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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Gets in Top Form With This Breakfast

What does a Hollywood star who thinks muscles are part of their business eat to stay fit and healthy? With this breakfast, Dwayne Johnson prepared for the shooting of “Black Adam”.

Healthy Breakfast: This is what Dwayne Johnson eats

The Hollywood star makes no secret of his diet. In an Instagram post, he revealed the ingredients for his protein-rich breakfast.

Flank Steak: The flank steak is a lean cut of beef. The protein it contains is important for muscle building.
Brown Rice: The rice variety is considered the healthiest. It is not peeled and polished. This means that minerals and trace elements are retained.
Albumen: Nutritionally, eggs are the “yolk of the egg.” Because they have the highest biological value of all foods. This indicates how effectively the body can convert protein from food into endogenous protein. To save calories and fat, you can do without the yolk and actually only eat “the white of the egg”. If you separate the eggs yourself and don’t want to throw anything away, the yolk can be used for baking.
Blueberries: The berries are low in fructose and calories. Secondary plant substances protect the body cells from harmful oxygen compounds, the so-called radicals. Fiber is good for the gut.

Rice smoothie instead of coffee

Most people drink coffee in the morning, not so Dwayne Johnson.

Instead, he eats a kind of “rice smoothie”: boiled brown rice mashed with water. By the way, Johnson only drinks very little water before the final shooting, according to the magazine. The actor also severely limits salt consumption.

Johnson apparently wants to prevent water retention so that the muscles are emphasized even more.

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Lifestyle

Study Proves: This is How Gray Hair Gets Color Again – Without Dyeing

Many people dye their hair gray because it represents advanced age and a lot of stress. But when do you get gray hair and does stress really affect it?

At what age do you get gray hair?

On average, men in Europe start graying at the age of 30. Women only have to adjust to the gray hair color at an average age of 35.

Incidentally, people of African or Asian origin usually get gray hair much later, which studies show is due to their genes. But the genes also play an important role in every individual and can trigger gray hair sooner or later.

Where does gray hair come from?

Once the body runs out of melanin, the hair loses its color. This is a completely normal aging process, which unfortunately cannot be stopped. However, there are other factors that cause hair to turn gray. This includes:
stress
Smoking
hormonal imbalances
Vitamin and nutrient deficiencies
These factors also lead to a lack of melanin, causing the hair to lose its color. Exactly why this is the case is currently being researched and is not yet entirely clear. So gray hair can have different origins, but at some point it always happens.

What role does stress play?

Some clinical studies have found that stress can lead to gray hair. This is because the hair roots react to stress hormones. The production of melanin, the hair dye, suffers as a result. As a result, fewer or no more color pigments are produced

However, the direct connection between gray hair and stress is disputed in science, to go through life more relaxed, but it also makes sense

Can the color be brought back?

In another study, conducted by Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, it was found that stress-related gray hair can actually be restored to its original state. However, the study is not really representative, as only 14 subjects took part. They kept a diary in which their own stress level was recorded. By reducing stress, some subjects also regained their hair color. So there is at least the assumption that stress affects hair color and that hair color can even be regained through a more relaxed life.

You can achieve more relaxation in everyday life primarily through mindfulness exercises and a conscious perception of your surroundings. With short, conscious moments in everyday life you can reduce the stress a lot and thus do something good for your hair.

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Food

Cadmium in Food: How The Heavy Metal Gets Into Food

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that is found in the environment and is also found in our food. We have summarized how dangerous cadmium in food is and what else you need to know here.

What is cadmium?

Cadmium is a chemical element that is highly toxic. It occurs in very small amounts in the earth’s crust, in weathered rock and is also formed during volcanic eruptions. It is mostly a by-product of the extraction of lead, copper and zinc. It is also formed when batteries are improperly disposed of and is used in the paint industry and for the production of pesticides and fertilizers.

The toxic heavy metal is therefore widespread and often unavoidable, as it has been accumulating in the soil for centuries. There it is hardly biodegradable and thus ends up in our food chain.

Which foods are particularly contaminated with cadmium?

Cadmium is taken up by plants from the soil and stored in their tissues. Rain or manual cleaning of the plants can therefore not reduce the cadmium load. These plants are processed into animal feed (e.g. soya) or get straight from the field to our plates (e.g. grain).

