed for dips like guacamole.
Better than buying strawberries in winter: Freeze seasonal strawberries. To do this, simply wash the whole fruit, remove the stems and pat dry, then pre-freeze flat on a board or baking sheet before dividing into freezer containers. Or you puree the strawberries and freeze the puree in small glasses or ice cube trays.
You can also freeze cherries: wash, remove the stalks – and the pits if you want – then prefreeze flat on a board or baking sheet before dividing them into freezer containers.
Although you can freeze apples, they are best suited for baking or cooking afterwards, as they lose their consistency when thawed. To preserve apples, you can also make applesauce from them – and you can freeze applesauce without any problems.
Freezing ripe bananas is a good idea, especially if you want to use them for smoothies, vegan egg substitutes, or nice cream. You can freeze bananas whole, sliced, or mashed, depending on how you want to use them.
Freezing tomatoes is not a problem, but they lose their flavor due to their high water content. They are then best suited for sauces. Tip: You can also freeze homemade tomato sauce in a jar and defrost as needed. Another method if you have more tomatoes than you can use: preserve them by canning them.

2. Ready meals

Here’s an idea for the summer: You can freeze cold coffee in an ice cube mold – and then spice it up with ice coffee or cold brew, for example.
Raw potatoes don’t work, but boiled potatoes or potato dishes do: You can freeze mashed potatoes or potato soup in particular without any problems.
If you have too much cooked pasta or rice left over, you can simply freeze both – the easiest way is to portion out the leftovers. To thaw frozen noodles, simply put them in boiling water, thaw the rice at room temperature and then warm it up in the steam.
Freezing soup is super easy – and you’ll have “ready to eat” ready to hand. Tip: Freeze soups in screw-top jars so you have ready-made portions straight away.

3. Animal Products

It will go rancid in the fridge after a few weeks, so freezing butter may be a good idea. It will then last up to six months. Simply put the butter pack in a tin and put it in the freezer. If necessary, thaw slowly in the refrigerator. Tip: You can also freeze pre-portioned butter for baking. You can freeze herb butter in ice cube molds.
Incidentally, you can also freeze margarine, but this only works with full-fat margarines.
Cheese: You should only freeze hard cheese or semi-hard cheese and only if you cannot use it otherwise. It keeps best whole and with the rind on, but sliced ​​raclette cheese can also be kept in the freezer for around two months without losing too much of its aroma. Re-thawed cheese is best for cooking and baking as it loses some of its flavor.
Whole eggs will keep raw or hard-boiled in the refrigerator for a few weeks and are not suitable for freezing. Raw egg yolks or egg whites or whisked eggs, on the other hand, go bad quickly – you can also freeze eggs in this form. Simply place in freezer-safe containers and thaw slowly in the refrigerator as needed. Be sure to heat it up properly before eating!

4. Dough & Yeast

Did you know that you can freeze fresh yeast dough? It is best to divide the dough into portions before letting it rise and freeze them in airtight wrappers. Tip: If you want to freeze pizza dough, you can freeze it rolled out to the right size, separating several layers with baking paper. It is best to let yeast dough thaw overnight or for several hours in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze fresh yeast – this is a good idea, for example, if you have half a cube of yeast left over. Simply place in a small can or jar in the freezer. It is best to put it in the fridge to thaw the day before you use it.

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10 Foods You Always Stored Wrong

If you store your food properly, you get more out of it – namely more taste and less waste. The following tips will help you avoid common mistakes and store your food optimally.

Because of the spread of the corona virus, we should currently stay at home if possible, whoever is in quarantine even has to. Neither hamster purchases nor stock panic are appropriate. But it makes sense to keep our groceries fresh at home for as long as possible so that we don’t have to run to the supermarket all the time.

Store food properly = less waste

Around 12 million tons of food end up in the garbage in Germany every year (BZfE). We consumers are also to blame for this: We cause about half of the food waste ourselves. Because we buy too much, let the best-before date unsettle us, or because we store food incorrectly and it spoils faster.

So, storing food properly not only helps preserve nutrients and flavor, but also reduces food waste.

Tomatoes don’t belong in the fridge

Tomatoes lose their flavor in the fridge and can even go moldy faster. It is better if you keep them in a cool room (e.g. cellar or pantry); a temperature of around 15 degrees is ideal.

If you don’t have such a space: storing tomatoes at room temperature still makes more sense than in the fridge. Incidentally, this also applies to some other types of vegetables with a high water content, such as cucumbers, peppers, zucchini and aubergines.

