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Losing Weight without the Yo-Yo Effect in Everyday Family Life

Losing weight without the yo-yo effect works best with a healthy and balanced diet for the whole family. In order for weight loss to work successfully in stressful everyday family life, avoid strenuous and one-sided diets.

Special diets are hardly feasible in stressful everyday family life. If sport is then also recommended, the dream of the desired figure seems to be an illusion. Losing weight without exercise and with little time is possible and you don’t have to follow a specific diet.

Diet is a real challenge in losing weight in everyday family life

Most people have tried numerous diets. Many were successful and lost weight. But the problem is always the yo-yo effect after a diet. Because that often occurs as soon as the diet is ended. Often you then quickly weigh more than before the diet and are frustrated. In addition, losing weight with a diet is usually a challenge.

If you’re still short on time and dieting between changing diapers, checking homework, doing quick housecleaning, etc., losing weight is associated with additional stress. Thus, the diet is doomed to failure. Especially when you’re whipping up a delicious meal for the family and need to stick to your diet plan at the same time.

Tips for losing weight without exercising

At the same time, it is difficult for a mother to do sports every day in the stressful everyday family life. Because how do you create space with small children? But the good news for mothers is: You can also lose weight in everyday family life without the yo-yo effect. Because to lose weight and become slim, you need a healthy and balanced diet. For this purpose, try to consider the following when it comes to nutrition in order to be able to lose weight without exercising. In addition, you should first calculate your BMI value to find out how your weight should be classified.

  • Hardly any carbohydrates and consume a lot of protein.
  • Trust in high-quality fats.
  • Beware of juices and high-sugar fruits.
  • A negative calorie balance is essential.

Losing weight without the yo-yo effect through healthy nutrition for the family

Consciously avoid a strict and one-sided diet. Because when you establish healthy eating habits for you and your family, you all benefit. This saves you the extra cooking and reduces stress. If you want to lose weight without the yo-yo effect, then avoid eating high-carbohydrate food in the evening. However, note that they are valuable sources of energy. Therefore, you should not completely eliminate them from your meal plan. And from time to time it can also be a pizza. But permanently losing weight in everyday family life is only possible with a healthy diet. Healthy means the following:

  • Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit (5 servings a day),
  • many whole grain products,
  • little meat and animal fats,
  • if meat then lean varieties, e.g. poultry,
  • low sugar and sugary foods,
  • It is important that you drink a lot of water or unsweetened tea (at least 1.5 liters per day).

Organize a healthy diet well in everyday family life

A healthy diet with lots of fresh ingredients sounds expensive. But the preparation can succeed quickly with the good organization in everyday life. You should also use shared meals to enjoy together and eat consciously. You should at least take your time for breakfast and dinner because those who eat consciously instead of casually learn to listen to their feeling of satiety. You can also organize yourself as follows:

  • Prepare vegetables in the morning when the little ones are still asleep or away from home.
  • Prepare fresh juices or smoothies in just a few minutes with the blender.
  • Pre-cook meals and freeze them in the freezer. This way you only have to cook one day and only have to warm up the food briefly in the following days.
  • Cut up fruit in the evening for muesli in the morning and store it in a storage container. Tip: Put some lemon juice on the fruit to keep its color. Stored in the fridge, the fruit tastes very good the next morning.

Stimulate metabolism to lose weight

As already mentioned, sport and daily exercise are good for your health. Because with it you can stay fit in everyday life and stimulate your metabolism. You don’t have to do any strenuous exercise to do this. Half an hour of walking, cycling, swimming, gymnastics or yoga at home with children is enough. Sport helps you lose weight easily without the yo-yo effect. Because in addition to stimulating the metabolism, sport also has a motivating effect and it is easier to do without the little sweets in between.

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health

7 Ideas for Fitness in Everyday Life to Stay Fit

Stay fit in everyday life for physical and mental health. Bring more fitness into your daily life with simple tricks and get rid of bad habits. So you don’t necessarily have to go to the gym, but can become more physically active at home or at work.

Fit in everyday life instead of expensive gym

You pay for months for your membership in the fitness center, but then all too often you don’t have the time and motivation to exercise regularly. And so we pay our membership fee every month without benefiting from it. But don’t panic! If you integrate simple exercises into your daily routine and pay attention to a balanced diet, you can save yourself a trip to the fitness center and the money. Use simple fitness exercises and healthy habits. As a result, you can stay fit with more everyday exercise. You do something for your physical and mental fitness.

Tips for staying healthy and fit

Since there are many reasons to increase physical activity, you should start today. In addition, it is very easy to stay fit in everyday life. And in the long run, you will feel better. The more active you become, the easier it is for you to move every day. You can also do something good for your health if you have regular preventive health checks when you visit the doctor.

1) Bring more movement into everyday life

Every step makes you slim. In fact, you burn a lot of calories when you set out on foot. So it’s worth walking to do some shopping, go to the doctor or pick up the kids from school. In this way, you store routes that can be described as a tight walking program or as walking training. So that you can get through the day stress-free even without exercise, try the following methods to move more:

  • Move when you call.
  • Get a glass of water more often.
  • Get off a stop or two earlier.
  • Choose the farthest parking spot when shopping.
  • Don’t eat your lunch at work, but outside.

2) Ride a bike more often

Improve your fitness by getting on your bike more often than usual and cycling to your destination. Because cycling is healthy and also saves fuel and ticket money. If you have a little more time, you can also choose the most beautiful bike route to your destination, maybe you can cycle through a great piece of nature. But a bicycle in the form of fitness equipment for the home can also be useful and fun.