Particularly contaminated with cadmium are:
Seafood,
Offal,
wild mushrooms,
oilseeds,
Wheat,
Potatoes,
Leafy vegetables.
Other cereals and vegetables are also contaminated, but not as badly. Because wheat products and potatoes in particular are staple foods, many people reach the daily tolerable amount of cadmium. And that, although the intestines only

Maximum dose of cadmium per week

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA
According to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, although the cadmium load in Germany is high, it is well below the toxicologically tolerated intake level of the EFSA. On average, we take in around 1.5 µg of cadmium per kilogram of body weight per week through food. Vegetarians get around 1.8 µg of cadmium per kilogram of body weight because they eat more grains and other plant-based foods. Smokers also have a higher intake of cadmium, since 50% of the cadmium contained in tobacco is ingested by humans.

Risks and dangers of cadmium

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal. Chronically high exposure to cadmium can lead to kidney failure and demineralization of the bones (osteoporosis). As early as 1993, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified cadmium as a human carcinogen for lung cancer.

US researchers have shown in a study that cadmium accelerates the aging of body cells and thus increases the risk of various diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

Reduce your own cadmium intake

To a small extent, you can ensure that you absorb less cadmium through food:
If you choose food from controlled organic farming, you reduce the cadmium intake somewhat. A study has shown that organically grown grain contains less cadmium. This is partly because mineral fertilizers are not used in organic farming. According to the Federal Environment Agency, phosphorus fertilizers from conventional agriculture can contain high amounts of cadmium.
Also, make sure you’re getting enough iron and calcium. Because if there is a deficiency, the body releases more cadmium from the food, say doctors.
In the long run, however, only reducing the cadmium in nature helps. This means that, for example, the cadmium content in fertilizers is reduced and old batteries and accumulators are disposed of properly.

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Cooking Tips

Tempering the Chocolate: This is How it Gets The Right Consistency

In order for the chocolate coating to have a nice shine, you have to heat the chocolate properly. Here you can find out what you have to pay attention to and which methods are available.

Tempering Chocolate: Why is it Important?

Chocolate is very sensitive to temperature. Just one degree more or less can change its consistency. This is due to the cocoa butter it contains, which can harden into six different crystal forms depending on the temperature. Only in the fifth crystal form (from about 28°C) does the chocolate harden stably. The tempering of chocolate is therefore also referred to as “pre-crystallization”. This gives your chocolate the following properties when it has solidified:
smooth and shiny surface
crisp break
quick drying
If you don’t temper the chocolate, it may not harden, may not break cleanly, or may form a gray-white haze as it dries – called a fat glaze.

Tempering chocolate: The temperature is crucial

The optimum temperature for pouring depends on the chocolate. You can use the following information as a guide:
Dark chocolate: 31-32°C
Milk chocolate: 30-31°C
White chocolate: 29-30°C
Ideally, you should use a thermometer to accurately measure the temperature. With a little sensitivity, however, you can also temper chocolate without a thermometer.

Tempering Chocolate: Three Methods

There are various methods of bringing the chocolate to the desired temperature. But the basic principle is the same for all.

1. Vaccination method:
Melt chocolate: Chop or grate the chocolate into small pieces. Place 2/3 of the chocolate in a bowl and melt over a water bath while stirring. Make sure the water isn’t boiling and the bowl isn’t touching the water. It is also important that no water gets into the chocolate, as this could cause lumps.
Lower the temperature: Remove the chocolate from the water bath and add the remaining third. It is important that you stir constantly so that the chocolate melts evenly. The mass thereby cools down to about the desired processing temperature. If the chocolate has melted evenly and become thicker, you can now use it. It is best to check the temperature with a thermometer.
Measure the temperature: If the chocolate has a temperature of around 29 to 32 degrees Celsius (depending on the type of chocolate), you can use it. If the temperature is lower, heat the liquid chocolate again over the water bath to the desired temperature.
2. Tabling method:
Melt the chocolate: Melt the chocolate as described above (to about 45-50 degrees Celsius) and pour 2/3 of the melted chocolate onto a smooth and cool work surface (a marble slab works best here).
Lower the temperature: Use a kitchen spatula to spread the chocolate over the plate and push it back towards the center. Keep the mixture moving until it has cooled and become more viscous. The chocolate should now be around 27 degrees Celsius.
Measure the temperature: add the slightly cooled chocolate back to the remaining third of the melted chocolate and mix thoroughly. The chocolate should now be at the optimum temperature for pouring. To be on the safe side, you can use a thermometer as a precaution and, depending on the cocoa content, bring the chocolate to the exact temperature with the help of a warm or cold water bath.
3. In the microwave:
Microwave the chocolate on high for about 20 to 30 seconds, then stir vigorously.
Repeat this process until most of the chocolate has melted. If there are only a few pieces left, you no longer need to put the chocolate in the microwave. Then stir until all the lumps are melted.
The chocolate should now be slightly viscous and have reached the optimum processing temperature. You can check this with a thermometer.