But be careful: In order to keep tomatoes for a long time, it is best not to store them next to apples – unless you want them to ripen faster.

Bread molds in plastic

Apart from the fact that you shouldn’t buy plastic-packaged supermarket bread anyway: Bread keeps best if you store it in an air-permeable container. Packed airtight in plastic, it quickly begins to mold. The supposedly old-fashioned bread boxes therefore make perfect sense. Clay pots are ideal because they keep the bread fresh for the longest time.

Bananas and apples don’t mix

As beautiful as a colorful fruit bowl looks: (ripe) bananas and apples are best not stored together.

Bananas brown faster next to apples because apples emit a lot of the ripening gas ethylene and bananas are sensitive to it. Ethylene accelerates ripening – and causes other fruit to spoil faster. Incidentally, pears and tomatoes also give off ethylene.

Because ripe bananas emit a particularly large amount of ethylene, they should always be stored separately from other fruit and vegetables – ideally hanging up, because they easily bruise in the fruit bowl. They definitely don’t belong in the fridge: Bananas turn brown quickly there.

Cheese must be able to breathe

Cheese should not be wrapped in plastic and/or stored airtight. It keeps better if you keep it in air-permeable packaging, for example in a slightly damp cloth, in cheese paper (wax paper) or oilcloth.

Tip: Many cheese dealers at the weekly market will wrap the cheese in cheese paper for you, or you can have it put directly into a container you have brought with you – in the supermarket you can usually only get plastic.

Lemons don’t like the cold

Lemons and other citrus fruits such as oranges or tangerines do not tolerate cold – you should therefore not store them in the refrigerator. At (not too high) room temperature and storage open, they stay fresh longer.

Even cut lemons can be kept for a week at room temperature. It is best to place them cut-side up on a plate so that they can form a thin skin and not go mouldy.

Mushrooms need air

You usually buy mushrooms in plastic trays in the supermarket. But they do better if you keep them in paper bags or wrapped in a tea towel in the refrigerator at home: the mushrooms must be able to “breathe”, in airtight plastic packaging they quickly become damp and spoil.

In addition, it is best not to store mushrooms in the immediate vicinity of odorous foods, as they easily absorb foreign odors.

In any case, mushrooms should be used up quickly, because they don’t keep for more than a few days.

Strawberries are better left unwashed

If you plan on eating strawberries that day, it’s best to store them at room temperature that long. Since water strips the flavor of the fruit, only wash it right before eating.

Important with strawberries: Always cut out rotten spots immediately or remove the fruit. Mold will otherwise spread quickly because of its high water content.

Strawberries will keep in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for up to two days. For this it is important that you store the strawberries unwashed in the refrigerator.

Tip: You can place the strawberries in a large sieve so that they get enough air. Place paper towels or an old tea towel underneath to soak up excess liquid.

Store leftovers without plastic waste

Many people cover leftovers from dinner or cut fruit and vegetables with cling film and then store them in the fridge until the next day.

It’s a completely needless waste of plastic: you might as well store such leftovers in reusable, sealable containers — like plastic-free lunch boxes made of stainless steel or glass — or even old screw-top jars.

Advantage: You can take what’s left over with you, well packaged – for example as a ready-made lunch to work. So you save packaging waste there too.

Better to empty cans

It is better not to put opened tin cans in the refrigerator: Unhealthy tin can migrate from the tin plate into the food. Although most cans are now coated with plastic on the inside, this coating has also been criticized because of the questionable chemical BPA it often contains.

You are on the safe side if you pour the contents of the open can into a reusable, sealable container, for example a clean, empty screw-top jar.

Store radishes without greens

If you store them properly, radishes will stay fresh and crunchy for much longer. They belong in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, where they will keep for at least three days.

The trick: cut off the leaves and roots beforehand. This prevents the water stored in the tubers from going into the leaves and keeps the radishes crisp longer.

It is best to store the radishes in a tin or wrapped in a damp cloth.

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Health Hazard: Which Foods do Not Belong on The Grill

Summertime is barbecue time – but many people make fundamental mistakes. Anyone who puts the wrong food on the grill or uses inappropriate utensils is harmful to their health. You shouldn’t grill this.

1. Marinated grilled food directly on the grid

One of the biggest health risks when barbecuing: when fat from the food drips onto the embers, so-called “polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons” (PAHs) can form. The substances rise through the smoke, and anyone standing near the grill can inhale them. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, PAHs have a carcinogenic effect.

