Breaking
FoodNerdy Recipes Management System
Tag

really

Browsing
Lifestyle

Too Much Lime in the Water – Which is Really Helpful and Effectively Decalcifies

An average German uses around 120 to 140 liters of water a day. We use most of the water for the sanitary area, for every toilet flush, for brushing our teeth, washing, etc. However, very little water for drinking. The high standards in Germany, which should guarantee the quality of drinking water, are among the highest in Europe. It is reassuring to know that, but the fact that our water still has a high lime content cannot be denied.

Calcareous water is commonplace in this country and this is particularly noticeable when we use washing machines, instantaneous water heaters, and coffee machines again and again.

The limescale deposits are not only visible but also harmful to the proper functioning of this and all machines that work with water. But we also more or less feel the limescale in the water on taps, sinks, in toilets, and even when washing our hair. The water is hard and calcareous. In order to give the water a certain degree of softness, there are certain methods that can be quite effective and important.

Owners often rely on water softening systems

The call for soft water and sustainability in the consumption of precious water is becoming more and more frequent. When it comes to construction projects, more people think that they install water softening systems, house water filter systems, and osmosis systems in order to be able to use soft and decalcified water in the household.

The installation of these devices is not difficult and can be used after a short installation phase. State-of-the-art electronic controls make them easy to use and easy to maintain. The connection of these machines is directly at the water access.

Hard water is not good for us

Just washing your hair shows how hard or soft the water is. Because brittle and dry hair after washing, which also looks very dull after drying, is in many cases a (hidden) sign of too hard water. With soft water, the hair feels soft and supple even when washing. Stubborn limescale deposits on taps, showerheads, and drains in the sanitary area are also signs of too much limescale in the water.

They can only be removed with special cleaning agents. The degree of hardness of the water (°dH) is ultimately decisive for the lime content. The reference value or ideal value in Germany is 7°dH. Calcium deposits can clog lines, burst them, compact and damage seals and plugs or important access pipes and plumbing.

Regular descaling of washing machines, dishwashers, fully automatic coffee machines or the kettle is therefore highly advisable so that they remain undamaged and the deposits can be loosened. If you don’t do this, the destruction of the respective machines is inevitable due to the limescale deposits alone. The service life of the devices is significantly lower than with regular decalcification.

Vinegar cleaners can work wonders and dissolve the limescale in a completely natural and environmentally friendly way. If the water in the household is not softened, all the water pipes in the entire water system can be affected. Guide values ​​for the degree of hardness are often recommended in order to be able to connect and use various devices or machines in the household at all.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Alkaline Tea: Application, Varieties and Whether it is Really Useful

Basic tea can be prepared from different types of herbal tea. We’ll tell you how to use alkaline tea and whether it has positive effects.

Basic tea: definition and application

In the commercial sector, some tea blends are offered as “alkaline tea”. This means that these food products are above 7 on the pH scale and are alkaline rather than acidic. They are therefore suitable for an alkaline diet. Because alkaline tea is supposed to flush out the acids and pollutants from the body.

Alkaline tea is a suitable alternative to water if you are doing an alkaline treatment or eat an alkaline diet. For example, one tea maker recommends drinking three to five cups of alkaline tea daily.

Alkaline tea as part of an alkaline diet

Followers of an alkaline diet generally assume that the human body is overly acidic. According to this theory, acidic foods, coffee drinks, alcohol, and stress imbalance many people’s acid-base balance. This hyperacidity can trigger various diseases. In order to detoxify the body again, acid-forming foods should be reduced and alkaline-forming foods such as fruit, vegetables or herbs should be increased. Basic tea should also contribute to this.

Types of tea that are considered alkaline teas

Basic tea hides various herbal mixtures. These include the following ingredients:
fennel
Ginger
peppermint
rosemary
sage
thyme
Some herbal teas have been in use since the 5th century B.C. used as medicinal tea. Within the last 200 years, herbal tea has been used more and more as a stimulant in addition to its medicinal function. Today, herbal tea can be found in many medicine cabinets. Alkaline teas, i.e. herbal teas, are not prescribed by conventional medicine. In naturopathy, on the other hand, which promotes an alkaline diet, types of tea are prescribed for recovery. In another article we will inform you which types of tea you should know and what effects they have.