Tempering chocolate: more tips

And here are a few tips…
To test if the chocolate is setting the way you want, you can dip a spoon in it and let it dry. After a minute or two, the chocolate should set and have a slight sheen – that’s how you know everything worked out!
In general, the more you stir, the better. Because that promotes crystal formation and you get a better end result.
If you want to make it a little easier for yourself, you can use cake icing or fat icing instead of chocolate. These are specially made for coating sweet delicacies and have a higher fat content. This means you don’t have to pay so much attention to the temperature when melting and the glaze still gets a nice shine.

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Lifestyle

Clean the Chimney – This is How the Stove Gets Clean

Chimney cleaning should be done on a regular basis. This is the only way for the fireplace to work safely and efficiently – find out how here.

After each heating season, the fireplace should be cleaned so that it works efficiently and the risk of fire is reduced. You can do the work yourself with the help of an ash vacuum cleaner. Simple home remedies are usually enough to achieve a good effect and to clean both the combustion chamber and the pipe.

Why the chimney should be cleaned

Rising electricity prices have ensured that more and more households are using a fireplace to warm their own house. The fireplace is relatively inexpensive, and with modern technologies, it can heat the entire house. Wood pellets are relatively cheap to obtain and climate-neutral.

Nevertheless, the chimney should be cleaned thoroughly at regular intervals. If this is not done, the fireplace will no longer work efficiently. The heat is not optimally distributed in the house and the costs rise.

Much more serious, however, is the risk of soot fire. If too much ash is deposited in the pipes, it can ignite and lead to a fire. For this reason, the fireplace should be cleaned thoroughly after each heating period. Superficial cleaning is not enough. Above all, the pipes must be clean for the fireplace to function safely.
Here you will learn the most important steps to cleaning the chimney.

1) Vacuum the combustion chamber

Before the new heating season begins and you want to use the fireplace, you should service the combustion chamber. You can use a shovel to remove the coarsest dirt. However, to clean the entire combustion chamber, an ash vacuum cleaner should be used. Even fine ash can be sucked in with this. This allows for thorough cleaning of the combustion chamber. And this ash can be used to scatter sidewalks in winter.

If you don’t have a special ash vacuum cleaner, you can purchase an appropriate attachment for the conventional vacuum cleaner. This usually looks like a bucket that is connected to the vacuum cleaner. In this way, even the finest dirt in the combustion chamber is extracted. You should also use the vacuum cleaner to clean everything around the chimney and avoid typical vacuum cleaner mistakes.

2) Clean the lens

The fireplace not only provides heat but also spreads a pleasant atmosphere. Because what could be nicer than sitting in front of the warm fireplace in winter, in which the fire is blazing.

Most fireplaces have a viewing panel so that you can enjoy the fire from a safe distance. This quickly becomes dirty when using the fireplace. To get the best view of the fire, keep the pane clean.

One trick is cleaning with ash. You can do this by balling up old newspaper, dampening it slightly, and picking up white ash from the chimney. you can now clean the glass pane with the white ash. You can remove heavy, coarse dirt from the pane very well in this way.

However, cleaning with a glass cleaner is more conventional. You can also use this to clean the pane. However, you must ensure that no moisture penetrates directly into the chimney. You can also read home remedies for window cleaning.

3) Clean soapstone

Many fireplaces have soapstone cladding. This rock has wonderful properties for retaining heat and looks really good on a fireplace too. Over time, dirt builds up on the soapstone and it can even discolor. There are simple ways to make the soapstone look new again.

To clean the soapstone, it is sufficient if you use a normal washing-up sponge. With the rough surface, you can drive over the soapstone. This is sanded down a bit and the top layer is slightly removed. But always work the entire surface. Otherwise, there may be color differences.

4) Clean the tube

An important part of the chimney is the pipe. This transports a significant part of the heat and is directly exposed to the fire. In order to clean the pipe, it must be removed from the chimney. To do this, you should wrap it in plastic and transport it outside. Otherwise, the dirt will spread throughout your house and only make cleaning unnecessarily complicated.