This means that marinated vegetables, meat or cheese in particular should not be placed directly on the grill to prevent the marinade from dripping off. Use a grill tray instead – ideally a reusable tray. Single-use products only create unnecessary waste.

By the way: If it still happens that liquid drips down and smoke develops, you should put the food aside until the smoke subsides.

2. Acidic or salty foods on aluminum

If you use an aluminum grill tray, however, you have to be careful again: If aluminum comes into contact with acids or salts, a chemical reaction will take place. Aluminum ions dissolve and can migrate to the food.

Healthy people usually excrete the aluminum through their kidneys – but it can also happen that the light metal accumulates in their bodies.

To avoid this, acidic and salty foods in particular should not come into contact with aluminum. So when grilling, don’t put cheese, salted or marinated meats, and vegetables in an aluminum tray or wrap them in aluminum foil. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the same applies to tomatoes. Instead, use a stainless steel grill pan or vegetable leaves.

3. The wrong fat

Would you like to grill corn on the cob? Make sure you don’t butter it until after – butter doesn’t belong on the grill. It has a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, which cannot tolerate the high grilling temperatures. The result: butter on the cob – or any other food to be grilled – oxidizes and forms heavy smoke. The same goes for margarine and corn oil.

4. Cured and smoked meats

It doesn’t matter whether it’s directly on the grill or in a bowl: What doesn’t belong on the grill at all is cured or smoked meat. These include, for example, Viennese sausages, ham, bockwurst, meat sausage and bacon. These meat products are made using nitrite curing salt – a mixture of table salt and potassium or sodium nitrite.

5. Cheap meat

Apart from the health hazard, there is another point to consider when barbecuing: cheap meat should also be taboo. Steak, grilled sausages or meat skewers for a few euros are produced under extremely questionable conditions. The animals live in a confined space, stand in their faeces and never see sunlight in their lives. They have no opportunities to occupy themselves – the animals often injure each other. Crates, piglet castration without anesthetic and tail docking are still common in industrial mass operations.

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Vegan Foods: Popular Foods on an Animal-Free Diet

There is a wide variety of vegan foods – some of which you may not even know. We’ll show you how to recognize vegan foods and which ones are particularly important.

This is how you recognize vegan food

Vegan foods are free from animal ingredients and are usually specially labelled. Fruit and vegetables don’t need to be labeled – they’re vegan by nature.

Important vegan foods

A balanced diet is important for everyone – including vegans. With a diet without animal products, you have to make sure that you consume certain vitamins and minerals that are otherwise found in meat and eggs, for example. Because some substances are found in high concentrations mainly in foods of animal origin. Therefore, you should pay attention to the following nutrients:

Legumes, nuts and seeds are a good source of protein. They also contain many vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B2, vitamin B3 and calcium.
Vitamin C not only strengthens the immune system, but also promotes iron absorption. So if you eat foods that are particularly rich in iron, such as oatmeal, lentils or Brussels sprouts, you should also take vitamin C at the same time to better process the iron – for example with paprika or a glass of water with lemon juice.
Omega-3 fatty acids are not only found in fish, but are also found in linseed oil, hemp oil, walnut oil and rapeseed oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly important for the brain and eyes. They also reduce the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Vitamin D is found in many types of fish and in egg yolks. Porcini mushrooms, chanterelles and button mushrooms are a good vegan alternative. However, with sufficient exposure to sunlight, the human body can produce its entire vitamin D requirement itself. Therefore, you should be outdoors every day.
Vitamin B12 is mainly found in meat, fish and dairy products. Vitamin B12 can only be found in animal-free foods in fermented plant-based foods such as sauerkraut and beer and the alga chlorella – but very little. Many vegans therefore resort to vitamin supplements.

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Foods Containing Calcium: This is How You Cover Your Needs

Calcium is an essential mineral. It must be ingested through food. You don’t necessarily need milk for this, because many plant foods also contain calcium. You can find out what these are here.

Calcium: That’s why it’s important and that’s how much of it we need

The vital mineral calcium, together with phosphorus, is the most important building material for our teeth and bones. According to the Association for Independent Health Advice (UGB), 99 percent of the calcium in the body is in these hard tissues, the rest in blood and other tissue. There are also other functions that calcium performs in the body:

stabilization of the cell walls
Participation in the transmission of stimuli from nerves and muscle cells
Participation in the digestion of carbohydrates
important for the formation of some hormones
enzyme activation
The UGB explains that we excrete an average of 300 milligrams of calcium every day through sweat, urine and stool. To make up for this loss, we need to get calcium from food.