3) Go for a walk and stay fit

A walk in the morning or evening ensures more exercise and fitness in your everyday life. Going out in the fresh air can also be a great way to relax. In addition, regular walking can reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, go for walks alone or in a company more often.

4) Window cleaning fitness

Even cleaning the windows can strengthen the back muscles with the circular arm movements and is really fun when your favorite music is playing at the same time. If you have steps in your own house, you can use them to strengthen your calf and leg muscles. To do this, go up and down the stairs quickly several times, taking two steps at a time, it’s a lot of effort.

5) Climb stairs and stay fit

As already mentioned, you can strengthen your leg muscles by climbing stairs. In addition, you use up as much energy and calories when climbing stairs as with intensive weight training. So from now on, take as many stairs with you as you can. Run to the children in the basement and on the first floor. Or use the stairs instead of the elevator.

6) Watch your posture

In order to stay fit and avoid pain in your back or neck, you should pay attention to your posture. An upright posture while sitting at work or while walking will help you strengthen your muscles. And your health benefits from it. Also, note useful home remedies for neck pain.

7) Carpet as a yoga mat

You can also bring a little exercise into everyday life with yoga exercises at home and stay fit. There are a lot of good videos on the internet for beginners. And in the living room, the carpet replaces the yoga mat. As a result, you can do light and varied exercises comfortably without any effort in the living room to nice music or while watching your favorite film.

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Food

Being Pescetarian: A Life of Fish But no Meat

Those who follow a pescetarian diet do not eat meat. Pescetarians, however, continue to eat fish and seafood. How useful is this diet?

Pescetarians, also known as pesco-vegetarians, often feel like they can’t please anyone. From the point of view of vegans and meat eaters, they are simply inconsistent – according to the motto: “Then don’t do it at all!” Vegetarians, on the other hand, are upset that fish is offered to them at times. And of course the pescetarians are to blame for the assumption that vegetarian only means “no meat”.

Hardly any form of nutrition makes itself unpopular with so many sides at the same time as pescetarianism. However, it has its own advantages and disadvantages. We explain what speaks for and against a meatless diet with fish – and what you should pay attention to if you want to start with it.

Pescetarians: not meat, but fish

The definition of pescetarianism is actually quite simple. The word derives from the Latin “piscis” (fish). Pescetarians do not eat meat or products derived from it, but eat fish, and often seafood and molluscs as well. Dairy products and eggs are usually also on the table.

There are, of course, many reasons not to eat fish, such as overfishing in the seas, problematic fishing methods or seals that are not very trustworthy. Many pescetarians should be aware of this – just as meat eaters usually know (and often ignore) that the production of cheap meat causes animal suffering and ecological problems.

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Lifestyle

Live a Self-sufficient Life

This is how you get a little closer to the dream

Especially in times of viruses and lockdowns that are rampant around the world, when you step outside the door with a feeling of unease, one or the other may think that a self-sufficient life would be something nice. Not depending on the supermarket being open to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, being self-sufficient in water and maybe even generating your own electricity – that would be great. But you cannot live in complete self-sufficiency in Germany. But what works and is actually not that complicated: Take some measures that enable you to live as self-sufficiently as possible and thus give you the feeling of living almost independently.

Self-sufficient living

According to a recent survey, more than half of all Germans aged 14 and over find it important to be independent or to be able to largely determine their own lives. 40.61 million Germans would also like to support themselves and be as independent as possible from the state. It is therefore fair to say that there is a great desire for a self-sufficient lifestyle in Germany.

But “being self-sufficient” – what exactly does that actually mean? The Duden defines “autonomous” as “self-sufficient, not dependent on anyone”. The Federal Agency for Civic Education understands self-sufficiency as the complete or partial self-sufficiency of a household with goods and services. This is exactly what is usually spoken of in everyday language when one speaks of self-sufficient life. But some also understand it as complete independence from any state leadership or any regulations and regulations – which politically tends towards anarchy.

It is not possible to live completely independently in the sense just described in Germany. For example, every citizen must have health insurance. Nevertheless, a number of areas of life can be designed in such a way that one can feel as self-sufficient as possible. This self-sufficiency begins with the cultivation of your own vegetables, fruit and herbs – because the self-sufficient garden is usually the center of a self-sufficient life. But self-sufficiency does not stop here. It goes beyond the preservation of food and one’s own water supply and electricity generation and electricity storage, to a fundamentally changed consumer attitude. That may sound quite complicated. But the work you invest in order to be able to live self-sufficiently pays off with a number of advantages.