Outside, you can place the pipe upright in a garbage can. The inside of the pipe is treated with a brush and a poker. Once the coarse dirt has been removed, you can use a hand brush to remove the finer dust. An ash vacuum is also recommended for this work and makes this cleaning step a lot easier.

When cleaning the tube, be aware that a lot of dust could be released. Only carry out the operation when you have completely sealed the pipe with plastic bags. Your own clothing is also affected. Therefore, you should only wear older clothes that are no longer meaningful to you.

Overall, chimney cleaning is relatively expensive. However, this is necessary for the fireplace to function efficiently. In addition, the risk of fire is reduced. There is no need to hire a professional chimney sweeper for cleaning. With an ash vacuum, you can clean the chimney independently with high quality.

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Cooking Tips

Frying Tofu: This is How it Gets Сrispy

Frying tofu doesn’t have to be difficult: With a few extra steps during the preparation, you can create crispy, golden-brown tofu cubes with lots of flavor in the pan or in the wok.

Sometimes tofu doesn’t want to get crispy enough in the pan or doesn’t absorb enough flavor. With a few simple tricks during the preparation, you will no longer have this problem in the future and your fried tofu will be nice and crispy.

Frying tofu: How to prepare it

So that tofu also tastes good when fried, you should first prepare it:

Press the tofu dry: the less moisture it contains, the crispier the tofu can be fried. Before you continue to use it, it is therefore important to first remove the liquid from it. You can simply place the tofu block between several layers of cotton towels and weigh it down with a thick book or another object. Then leave it there for about ten to fifteen minutes. The weight forces most of the liquid out.
Marinating the tofu: Because tofu doesn’t have a strong taste of its own, you can season it in a variety of ways. If you marinate the tofu for a few hours before cooking, it will absorb the flavors best. You can prepare the marinade according to your taste, for example with soy sauce, ginger, garlic or chili.
Toss the tofu in cornstarch: when it is marinated, you can fry the tofu. Cut it into oblong slices or cubes. Before the tofu pieces go into the pan, it is best to turn them in some cornstarch. You can use potato, wheat or corn starch for this. The starch draws out the remaining liquid from the tofu before it is fried, making it even crispier.

This is how you can fry tofu crispy

The right pan: To fry tofu, it is best to use a high-quality cast iron pan or a non-stick pan. This will prevent the pieces of tofu from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Of course, you can also prepare the tofu in the wok, especially for Asian recipes.
The right temperature: To make it as crispy as possible, you should sear the tofu. To do this, set your stove to high, heat some oil in a pan and add the tofu. A few minutes is enough for it to turn golden brown and crispy. Don’t forget to turn the tofu regularly while frying so that it can brown evenly and doesn’t stick or burn.
The right oil: You can be generous with the oil if you want to fry tofu crispy. Note, however, that not all cooking oils are suitable for frying at high heat: Olive oil, for example, is ruled out here because it has a comparatively low smoke point. Instead, use unflavored sunflower oil to fry your tofu — or, if you like, sesame oil or coconut oil. They also give the tofu an interesting flavor.
Once you have finished frying the tofu, you can use it, for example, for vegetable pans, as a soup ingredient or as a special addition to salads. Or you simply eat it with a delicious dip.

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Food

Ethoxyquin: How the Pesticide Gets Into Fish

Ethoxyquin is a chemical that shouldn’t be used on food. Here you can read why it is still an issue, especially when it comes to fish.

Ethoxyquin is a man-made antioxidant. For example, it prevents fats from spoiling quickly due to the oxygen in the air.

In animal feed such as fishmeal, ethoxyquin is still a common additive (E324).

Greenpeace explains that the additive stabilizes the fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins in the feed. The fishmeal survives long transport and storage times without any problems.
Fishmeal also has the property of easily igniting itself – ethoxyquin also protects against this.
Commercial fish farms often use feed based on fishmeal in their aquacultures. The WWF reports that about 90 percent of the salmon in our supermarkets comes from such facilities.

The addition of ethoxyquin to fish feed is controversial. The antioxidant and its breakdown products can accumulate in the flesh of the edible fish. Thus, the chemical gets into the food. Research indicates that ethoxyquin can cause cancer and damage the liver.

So questionable is ethoxyquin for health

Some researchers believe that ethoxyquin in animal feed poses a health risk. However, the exact extent has not yet been conclusively researched.