Guide values ​​for calcium intake per day:

Infants: 220 mg to 330 mg depending on the exact age
Children: depending on the exact age 600 mg to 1200 mg
Adolescents: up to 19 years 1200 mg
Adults: 1000 mg
Pregnant and lactating women: 1000 mg
Adolescents in particular should therefore ensure that they have an adequate supply of calcium.

Dietary calcium intake

However, the absorption of calcium from food is not always optimal. According to the UGB, the body only absorbs around 20 to 40 percent of the calcium contained in a mixed diet. Some factors that influence intake are age, gender, hormonal balance or the composition of food.

For example, some plant compounds can inhibit the absorption of calcium from food. These include phytic and oxalic acid, which are found in rhubarb, spinach and beetroot. Together with calcium, these plant substances form complexes that are difficult to dissolve and cannot be utilized by the body as well. Coffee, alcohol, salt and protein also promote the excretion of calcium.

Another important factor that influences the absorption of calcium is vitamin D. Without sufficient vitamin D, adequate calcium intake is not possible. Vitamin D can be made by the body in the skin if it is exposed to enough sunlight. In winter, this can be a problem, especially in our latitudes.

Tip: In the winter months, it can be a good idea to take a vitamin D supplement after consulting a doctor, so that calcium absorption is also improved.

If the body does not get enough calcium, a calcium deficiency can occur with the following symptoms:

muscle cramps
tingling on the skin
Skin changes, such as dry patches of skin or eczema
Impaired horn formation, which can lead to hair loss and brittle nails
Cardiovascular problems, such as circulatory weakness or cardiac arrhythmia
Digestive disorders such as diarrhea
If the calcium deficiency lasts longer, osteoporosis can occur, i.e. decalcification of the bones.

Calcium sources: Not only milk, but also plant foods
Calcium in food cannot be fully absorbed by the body. That’s why it’s difficult to give exact recommendations for consumption that you can use to cover your calcium needs. It is advisable to eat a variety of different foods that contain calcium.

Also make sure that your vitamin D requirements are covered and have a doctor examine you if you suspect a calcium deficiency. You can compensate for a slight calcium deficiency by eating more foods containing calcium. If the deficiency is severe, a calcium supplement may be recommended.

Calcium is mainly found in the following food groups:

Dairy products
legumes and cereals
vegetables
nuts and seeds

Calcium-rich foods: dairy products

When shopping, choose dairy products that carry a recognized organic seal, so that you support species-appropriate animal husbandry.

Calcium content in mg per 100 g of food according to the umbrella organization for osteoporosis support groups:

Emmental (45%): 1200 mg
Parmesan: 1100 mg
Gouda (45%): 800 mg
Edam (40%): 800 mg
Goat cheese: 700 mg
Whole milk: 120 mg
Camembert (45%): 600 mg
Buttermilk: 109 mg
Sheep cheese: 500 mg
Mozzarella: 480 mg
Kefir: 120 mg
Yoghurt (3.5%): 120 mg
Low-fat quark: 90 mg
Tip: If you buy plant-based milk alternatives, make sure they are fortified with calcium.

Foods containing calcium: legumes and cereals

For example, there are so many mg of calcium in 100 g of the following legumes:

Soybeans: 200 mg
Chickpeas: 120 mg
white beans: 115 mg
Tofu: 100 mg
green beans: 60 mg
You can also find some calcium in cereals. There are so many mg of calcium per 100 g of food:

Amaranth: 200 mg
Quinoa: 80 mg
Oatmeal: 50 mg
Wholemeal spelled bread: 24 mg
Tip: Soak dried legumes and raw grains overnight before cooking. In this way you reduce the content of phytic acid, which can inhibit the absorption of calcium.

Foods containing calcium: vegetables

Green leafy vegetables in particular can provide you with a good supply of calcium.

For example, there are so many mg of calcium in 100 g of the following foods:

Kale: 210 mg
Broccoli: 185 mg
Arugula: 160 mg
Spinach: 120 mg
Fennel: 110 mg
Leek: 80 mg
Kohlrabi: 70 mg
Tips:

You can improve calcium absorption from vegetables by blanching them. This reduces the content of oxalates and phytates in vegetables, which inhibit calcium absorption.
Incidentally, fruits also contain some calcium, for example dried figs (190 mg calcium per 100 g) and olives (95 mg calcium per 100 g).

Calcium-rich foods: nuts and seeds

Adding nuts and seeds to your meals can further increase the calcium content.