The benefits of self-sufficient living

A self-sufficient life is almost always a freer life. Because if, for example, you produce some of your food yourself in your own garden and generate your own electricity, you are no longer so dependent on the economic cycle. The feeling that this creates can be enormously liberating.
The measures described above usually also lead to you saving money. Constantly buying fresh food from the supermarket is more expensive in the long run than simply going to the beds in your own garden. Especially when it comes to your own electricity production, you may have to invest a little more money at the beginning, but self-sufficiency almost always pays off in the long term in all respects.
An additional effect that usually occurs when switching to a self-sufficient life is the increase in voluntary renunciation. The more self-sufficient you want to live, the less you will want to buy, consume and consume over time. This saves money, stress, time and fear for material things. Because at some point you may only have what you really need and use.
Part of a self-sufficient life is usually a healthier lifestyle and, above all, a healthy diet. Because if you want to grow and produce some of the food you eat in your garden yourself, you will automatically eat a lot of fresh fruit and especially vegetables as well as good carbohydrates, for example in the form of potatoes.
Self-sufficiency as part of self-sufficiency also gets you outdoors a lot. Be it growing vegetables in the garden or collecting herbs and berries in forests and meadows – nature and self-sufficient life simply belong together.
If you want to live self-sufficiently, you can’t just sit around and wait for everything around you to come into being. You have to get active. And that is exactly another advantage of self-sufficient life: It does not force you to take any specific actions and there is no fixed appointment calendar. Nevertheless, you will move and tackle a lot in order to realize ideas and decisions. Just the cultivation of fruit and vegetables and the care of your self-sufficient garden will challenge you again and again and present you with new tasks. This keeps you mentally and, above all, physically fit.
Ultimately, with a self-sufficient life, you are also automatically doing the environment a favor. If you get more from the garden, you drive to the supermarket less often and thus consume no CO2 (cycling is of course an exception). If you no longer buy vegetables, but grow them yourself in your garden, there is no plastic packaging waste. And if you repair things more frequently than buying everything new straight away, fewer new things have to be produced and old ones thrown away. All of this benefits nature.

7 steps to an everyday life that is as self-sufficient as possible

Live independently

Many people who already live self-sufficiently have initially left their usual living environment. You have just “slimmed down” when it comes to living and have turned to minimalism. Whether it’s a tiny house, a converted van, a caravan or a small wooden house on a farm – all of these and many other forms of living make self-sufficient life easier. Especially if the small home is adjoined by enough green space that can be used for cultivation.

Smaller cottages and living spaces use fewer resources and, above all, less electricity. If you live self-sufficient in a rather small space, you can sometimes free yourself from electricity providers and produce your own electricity. Photovoltaic systems and the associated photovoltaic storage systems that are affordable for almost everyone today make it possible not only to generate electricity from the sun, but also to store it permanently. Photovoltaic storage systems are therefore the ultimate way to an independent supply of electricity. It is only important that you pay attention to various criteria when making your selection, since the electricity requirements and desire for self-sufficiency of each household are different.

Produce and preserve food

As already mentioned several times, self-sufficient life also includes growing food in your own garden and preserving it. The second point in particular is important, because you will not have enough fresh food available at all times of the year.

You can pickle, boil, dry or ferment vegetables and many types of fruit. It’s all less work than you think and you’ll be rewarded with jars full of delicious food that’s always available, even during the winter months. A great side effect: the preserved food is “refined” at the same time through the various processes and gets very individual flavors.

If you have the space in your garden and would like to have animal products, you can sometimes even have some animals of your own. A small chicken coop, a couple of geese and maybe even one or two of your own sheep, for example, don’t take up huge areas. Eggs, sheep’s cheese and now and then a slaughtered chicken or even a goose expand your self-sufficient menu.

Incidentally, chickens can also be kept in the middle of residential areas, as they are considered small animals. However, only four hens and one rooster are allowed. It is also important that you report the animals individually to the responsible veterinary office and inform the animal disease fund that they are being kept.

Use the garden products cleverly

Especially if you want to live self-sufficiently, you should know how you can use various products from your own garden in a clever and versatile way. Of course, you can always process and consume fresh fruit and vegetables directly. But you will also pick up overripe fruit again and again, for example. It shouldn’t go in the trash straight away

Because the particularly soft consistency and the often more intense aroma of overripe fruits are sometimes particularly suitable for processing. You can make the following things with overripe fruit:
dried fruit
fruit leather
smoothie
jams
Red fruit jelly
fruit vinegar
fruit puree
sherbet
Aromatic Waters
fruit crumble
Herbs from your garden are also not only suitable for refining meals. You can often use them to make your own ointments and creams or oils and teas, which are made entirely of natural materials. For example, do you have a lot of plantain in your garden? It can be processed into an ointment against insect bites and inflammation. Yarrow, on the other hand, can be dried and used as a tea against menstrual cramps, skin problems and cramps. Many herbs have healing properties and allow you to become a little more self-sufficient as part of your garden, perhaps medically as well.

Composting

Composting is also part of self-sufficiency. Because if you don’t want to have your rubbish picked up, you have to make sure that food leftovers and biological waste somehow disappear. A compost in a corner of your garden is not just an easy way to get rid of litter naturally. It even turns it into fresh and nutrient-rich soil, which you can use again for your vegetable or herb beds.

Create your own water supply and get rid of the sewage

A little more complicated than producing your own food is your own and self-sufficient water supply, which means you no longer have to use tap water or bottled water from the supermarket. You don’t just need water to drink, your plants and beds also need water, so that your garden always blooms and stays healthy.

Basically, rainwater that you collect in barrels is a good idea to supply your plants. If you need more water and you don’t want to be dependent on the rain, you can think about drilling your own well in the garden. In Germany, however, the drilling of wells must be reported to the authorities and approved by them.

Incidentally, if you want to drink well or rain water yourself instead of just using it for washing and showering, you should definitely treat it beforehand. Corresponding treatment systems can be quite expensive depending on their size, but these are usually affordable and pay for themselves after just a few years or even months.

Look for second-hand instead of new goods

If you take care of yourself for the most part and are hardly dependent on others, it is of course all the more annoying if you still have to buy different things again and again. The packaging waste and the feeling of supporting industrial cycles with a new purchase, which you might actually want to counteract, soften the feeling of self-sufficiency. Therefore, the following applies: Always try to look around on various portals and various stock exchanges first to see if you can find something that you need in used condition.