Keep Reading
By
health

Celery Cleanse: What Celery Juice Really Does

Juice cleanses are becoming more and more popular, because on the one hand they promise to be a relaxation cure for the stomach, since no solid components have to be digested, and on the other hand they entice with a lot of vitamins. In most cures, whether homemade or bought ready-made, fruit and vegetable juices are combined and varied. For a juice cleanse that focuses on a single vegetable, celery excels. Wanda from my harvest team tested it.

That’s why celery is so healthy

For a long time, celery had a rather inconspicuous existence as a soup vegetable, and for a long time the most exciting thing that was done with a celery stalk was to stir a Bloody Mary with it. Celery is full of vitamins and minerals.

For a juice cure, celery (also celery or blanched celery) is primarily used. Many nutrients are found in both the stems and leaves. However, the leaves are usually a bit bitter and if you dare to approach vegetable juices in general, then you should approach the amount of leaves slowly.

Almost forgotten medicinal plant

Celery was considered a medicinal plant in the past and was used to treat all kinds of ailments.
And in the gastrointestinal tract, celery is said to work wonders for some. What is definitely true is that celery juice is a source of potassium and vitamin K1 and is high in protein.

Celery cleanse, how it works

For a celery cleanse, you will need to make fresh celery juice or use a ready-made juice cleanse. Otherwise, the handling is very simple:

Drink around 500 ml of celery juice every morning on an empty stomach
Wait half an hour (don’t eat or drink anything) so that the celery can really look nice
Eat a varied and balanced diet for the rest of the day
So you do a celery cure in addition to your usual diet. You eat normally, but start the day with a celery juice on an empty stomach. This makes it easy to integrate a lot of liquid and vitamins into your morning routine.

Since Wanda is very busy and has little time at the moment, she decided on the ready-made 14-day celery cure from Kale and Me.

Wanda’s experience diary on the celery cleanse

Day 1 – Celery has a surprising taste

Full of enthusiasm, I shook the celery juice properly and took a large sip straight from the bottle. I was actually a bit shocked about the taste, because it was relatively bitter at first and I realized again why I eat celery so rarely. I just kept drinking the juice in small sips, so in 15 minutes the bottle was empty and my stomach was filled for the time being. So the first pleasant effect was that my stomach was already full and I was neither thirsty for coffee nor hungry for breakfast. In fact, I ate two handfuls of nuts in the morning and was well taken care of until lunch.

Day 2 – Sweeten or not?

Now that I was prepared for the taste, I had considered in advance whether I would “sweeten” the celery juice with some apple juice. I had read that as a tip during my research if the pure celery juice was still taking some getting used to. However, since the health benefits only fully unfold if you actually drink the juice pure, I stayed with the pure version. In small sips it worked well and this morning 1 apple was enough for me until lunch

Day 3 – I’m looking forward to the vegetable power

As soon as I got up, I thought about the celery juice and I was almost looking forward to it, because so many vegetables in the morning are a good start to the day and you’ve already eaten 2-3 portions of vegetables. As a big believer in positive affirmations, just the thought of drinking so many veggies did me good.

Day 8 – Routine that brings energy

By now, celery juice has become routine. I have the feeling that I’m more energetic in the morning – I don’t know whether it’s because of the amount of vegetables and thus the vitamin boost or because my stomach has to work less without solid food components and the energy is therefore available elsewhere. I guess it’s the combination of both points.

Day 12-14 – The celery juice keeps getting tastier

Bottom up! I have to say, in the meantime I even find the celery juice delicious and the bottle was drunk in no time.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Nori Algae: They Really are That Healthy and Sustainable

Sushi made them famous: the nori seaweed. Here’s why they’re trending, how they’re grown and what’s behind their reputation as a “superfood”.

Nori seaweed – or just nori for short – is one of the best-known edible seaweeds. As nori sheets, they are an essential part of sushi. But you can also use them for salads and soups – as well as for various Japanese recipes. In addition, there are many cosmetic products with algae, for example masks and creams.