This is how many mg of calcium is in 100 g of the following nuts and seeds:

Poppy: 1450 mg
Sesame: 730 mg
Almonds: 250 mg
Hazelnuts: 220 mg
Walnuts: 85 mg

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Iron-Rich Foods: 5 Foods You Should Know Aabout

We present five foods containing iron, because: If you want to prevent iron deficiency, you do not necessarily have to resort to chemical preparations.

Iron deficiency can occur, especially during pregnancy and with a vegan or vegetarian diet. However, there are a few foods that are particularly high in iron that can make taking supplements unnecessary.

If you suffer from histamine intolerance, see the last paragraph for some iron-rich foods that are low in histamine.

Foods with a particularly high iron content: legumes

For a long time, legumes were wrongly considered unattractive “poor man’s food”, because they are not only vegan protein suppliers, but also contain a lot of iron.

Whether beans, peas or lentils: there is an immense number of legumes that can be used to conjure up a variety of delicious dishes – for example soups, salads, side dishes or even vegan spreads.

However, since they can also inhibit iron absorption, it is important to take them in an acidic environment or together with vitamin C – for example in combination with vinegar or lemon juice.

Iron-rich breakfast with oatmeal

You can already do something good for your body at breakfast with muesli or breakfast porridge, because oatmeal is also one of the iron-rich foods (according to the US Department of Agriculture: 4.25 milligrams per 100 grams). You can increase the iron content even more if you supplement your muesli with sugar beet syrup or nuts.

Please be careful here too: coffee or black tea inhibit iron absorption. The calcium in milk also makes it difficult for your body to absorb the iron. A glass of orange juice, on the other hand, promotes iron absorption because of the vitamin C it contains. For your iron-rich muesli, this means that you could eat it with orange juice or oat milk.

Nuts and Oilseeds: Foods high in iron

Pumpkin seeds, sesame, pistachios, flaxseed and sunflower seeds are a suitable addition to salads and mueslis – or even on their own as a snack in between. They have the highest iron content of the foods presented here.

Green vegetables – iron-rich food and rich in vitamins

Spinach, broccoli, lamb’s lettuce or arugula provide slightly less iron than the other foods presented. However, they can be absorbed particularly well by the body thanks to the vitamin C contained in the vegetables themselves. In addition, you can eat vegetables in larger quantities without any problems. And finally, it contains many other vitamins and ingredients (e.g. fiber) that are good for your health.

Sugar beet syrup – a sweet source of iron

The dark, viscous sugar beet syrup – also known as molasses – is ideal for baking, as a vegan alternative to honey in muesli or on bread rolls. Just one or two teaspoons have a great effect. Of course you should not overdo it, because too much sugar is not healthy. But as a tasty supplement, this iron-rich food comes highly recommended.

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9 Foods That Help With Weight Loss

Eat as much as you want, but still lose weight – that’s what many people dream of. Unfortunately, there are no foods that will actively make you slim the more you eat. However, there are foods that help you lose weight or are simply so low in calories that you can eat them without a guilty conscience. Here you can find out what they are.

About 67 percent of men and 53 percent of women in Germany are overweight – and accordingly millions of people would like to lose weight. There can be various reasons for this, for example for the sake of health or simply to feel better (again). The problem is that many of those affected rely on the wrong strategy, such as radical diets, and thus do not achieve any success, at least not in the long term. Instead, the yo-yo effect occurs.

Because sustainable weight loss only works through a permanent change in lifestyle and this is based on three pillars: motivation, exercise and nutrition. Only together do they lead to the desired success. However, diet plays a particularly important role: it determines the calorie intake and, to a large extent, whether you gain or lose weight.

The basic principle of weight reduction

On paper, weight loss is a simple calculation: if you take in more calories than you expend, you gain weight. If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. Your weight is therefore largely controlled by your diet.

But a closer look at the three pillars makes it clear that they mesh like the cogs of a clockwork: A change in diet and exercise habits only works with motivation. More sport increases the body’s basal metabolic rate, which in turn makes a radical diet superfluous. But only if no more calories are consumed than consumed does sport lead to success, which in turn increases motivation.

It’s an upward spiral, so to speak, if you approach the sustainable diet correctly. The right foods are an important part of this, but they cannot lead to weight loss on their own.

These foods make losing weight easier

Unfortunately, weight loss isn’t as simple as choosing the right foods and eating as much of them as possible. But choosing your food carefully makes sense to maximize diet success and secure it in the long term. Your goal should therefore be to eat healthier permanently without having to give up too much – otherwise the risk of relapse is high.