Not only are second-hand goods often just as “good” and functional as new goods, they are usually also significantly cheaper. So you save money with second-hand goods, protect the environment and also do former owners who no longer have any use for something a favor.

Reduce waste and consumption

This brings us to our last point and step towards self-sufficiency: You should try to consume less overall and thus produce less waste. This makes your self-sufficient life much easier. After all, those who live self-sufficiently often no longer have a regulated, “conventional” job and may therefore not have a normal income. Saving and carefully planning purchases so that you don’t have anything superfluous or even have to throw them away are obligatory measures in self-sufficient life.

And even if you are still doing your job normally, you will notice that being self-sufficient always means doing without and reducing the consumption of all resources. If you manage to get used to such a minimalist, but often more intense life, you will sometimes be able to experience a whole new feeling of freedom.

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Protect Children from Dangers in Everyday Life

Parents always want to do everything right and protect their children. And rightly so, because especially in the first months and years of life, newborns and small children depend on the protection of their parents. Therefore use valuable tips for child protection.

Protect children in everyday life

There are many dangers lurking in everyday life. It can be dangerous not only outside but also in your own four turns. Adequate child protection is therefore important and should be taken seriously by adults. Small children in particular want to explore their environment and cannot distinguish between dangerous and harmless things. Consequently, parents need to protect their children and should pay attention to a few important aspects in the home and outside. Because if you know about possible dangers, you can identify and eliminate them more quickly. This gives your child a safe start in life.

1) Create a safe home

It’s hard to believe, but according to a study, more than 80 percent of injuries in small children requiring treatment can be traced back to accidents in the home or other facilities. It is therefore an essential precautionary measure to make your own four walls childproof. Consequently, make sure that stairs are fitted with gates and houseplants are out of the reach of small children. You should also check the garden and ensure more child protection here. Are there open water points, such as ponds, watercourses, or rain barrels? Then make them inaccessible with a fence or cover. Because even a few centimeters of water depth can pose a danger for small children.

2) Door lock to protect children

Doors also pose a danger. Small children can quickly get bad injuries here. As soon as the dear little ones become mobile, you need a good mechanical door lock. Then your child cannot leave the room unnoticed or get stuck in the door. Here you can remedy the situation with a small bell that you simply tie to the door to protect children. As soon as the bell rings, you know that your little treasure is on a journey of discovery. Likewise, always lock the apartment or front door so that your child does not go hiking unnoticed.

3) Safe toy and use

As a child, pretty much anything becomes an interesting toy. You should therefore remove all dangerous objects and store them safely so that your child cannot steal them. But that’s not all. You should also carefully examine the toys that your newborn babies or children bought specially. Because most everything is tried out with hands and mouth. It is therefore important that your children’s toys are safe. Quality and test seals will help you with this.

4) Identify hidden dangers and protect children

Dangers are not always as obvious as a knife or scissors lying around. The situation is different if the danger is not visible to the eye. Chemicals and pollutants in particular often remain undiscovered. These include, among other things, softeners and dyes contained in clothing, such as aniline. These get on the child’s skin and can cause irritation there. The whitening agents used in children’s clothing for visual reasons are also suspected of triggering allergies. When buying new clothing, it is best to look for the “oeko-tex” seal or the European eco-label in order to be able to protect your children. In general, it is worth making the household more sustainable.

5) Pay attention to the ingredients of care products

It is also advisable to take a close look at the ingredients of creams and shampoos. Because even care products that are advertised for babies and small children can contain additives that are unsuitable for sensitive children’s skin. This is particularly problematic with chemicals that have a similar effect to hormones in the body. In animal experiments, these showed reprotoxic effects. When it comes to caring products, parents should therefore turn to manufacturers of natural cosmetics to protect their children. You can also easily make natural cosmetics yourself, so you know exactly what’s in them.

6) Protect children in traffic

It is also dangerous for children and adults on the road. Since children are not sufficiently sensitized to these dangers at a young age, you should never take your eyes off your children on the road. So leave her in the stroller or take her by the hand. In addition, it can be helpful to make them aware of the dangers and to explain them. You should also be careful that they don’t run away or get lost. Child protection is therefore essential, especially in road traffic. Playgrounds or playing in the sandbox should also be accompanied or observed up to a certain age.

7) More security on escalators

Today, escalators are found almost everywhere, especially in department stores, subway stations, train stations, and airports. So they are part of our daily life and nobody would think of an accident. But they can also be dangerous, especially for children. Therefore, they should never play on escalators. Likewise, small children should always be accompanied by adults for sufficient child protection. Other tips on how to behave on the escalator are as follows:

  • Never step on the black treadmill; because here the danger is particularly high.
  • Be careful with plastic sandals, sneakers, or plastic boots, the up to the four-millimeter wide gap between the movable steps and the fixed sidewall can become a trap.
  • Do not sit on the escalator, because clothing such as scarves, coats and long hair can get caught in the gears of the chain drive through the gaps, and, in the worst case, lead to strangulation. This also applies in particular to the ends of the escalator.
  • And this is how you do it right: stand in the middle of the escalator, hold on to the handrail, don’t wear overly long scarves, and hold the children by the hand.

You can find many more informative tips and advice on the subject of safety in the e-book on child safety.

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Balanced Nutrition: 10 Rules for Everyday Life

A balanced diet is crucial for a healthy lifestyle. If you eat healthily, you can usually get by without any dietary supplements or strict diets.