Cancer and liver damage: According to Greenpeace, study results indicate that ethoxyquin can affect liver metabolism or cause cancer.
Kidney and thyroid damage: According to Greenpeace, animal studies suggest that ethoxyquin could also affect kidney and thyroid function.
How ethoxyquin changes the genome of humans or animals is still a matter of debate.
The metabolism of the animals partially digests the ethoxyquin, but various breakdown products remain. These substances and ethoxyquin itself can be detected in the meat of the animals. If a person takes these animals as food, he also takes in these substances.

Researchers are investigating whether only individual breakdown products are harmful to health or whether the whole group, i.e. ethoxyquin and its breakdown products.

A scientific expert commissioned by Greenpeace comes to the conclusion that long-term exposure to high concentrations of ethoxyquin in food can also endanger human health. A carcinogenic effect cannot be ruled out either.
The studies by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) only indicate that the breakdown product ethoxyquin-quinoneimine is harmful. The study could not provide any evidence for the risks of ethoxyquin itself.

Ethoxyquin and aquaculture

Studies show that edible fish often have a worryingly high level of exposure to ethoxyquin. The studies use the limit value for ethoxyquin in meat. Whether this also makes sense for fish has not been clarified. Studies also critically evaluate the breakdown products of ethoxyquin, which can be deposited in the muscle meat of the fish. Greenpeace warns that reference values are also necessary for the degradation products.

Greenpeace warned of ethoxyquin in aquaculture salmon back in 2016. Fish from conventional aquaculture were particularly often contaminated – probably because they were fed with fishmeal.

32 out of 38 fish samples from conventional aquaculture were well above the permissible EU limit value for meat. A sample of salmon exceeded it by more than 17 times.
With one exception, all organic products were below the limit.

Ethoxyquin in fish food – a legal loophole

Ethoxyquin has long been considered a health concern. There is a ban on antioxidants in food. This means that ethoxyquin must not come into direct contact with food. However, food contaminated with ethoxyquin can still end up on the table indirectly – via animal feed. The regulations for animal feed are not clear in this respect.

2012 – The EU classified ethoxyquin as a dangerous chemical and banned its use as a pesticide.
2014 – The EU set a benchmark for ethoxyquin in a number of foods. This residue limit of 50 micrograms per kilogram indicates the concentration of ethoxyquin per kilogram of meat. Up to this value, the amount is considered harmless for humans. However, fish is not on this list and therefore there is no binding guideline for edible fish.
2015 – The European health organization EFSA examined the health risks that can emanate from ethoxyquin in animal feed. However, the available data were not sufficient to make a conclusive assessment.
2017 – As a precaution, the EU suspended the existing approval for ethoxyquin in animal feed. However, there was a transitional period until March 2020, which means that animal feed containing the substance could still be sold until then.
2020 – Actually, the ban should come into force in 2020. But according to MEP Klaus Bucher, it will be checked again because of a study made by the food industry.

How to avoid ethoxyquin

Fish is considered healthier than meat, but you shouldn’t eat it too often. Greenpeace sees no significant health risk if you eat fish once or twice a week. With wild-caught fish such as wild salmon or organically farmed fish, you further reduce the risk. Out of consideration for fish stocks, wild fish such as wild salmon should not be on your menu every week.

The consumer center recommends fish with an organic seal, such as the EU organic seal or those of Naturland and Bioland. Naturland, for example, limits the amount of fishmeal in organic aquaculture. A total of up to 30 percent fishmeal and fish oil in the feed is only permitted for salmon or trout, which do not get along well with plant-based alternatives.

With its fish guide, Greenpeace gives you tips for buying fish sustainably. The traffic light colors indicate whether a fish is generally recommended. You will also receive information about the countries of origin and fishing methods.

The possible health risks of ethoxyquin are just one more reason why you should buy fish from conventional aquaculture as little as possible. Other reasons are also important:

The WWF reports that the lack of space in the cages is stressing the fish. They are susceptible to disease or parasites. That is why the feed is mixed with chemicals and antibiotics.
Greenpeace adds that leftover food or fish excretions sink through the cage nets to the sea floor. This means that the substances can get into the oceans and the environment.
In the expertise, Greenpeace points out that fish meals cannot be the only source of ethoxyquin. Other animal products such as fish oil or animal fats may contain residues of ethoxyquin. There is also an exception for paprika and chili powder in the EU. The spices can be treated with the antioxidant. This also applies to apples and pears. Ethoxyquin is allowed to protect the shells from putrefactive bacteria. Each may contain harmless amounts. However, if you eat such foods frequently, the amounts can add up.

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