What you need, therefore, are foods that are delicious, yet low in calories and provide you with all the essential nutrients so you don’t slip into quantitative or qualitative malnutrition. Foods that fill you up and maybe even boost your metabolism so you burn more calories without having to exercise more.

Here is a list of foods that bring exactly such effects and can therefore support your weight loss:

Water

Water is the elixir of life for humans and therefore the most important food of all. It should be the first thing you eat in the morning and the last thing in the evening.

It is best to choose still water, alternatively with carbonic acid or as a tea. This allows you to give your body a feeling of satiety and new energy, without any calories.

On the other hand, juices and soft drinks are a bad choice because they contain sugar or other unhealthy substances. Not only is this bad for your health, but it can also encourage weight gain. An exception can be special juice cures. But in normal everyday life it is important to drink enough water – preferably in small portions distributed throughout the day.

You are welcome to spice it up a bit with the following ingredients, because then the water not only tastes better, but it is even healthier:

Ginger: The root is rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Therefore, it is considered a natural anti-aging and healing agent. It is also used as a spice and gives the water a slightly pungent taste. Ginger, for example, is said to help against nausea and strengthen the immune system. In addition, it stimulates the metabolism.
Lemon: Lemon water is all the rage right now, and not without reason. A dash of lemon in the drinking water provides valuable vitamin C and thus strengthens the immune system. It is also said to reduce cellulite and improve fat digestion.
Apple cider vinegar: The taste may take some getting used to, but apple cider vinegar in water is considered extremely healthy. It boosts metabolism, strengthens the immune system, regulates blood lipid levels and has a detoxifying effect.
Berries: Fresh or frozen berries in the water give it a delicious taste and provide you with valuable vitamins. The so-called “Infused Water” also helps with detoxification.
Herbs: Finally, fresh herbs can also be added to the water. Mint and lemon balm are particularly suitable, for example in combination with lemon or berries. The flavored water not only tastes better, but also absorbs valuable nutrients from the herbs. Depending on the type chosen, this has positive effects such as calming the nervous system or regulating digestion.
As you can see, drinking water does not have to be boring and you are welcome to combine these healthy additives as you wish. So when you get hungry, always drink a glass of water first, with or without natural additives. In many cases, the hunger will disappear or you will automatically eat less afterwards. Nevertheless, in a sustainable diet you should of course not eat too little, but eat the right things.

Nuts

One of those right foods are nuts, although they tend to be avoided on diets due to their high calorie content. In fact, you should only use them in moderation, but avoiding nuts altogether is not recommended.

Nuts help reduce inflammation in the body and are believed to be beneficial for heart health.

In addition, they lower the cholesterol level and provide healthy fatty acids, valuable nutrients and an optimal ratio of proteins and dietary fibers. Nuts keep you full for longer and prevent cravings. It’s best to eat about a handful of unprocessed organic nuts per day.

Vegetables

Vegetables in all their variations are indispensable for a balanced diet and for every diet.

Unlike fruit, vegetables contain very little sugar of their own. This means that it is low in calories and can also be consumed in large quantities.

It also offers a high nutrient density: You can absorb many valuable vitamins, minerals and trace elements from vegetables without having to worry about unhealthy ingredients such as sugar.

Of course, it is important that the vegetables are fresh and unprocessed and not contaminated with chemicals. So pay attention to organic quality. Frozen vegetables can also be a good choice if they have been frozen straight after harvest and unprocessed.

So you can grab your fill of many types of vegetables and eat your fill without a guilty conscience. You should only be careful with sweet potatoes, swedes and beetroot, which are somewhat richer in sugar and calories. They are still considered healthy, so they should be on your menu in smaller quantities.

Extremely low in calories but rich in nutrients are, for example

cucumbers
spinach
chard
tomatoes
carrots
broccoli
mushrooms
Kale
rhubarb
asparagus
fennel as well
Any kind of green salad

Potatoes are also considered a healthy vegetable, but they contain a comparatively large amount of carbohydrates and should therefore be a side dish rather than a main food.

Low in calories but high in nutrients, this makes vegetables the perfect food if you want to lose weight. In principle, you can eat as much of it until you are full. But be careful with dressings made of oil, dips or similar additives, because these quickly turn vegetables into a calorie bomb.

You should also not eat too many vegetables raw, as this can cause bloating. A pure raw food diet can also lead to vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. Vegetables should therefore be an important part of your diet, both raw and boiled, roasted, grilled, steamed or steamed – but it’s all about the right balance.