A balanced diet is often mentioned when it comes to a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. But what does that actually mean? With its 10-point plan, the German Society for Nutrition e.V. (DEG) provides a practical guide to a balanced diet. You can follow these ten rules to ensure you eat a balanced diet.

With mindfulness to a balanced diet

Before considering what you eat, consider how you eat.

When you take your time with your meals and eat slowly and mindfully, you can enjoy food more.
You also prevent yourself from overeating. Because: The feeling of satiety only sets in ten to 15 minutes after the start of the meal.
Make sure you chew enough. It’s best to chew each bite 30 to 40 times.
In order for this to succeed, you should avoid disturbing external influences during the meal: the television or mobile phone are now in radio silence.
Careful handling of food also includes not wasting food. We give you 10 simple tips that will make it easy for you to do this.

A balanced diet is varied

A healthy diet uses the entire range of foods, because no single food contains all the necessary nutrients. It should be colorful and varied.

Vegetables, fruit, grains, legumes, oils, seeds and kernels – make sure you have a balanced mix of all food groups.
And you should also vary as much as possible within the groups – for example by eating the wide range of different types of vegetables.
By orienting yourself on the seasonal calendar, this variety is almost guaranteed, because the regional offer changes constantly over the months. The seasonal, regional diet is not only good for you and your health, but also particularly sustainable.

Five a day: plenty of fruit and vegetables

The “five a day” rule is another guide. It says: You should eat three servings of vegetables (400 grams) and two servings of fruit (250 grams) per day. In terms of quantity, fresh fruit and vegetables should make up the largest part of a balanced diet.

Fruit and vegetables provide you with plenty of nutrients and minerals, fiber, vitamins and secondary plant substances. They also bring variety in taste and appearance to the plate.

You should try to include some fruit or vegetables in every meal – for example by slicing fresh apples or bananas into muesli, eating a salad for dinner or enjoying pasta with fresh tomatoes and carrots.

Nuts, oilseeds and dried fruit are also part of the fruit portion. Due to the higher calorie content, the portion size here is around 25 grams. By the way: A smoothie or freshly squeezed juice can occasionally replace a portion of fruit – but not too often, because these usually contain a lot of hidden sugar in the form of fructose.

Minimize sugar and salt

Sugar is a calorie bomb and increases the risk of tooth decay. Increased sugar consumption is also said to be indirectly related to an increased risk of diabetes.

The problem is rarely the deliberately added sugars in tea or food, but the hidden sugars in processed foods and beverages.
Sugar traps include, for example, fruit yoghurt, fruit nectar or muesli. And even in ketchup, dressings and ready meals like pizza, surprising amounts of sugar are often added.
It is therefore worth checking the list of ingredients and the nutrient table. Better yet, avoid processed foods altogether and you’ll have full control over how much sugar goes into your food.
Excessive salt intake is also dangerous for the body: too much salt can increase blood pressure and thus the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Guide value: It should not be more than six grams of salt per day.
Again, we often ingest far more salt through processed foods than we realize.
Fast food, meat products and cheese in particular are often particularly salty. But there is also a lot of salt in bread and most ready-made products.
Even in your own kitchen, there is often more salt in the food than necessary. Tip: Flavor your food with herbs and other spices before adding salt.
Reduce the salt content in your food step by step. At first, foods with less salt may taste a bit boring. But over time, your taste buds will adjust and become more sensitive again. Then you will even benefit in the end with a richer taste experience.

Healthy fats from vegetable oils

For a while, fats were generally considered unhealthy. We now know that fat is not just fat and has very different nutritional significance depending on its type and origin.

In order to obtain the essential unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E, we should fall back on valuable, healthy sources of fat. In addition to vegetable oils, this also includes nuts and oilseeds.
Rapeseed oil is highlighted by the DGE as a particularly recommended oil. It has the lowest proportion of saturated fatty acids, but is particularly rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.
In addition, walnut, flaxseed, soybean and olive oil also have a good fatty acid profile. Virgin olive oil in particular also contains many secondary plant substances.
On the other hand, saturated fatty acids should only be consumed in small amounts, as they are said to have a negative effect on blood values ​​in particular. Coconut oil, palm oil and animal lard are particularly rich in these saturated fatty acids. You should also avoid palm oil for the sake of the environment.
The trans fatty acids in hydrogenated fats are particularly problematic. These are considered to be one of the causes of cardiovascular diseases and have a negative effect on cholesterol levels. As a result, the risk of a stroke or heart attack increases.
These trans fatty acids are mainly found in industrially processed foods, especially in fried foods such as french fries, donuts or chips. Popcorn, margarine, sausage, croissants, biscuits, dairy products and many convenience products often contain these harmful fats.

Whole grain products are part of a balanced diet

Whenever you reach for grain products, whole grain is the better choice for a balanced diet: Whether pasta, bread, rice or flour – whole grain foods contain more fiber, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, colon cancer, cardiovascular diseases and Reduce dyslipidemia. In addition, high-fiber foods make you feel full for longer and thus prevent binge eating.

Wholegrain products also contain more nutrients than alternatives made from refined flour. They provide valuable long-chain carbohydrates as well as vitamins and minerals and are therefore an important part of a wholesome diet.

Animal products: meat, fish, milk and co.

The DGE recommends milk and milk products to ensure the supply of protein, vitamin B2 and calcium. Fish is also recommended once or twice a week. Oily fish in particular are good suppliers of omega-3 fatty acids, while meat provides iron, selenium and zinc.

On the other hand, the DGE warns of the unhealthy ingredients in meat and sausage: More than 300 grams to 600 grams per week should not be exceeded. Red meat (beef, pork, sheep, goat), which increases the risk of colon cancer, is particularly dangerous.

In general, the DGE therefore advises eating fewer animal products. This is not only better for your health, but also for the environment and climate. After all, milk and meat have the greatest impact on the planet.

In addition, the animals in industrial animal husbandry suffer enormously. You should therefore only buy animal products in organic quality, preferably with a stricter organic seal from Naturland, demeter or Bioland. Here not only an environmentally friendly, but also a species-appropriate animal husbandry is ensured.

It is also possible to cover the nutritional requirements with a vegetarian or vegan diet. There are enough vegetable protein sources such as nuts, seeds and legumes. For vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron, plant-based products are often the better option anyway. Only the much-discussed vitamin B12 is often neglected in a vegan diet. It is therefore recommended to substitute this accordingly.

Drink enough water

Sufficient fluid intake is essential for all bodily functions. According to the DGE, it should be at least 1.5 liters per day, and up to 2.5 liters on a hot day or with a lot of physical activity.

It is not just how much that is important, but what: Ideal thirst quenchers are water and unsweetened herbal and fruit teas. Tap water is usually the best choice: It is the cheapest and also does not require any packaging or transport routes – and is of the best quality in most areas of Germany.

Lemonades, cola, fruit juice drinks, nectars, iced tea or mixed milk drinks such as iced coffee are not recommended. They usually contain a lot of sugar. Because of the numerous health risks and the risk of addiction, alcohol should only be consumed rarely and in small quantities.

Cook food and meals gently

The ultimate nutrient content of food is highly dependent on how it is prepared: the longer food is exposed to heat and water, the more nutrients are lost. Therefore, the following applies: Cook food as long as necessary, but as short as possible.

Steam cooking and blanching are particularly gentle methods of preparation. But raw food is often a good option too: there are some vegetables that are healthier raw than cooked.

In any case, you should avoid overheating and burning food. Carcinogenic substances develop in the process, which is why you should definitely not eat burned areas.

Balanced lifestyle with enough sport

In addition to a wholesome, healthy diet, sufficient exercise is also part of a balanced lifestyle.

Regular exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, colon and breast cancer, and depression. Circulation and metabolism are stimulated and well-being increased. Physical activity also helps to regulate weight in a healthy way.

Neither overweight nor underweight are healthy. That’s why it can be worth keeping an eye on your body weight. However, if you take all of the tips mentioned and eat a balanced diet, do enough sport and lead a healthy lifestyle, you will automatically level off at your ideal body weight.

You can also easily incorporate physical activity into everyday life – for example by taking the stairs instead of the lift or by cycling to work or school. This is also better for the environment in the long term.

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Food

Shelf Life of Tofu: How long does it last?

Unopened, tofu has a fairly long shelf life. However, once the package is opened, it is often difficult to judge whether it is still edible. We tell you how long tofu can be kept.

Tofu is a protein-rich food made from soy that is particularly popular with vegans and vegetarians. You can use tofu in a variety of dishes and add flavor to your taste with marinades and spices.

A typical criticism of soy products like tofu is that the soybeans come from rainforest regions. However, organic tofu in particular mostly consists of European, sometimes even German, soybeans. Read more about how to eat vegan regionally at Utopia. Due to the shorter transport distances, you can save CO2 emissions and thus reduce your ecological footprint. Tip: You can also make tofu yourself.

We recommend that you buy organic tofu for other reasons as well. Organic seals such as Bioland, Demeter or Naturland stand for certain standards in cultivation and production, for example they do not allow chemical-synthetic pesticides.

The most important numbers on the shelf life of tofu

Tofu is mostly vacuum packed. This makes it particularly durable. The best before date (MHD) tells you how long the tofu will last. However, if stored properly, tofu can be kept for a long time. A long-term test by the environmental protection organization Greenpeace showed that tofu can still be eaten up to six months after the best-before date.

Once opened, tofu can be kept in the refrigerator for two to three days. You can extend the shelf life of tofu by storing it properly:

Always keep unopened tofu refrigerated. An exception are varieties that were freeze-dried during production and can therefore also be stored at room temperature. As a guide, if the tofu was already refrigerated when you bought it, you should keep it in the fridge as well.
Place opened tofu in an airtight container (such as a box or jar) and place in the refrigerator. It is best if you add some water. The tofu should be at least half covered.
If you freeze tofu, you can extend its shelf life by up to six months – regardless of whether it is still unopened or opened.

Shelf life of tofu: how do you know that tofu is still good?

A first indication of the shelf life of tofu is the best before date. However, as mentioned, unopened tofu lasts far beyond that.

Are you unsure whether your tofu is still edible? If these factors apply, you shouldn’t eat the tofu anymore:

Appearance: greasy, eventually mold
Odor and taste: sour or bitter
In particular, the smell of spoiled tofu can become very strong.

If the pack is still closed, the following also indicates that tofu is no longer edible:

Pack is bloated
The brine that tofu is in is creamy or crumbly

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Cooking Tips

Macerating: This is How You Can Extend the Shelf Life of Fruit

Maceration means “soaking in liquid”. You can read in this article how this works and for which foods it makes sense to macerate.

Maceration is a term from the kitchen. It was borrowed from the French “macérer” – “to soak/soak something” and goes back to the Latin “machrare” – “to soak”. It sounds fancy, but chances are you’ve already macerated while cooking or baking.