Pseudo grain

In addition to vegetables, many people rely on grains in their daily diet as “fillers”. It’s not a must, but it’s not forbidden either.

So you don’t have to follow low-carb diets or similar trends to lose weight sustainably. Instead, pseudo grains are an optimal choice.

Behind this term are grains, which are used in a similar way to cereals, but belong to different plant species. The best known examples are quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat. They are considered to be rich in protein and important minerals. They are also gluten-free, which distinguishes them from many grains. It is precisely this mixture of proteins, fiber, healthy fatty acids, valuable micronutrients and healthy carbohydrates that make pseudocereals so popular.

They can be processed in a variety of ways and taste good, for example, puffed in muesli, cooked as an alternative to rice or as meatless patties, to name just a few of the many possibilities.

Due to their high protein content, they provide a quick and lasting feeling of satiety, so you have to eat less than with conventional cereals to get full, while giving your body significantly more nutrients. Pseudo-cereals should therefore be on your menu as an alternative, as an alternation or as a combination to conventional cereals.

Legumes

Legumes in all their variations are also considered to be very healthy and ideal for a sustainable diet. These include, for example, peas, lentils or beans and all products made from them, from hummus to pasta.

Similar to pseudocereals, it is the high protein content that makes legumes ideal for weight loss, because they are filling and at the same time stimulate digestion.

They also contain a lot of iron and lower the cholesterol level. Other valuable nutrients are vitamins B1, B6, folic acid and potassium.

However, legumes can cause digestive problems if you add them to your diet suddenly or in large quantities, and they’re not exactly low in calories. Therefore, slowly approach the beans, lentils and peas, then they will become a valuable companion in your weight loss – and beyond.

Seed

The so-called Aztec diet was in vogue for some time and is based on the basic principle: losing weight with the help of seeds.

While a one-sided diet is never recommended, one thing you can learn from this approach is incorporating seeds into your diet.

Because chia, flax, sesame and hemp seeds, but also pumpkin and sunflower seeds are considered extremely healthy and helpful for weight loss. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that they only swell up completely in the stomach and thus ensure a long-lasting feeling of satiety even with small amounts. On the other hand, they have a high nutrient density. Above all, they provide large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, magnesium and selenium – to name just a few nutrients. They are also rich in protein and fiber.

So they fill you up for a long time, lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, support the hormone balance, have an anti-inflammatory effect, stimulate digestion and act as a protective mucous layer for the intestines.

Seeds thus help you to eat fewer calories, but at the same time provide your body with important nutrients. You can and should therefore include them in your daily diet as pudding, in soup, in a salad, in a vegetable bowl, in muesli, in yoghurt or in many other ways.

By the way: You can process many seeds, legumes and pseudocereals as well as some types of grain into sprouts and seedlings. This makes them more tolerable and even healthier, but requires a bit of know-how and time.

Fruit

Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables – you have certainly heard this basic rule many times and used it as a guide for weight loss.

However, the fruit issue is a double-edged sword, because many types of fruit have a high fructose content.

This not only means a comparatively high number of calories, but also a burden on your health.

Although it is a natural sugar, it has the same negative effects on your body and weight as processed sugar. Therefore, it should only be consumed in small amounts. Eating as much fresh fruit as possible is therefore not a good strategy for weight loss or a healthy diet in general. Nevertheless, fruit undoubtedly belongs on the menu. So eat fresh fruit regularly, but rather in small amounts and choose the types consciously.

For example, they are low in sugar

apples
pears
oranges
watermelons
grapefruits

The following applies: the riper the fruit is and the sweeter it tastes, the more fructose it contains. Very sweet varieties or overripe fruit should therefore be avoided. A good alternative are berries in all their variations, because they are low in calories and packed with valuable nutrients.

Strawberries, for example, contain a lot of folate, currants have more vitamin C than lemons, blackberries are rich in vitamin A and blueberries contain more vitamin E. The nutrient density of berries is therefore extremely high, coupled with little fructose and carbohydrates – so you can eat with a clear conscience may.

Coffee

Good news if you love coffee: you don’t have to do without it despite your diet.

In fact, it can even help with weight loss. Not only does it boost your digestion and metabolism, it also stimulates brown body fat cells.

This means that you will burn extra calories and not actively lose weight, but at least you will gain weight less quickly. Up to four normal-sized cups of around 200 milliliters per day are considered safe, provided you are not consuming caffeine elsewhere. You should also avoid sugar in your coffee.