Why is maceration useful?

Preservation: Maceration makes fresh food last longer. Another side effect is that fruit does not turn brown.
Flavoring: You can add another flavor note to macerated foods.
Change consistency: Depending on the type of food being macerated, the consistency can remain the same, become softer or juicier.

You need this

Maceration is very easy. You need two components; it is up to you how much and what combinations it will be. Maceration is usually understood as meaning when fruit is marinated in alcohol with a little sugar, but there are many variations.

Ingredient One: Foods You Want to Macerate:

Fruit like strawberries or apricots
vegetables like onions
Pastry like biscuit
When macerating, you put the food in or sprinkle it over it in order to then process it further. For example, you dip ladyfingers in coffee to use for (vegan) tiramisu; or you macerate fruit in sugar to make jam. You can also macerate meat.

Ingredient Two: Liquid

Depending on the flavor you want and the purpose, you have different liquids to choose from in which to put the food:

Alcoholic beverages such as liqueur or sparkling wine
Oils such as olive oil or garlic oil (tip: make your own garlic oil)
Vinegar like balsamic
Juices (fruit or vegetable) such as orange juice or tomato juice
Broths like vegetable broth (tip: make your own vegetable broth)
Fairtrade coffee or tea such as black tea
Note: We recommend buying organic food. Then you can be sure that they are free of chemical-synthetic pesticides and come from environmentally friendly cultivation. If you use seasonal and regional fruit and vegetables, you can save CO2 emissions due to the shorter transport routes. Our seasonal calendar shows you when which fruit and vegetables are in season in Germany.

Maceration tips

Use a liquid of your choice for maceration. You can add extra flavor with spices. For example, when macerating fruit, add some cinnamon to the liquid. Herbs, on the other hand, often go well with savory pickles. You can try different flavors. How about a dash of lemon juice and some sugar in a fruit-juice maceration?

It is crucial that the flavors of the liquid harmonize well with those of the food. For example, drinks such as rum, wine or fruit juice go well with fruit, coffee or sweet liqueurs go well with baked goods and spice-oil mixtures, vinegar or broth go with vegetables.

Basically, you should macerate food cold (or at least lukewarm). Pre-heating only makes sense in some cases, for example to boil off residual alcohol or to obtain roasted aromas.

To macerate, simply place the food in the liquid and let it steep for a bit. How long that is varies. For example, soaking strawberries in sugar for 15 minutes may be enough. Others you leave for 24 hours, such as a punch. For pastries such as cake bases, it is sufficient to drizzle or dip them briefly. The aroma usually intensifies with a longer soaking time.

Incidentally, macerating works in a similar way to marinating. However, a marinade contains many spices, and marinated foods are often boiled, simmered, or fried afterwards. Food is often macerated longer than marinated. As a rule, the food’s own liquid and aroma are included in the maceration liquid, which is usually not the case with marinating. Therefore you can continue to use the maceration liquid.

It is not possible to generalize how long a food can be preserved through maceration. That depends on the liquid used and the preparation method. For example, olive oil preserves for up to six months and canola oil for up to a year, while sugar alone doesn’t really extend shelf life. However, if you further process fruit pickled in sugar by heating it to make jam or compote, the food can even last for several years. Also alcohol preserved for several months (for example Rumtopf). However, it is always important that the macerated food does not come into contact with dirt and bacteria and that you store it in a cool and dark place – otherwise the product will spoil.

Recipes: Macerate strawberries with balsamic vinegar

Ingredients:

500 g strawberries
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar or agave syrup
some leaves of fresh mint

Directions:

Wash the strawberries and pat them dry.
Cut the strawberries into small pieces – preferably in halves or quarters, depending on their size. Then place the strawberries in a sealable container.
Pour in the vinegar and sprinkle over the sugar (or agave nectar or other sweetener). You can either add the mint at the end when serving or add it to the bowl in small pieces.
Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Get the strawberries out of the fridge in time so that they return to (almost) room temperature.
You can eat balsamic strawberries just like that, serve as an appetizer or dessert. You can also combine the macerated strawberries as a sweet and sour ingredient or side dish, for example in a salad or in a bowl.

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Culture

Use Coffee in the Household and Everyday Life: Tricks for Life

Coffee can make our lives more comfortable in many ways. Whether it’s a relaxed start to the day with a warm cup of hot coffee in your hand or little coffee tricks for the house, garden, skin and hair. Even if many people initially think of the annoying emptying of the coffee grounds from the coffee machine and cannot imagine how life should be pleasant like this, coffee grounds in particular have real potential as a cheap household help. We reveal which tricks coffee grounds and coffee powder can be useful in the household and everyday life.

Coffee as a household help

Coffee powder or used coffee grounds can also work wonders in the household as a little helper. Whether as a fertilizer, cellulite peeling or odor neutralizer – the active ingredients in coffee are a cheap alternative for some household products.

Before you reuse the used coffee grounds, you should let them dry on a tray or plate. Damp coffee grounds can get moldy, causing you more trouble than help.

Coffee trick in the household: The coffee grounds method against unpleasant odors

When you open the fridge, do you get a strange smell of food? With a bit of coffee powder or coffee grounds, you can easily remove the bad smells. To do this, place a plate with some coffee grounds in the fridge and wait a few hours.

The coffee easily absorbs foreign odors and can neutralize them, allowing you to remove the smell from your fridge. The trick also works for other parts of the household.

Remove stubborn dirt with coffee

The cheap scouring milk substitute from the coffee machine: coffee grounds can also be used to clean dirt that is difficult to remove. With the help of a sponge and a little coffee grounds, fried residues in pots, pans or on the grill can be easily removed.

Coffee trick in the household: Wasps chase away with coffee powder

You probably know this: You want to have a relaxed meal in the sun, but as soon as the food is on the table, wasps are attracted. Even if you don’t have to fear for your life from wasps, they are still annoying. With a bit of coffee powder and the right method, you can avoid those annoying animals when eating.

Just put some powder in a bowl and light it up with a lighter. The resulting smoke deters the wasps and nothing stands in the way of a relaxed barbecue evening. As a tip: In the garden, the coffee can also be used as a fertilizer.

Everyday coffee trick: Versatile enjoyment

Coffee makes our life more pleasant, of course, primarily because it is enjoyed and thus increases our well-being. A wonderfully aromatic cup of coffee is the little break at work or simply at home on the couch. And coffee can be so diverse. Whether as a milk coffee, latte macchiato or strong espresso – the different ways of preparing coffee provide variety.

Coffee trick in everyday life: coffee as a stimulant

It is a well-known fact that coffee wakes you up and serves as a pick-me-up. The reason why we feel more awake and invigorated after the morning cup of coffee is the caffeine it contains. It stimulates our brain and increases concentration and performance.

Coffee trick in everyday life: the caffeine hair treatment

Our hair is also happy about the caffeine contained in coffee. The coffee grounds are therefore a good alternative for all expensive caffeine shampoos. Simply massage some of it into the entire hair and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly and shampoo your hair as normal.

The caffeine stimulates hair growth and also prevents hair loss. It also gives your hair volume and shine, making it a real beauty tip.

Coffee trick in everyday life: anti-cellulite peeling for the skin

Coffee isn’t just good for your hair, it’s also good for your skin. The anti-cellulite peeling is the emergency solution before a day at the beach. If you suffer from dents in your skin, you can also use coffee grounds. Together with a little olive oil, the peeling is applied to the body in circular movements.

After five minutes of exposure, shower off. The caffeine dilates blood vessels and improves blood circulation, which tightens weak connective tissue. Our tip: alternating showers to remove the peeling also tightens the skin.

Coffee trick in everyday life: slimmer through coffee

By enjoying our beloved coffee, we can also do something good for our health. A cup of coffee before exercise can help burn fat. Because: Coffee boosts the metabolism and helps the body to convert more energy. Incidentally, you achieve the best effect with morning exercise without breakfast beforehand – with the exception of coffee, of course.

Coffee trick in everyday life: Coffee is a good reason for a date

Granted, it’s not a true coffee “trick,” but it’s a sign of why coffee makes our lives more enjoyable. Because who doesn’t know it, meeting up with your best friend for a cup of coffee in your favorite café around the corner. Drinking a coffee together connects and is sociable.

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Food

Baking Soda Expired? That’s How Long the Most Important Baking Ingredients Really Have a Shelf Life

Expired baking soda is nothing to worry about because, like some other baking ingredients, you can use it past its sell-by date.

Baking powder expired: what to do?

If your baking powder has expired – according to the best-before date – you can still use it. After all, this date is only a recommendation. As long as food has a shelf life, you should use it. In this way you save garbage and counteract food waste.

Unsealed, dry foods such as baking powder can be kept almost indefinitely. So you can still use it months after the expiry date. However, once you open the packaging of the baking soda, its effects wear off after about a month.

For food of any kind, you can trust your senses. Take a close look at the respective product, smell it or try it. If nothing strikes you as odd, you can eat it. Anything that’s moldy goes in the trash.

Other baking ingredients: This is how long they can be kept

You can use your expired baking powder even after the best-before date has passed. The same applies to other baking ingredients. An overview:

Dry baking ingredients: Flour, baking powder, (vanilla) sugar and other dry baking ingredients can have a much longer shelf life than the best before date. However, one can distinguish again at this point:
Sugar can’t go bad. This is also the reason why it is often used to preserve foods such as jam.
In the case of flour and baking powder, on the other hand, the shelf life depends on the humidity as well as storage and packaging. Also, whole grains spoil faster because of their fat content.
Fresh baking ingredients: Fresh animal foods, such as eggs, are very delicate. Therefore, you should consume or process them as soon as possible. After the best before date has passed, it is advisable to heat the egg through. One method of finding out whether your raw egg is still good is an egg test: you put the egg in a glass of water. If the egg stays on the surface of the water, it is spoiled. You should also consume butter and milk in a timely manner. Tip: Animal baking ingredients often have a shorter shelf life than their plant-based alternatives. So feel free to use vegan margarine, aquafaba as an egg white substitute, and plant drinks as a milk substitute so that you can bake something with it for longer.


Nuts and Almonds: Whole nuts keep longer than grated ones. It is always advisable to smell the nuts and almonds and taste them if necessary. That way you can tell if they’re still good or not.
Chocolate and couverture: Dry and dark storage is important so that both chocolate and couverture last as long as possible. If you open the pack, it can be kept for another ten months, or up to 15 months for dark chocolate.
Spices: Spices should be treated in the same way as nuts and almonds, because whole spices such as cloves, cinnamon sticks or star anise have a longer shelf life than ground spices. Once you open the package of ground spices, you should use them within 6 months. Unopened, they will keep for about three years.

Tip: You can also freeze most fresh baking ingredients, vegan or not, to extend their shelf life.

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