Tea

However, if you are less the coffee type and prefer tea, you can also fully enjoy this pleasure. Tasty tea can help you if you’re struggling to drink enough water. However, you should definitely avoid sugar, milk, honey or even syrup here, so as not to turn the actually very healthy food into an unhealthy calorie bomb.

Spread throughout the day, fruit and herbal teas are particularly suitable for adding some variety to your drinks. These usually contain no caffeine and can therefore be enjoyed without restrictions.

Green teas such as Sencha or Matcha in particular are said to have properties that help with weight loss. In addition to numerous vitamins and metabolism-boosting caffeine, they contain the secondary plant substance catechins. This can have a positive effect on blood sugar levels, but can also help with high blood pressure, among other things. Other caffeinated varieties such as white, black, yellow and jasmine tea also contain this substance.

In order to preserve the valuable ingredients as well as a good taste and, above all, a safe, well-tolerated food, you should always pay attention to the correct preparation of tea.

Conclusion

There are no foods that will automatically shed the pounds. But once you make the right food choices, you no longer need to go hungry to lose weight and maintain long-term dieting success.

So if you snack on fresh berries instead of chocolate or eat quinoa with vegetables instead of pasta and cheese in the evening, a diet doesn’t feel so bad. You will probably even feel much better after a short time, since you will not only lose weight, but also supply your body with more valuable nutrients and benefit from them in terms of health.

So these foods will help you get leaner and healthier. These effects are even greater if you keep an eye on the other two pillars of motivation and sport and avoid high-calorie and high-sugar foods.

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Food

Too Much Salt: Signs And How to Avoid Salty Foods

Too much salt in the body can cause lasting damage to various organs. Here you can find out exactly how the spice affects our organism and how you can avoid consuming too much salt.

When do you start talking about too much salt?

Salt used to be considered an expensive luxury product that was only accessible to the social elite. Today it is part of the basic equipment of every kitchen. Hardly any dish can do without the former “white gold”. Salt is absolutely essential for survival: it supplies us with the electrolytes sodium and chloride.

These help our body in particular to regulate the fluid balance. Adults should therefore consume around six grams of salt per day, according to the Society for Nutrition. However, due to ready meals, fast food, chips and other snacks, we often consume too much salt.

According to the adult women consume about 8.4 grams of table salt per day. For men, the value is even 10 grams. This is clearly higher than the recommended daily amount.

Too much salt: health consequences

Too much salt in the blood causes more water to accumulate in the bloodstream. As a result, the volume of fluid increases and blood pressure increases. If blood pressure is elevated over the long term, this has a harmful effect on other organs. In particular, the heart, the coronary arteries, other blood vessels, the brain and the kidneys are affected.

cardiac insufficiency and cardiac arrhythmia
Heart attack
stroke
chronic kidney failure
kidney failure
deteriorated visual performance.

Too much salt is not only harmful to people who already suffer from high blood pressure. Elevated salt consumption is a key risk factor for serious organ damage in all population groups.

Too much salt: first signs

Since each person reacts differently to salt, it is not possible to give general indications of excessive salt consumption. High blood pressure is the only sure sign. Other symptoms can also occur, such as:

fatigue
difficulty concentrating
Tremble
seizures
edema

In order not to let it get that far in the first place, however, you should already take preventive measures to avoid too much salt in your food.

Too much salt: How to avoid the white gold

To reduce your salt consumption, you should gradually wean yourself off the popular spice. Our taste buds have often adapted so much to foods that are too salty that low-salt foods quickly seem bland to us. Therefore, you should give yourself enough time to slowly reduce your cravings for salt. This increases the likelihood that you will stay on the ball in the long term.

As a first step, you should first start cooking more at home and thus avoid ready meals. Make sure to add salt sparingly and to taste from time to time.

Try to avoid highly processed foods as much as possible. You can see how high the salt content is on packaged foods.

Eat enough unprocessed foods like fruits and vegetables. In general, a mostly plant-based diet will help you avoid excess salt by avoiding meat, fish, and dairy.

If low-salt dishes still seem too bland to you, you can refine your dishes with fresh herbs or spices.

You can prepare bread, rolls, crackers & Co. yourself at home and significantly reduce the salt content.

If you don’t want to do without animal foods completely, you should use low-salt representatives of this category. Types of cheese with a little less salt are, for example, mozzarella, Emmental or cream cheese. Mortadella and liver sausage are among the low-salt types of sausage, but in contrast to other foods they still contain a relatively large amount of salt.

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