According to the magazine GEO, 400,000 tons of nori seaweed are harvested every year. In total, the harvest of edible algae is over nine million tons. They come primarily from Japan, China, the Philippines and Korea – but algae are also cultivated in Brittany and California. Algae farms are a good alternative to traditional farms, especially in Japan, because there is a lack of agricultural land.

Nori seaweed belongs to the red algae, a class of algae that consists of over 4,000 species and is predominantly found in the sea. Nori algae does not exist in our seas, but there are also close relatives in the North Sea, on Heligoland and on the coasts of Great Britain, according to rbb. (link to audio file)

In addition to nori algae, there are many other edible algae such as green algae. They include, for example, ulva, the so-called sea lettuce – it is considered a delicacy in France. There is also sugar kelp and brown algae like wakame, which are part of the Japanese miso soup. All of these species belong to the macroalgae, i.e. large-leaved algae with many cells. In addition, there are microalgae such as spirulina algae and chlorella, which are often marketed as dietary supplements.

Nutritional values ​​and ingredients of nori seaweed

Nori seaweed is particularly popular with vegans – because it contains vitamin B12, which is otherwise found almost exclusively in animal products. As the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) explains, it has not yet been clarified whether the vitamin in nori algae has a high bioavailability. That means it’s unclear how much of the vitamin in the algae our bodies can utilize. A Finnish study speaks in favor of algae as a source of vitamins: As part of the study, a group of vegans had consumed nori algae and/or chlorella over a longer period of time – they had twice the B12 content in their blood as vegans control group. In addition to vitamin B12, nori seaweed also contains B vitamins such as folic acid and beta-carotene.

On seaweed products you will often see warnings about the high iodine content of seaweed. Iodine is a trace element that our body needs, but which can lead to thyroid problems in excessive amounts. However, according to the Federal Center for Nutrition, nori algae have a rather low and therefore unproblematic iodine content – unlike their relatives, the brown algae. Soaking and rinsing the seaweed in water before eating can further reduce the iodine content.

Note: People with thyroid problems should avoid eating algae or consult their doctor beforehand.

This is how nori seaweed is grown

Nori seaweed is preferred in tanks. In it, the spores are stored on oyster shells for about five months. So-called seeding nets are then hung in the tank and the water is kept moving for 20 to 60 minutes. This stirs up the spores and causes them to get stuck in the web. The farmers then place the nets covered with spores in the sea.

In the first month after sowing, the algae only grow about a centimeter. Then their growth accelerates massively, they can grow up to 15 centimeters longer within two weeks. After fifty days they have reached a length of 15 to 20 centimeters. After harvesting, the nori seaweed is immediately dried and cut into leaves.

How sustainable is nori seaweed?

The nori seaweed that we buy in the supermarket or are served in the restaurant usually comes from Southeast Asia. They usually have a long transport route behind them.

It is best to use a product with an organic seal. According to the Federal Center for Nutrition, the EU organic regulation requires that the organic algae come from bodies of water with a high ecological quality and are managed sustainably. The organic association Naturland has, among other things, even stricter requirements for water quality – social standards are also taken into account. You can find nori algae with an organic seal in health food stores.

According to GEO, algae have a positive effect on the climate: they remove three times as much carbon dioxide from the air as crops – and can thus bind many greenhouse gases. However, they are not without controversy because, according to the spectrum, too many algae can lead to an algal bloom: This describes the mass proliferation of algae in nutrient-rich waters. This algae then dies, sinks to the bottom and is decomposed by bacteria. This is an aerobic process, which means that the bacteria use oxygen. As a result, numerous other creatures that are dependent on the oxygen in the water die. The body of water becomes a dead zone. In addition, gases can form under the algae carpets that are toxic and harmful to the climate. Some algae also produce toxins themselves.

How the cultivation of edible algae affects the climate, positively and negatively, has not yet been researched much. If it is operated sustainably, algae farming can produce regionally grown, climate-friendly and nutrient-rich food. Algae are also being discussed as fuel for cars, as a raw material for clothing and as packaging material.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Apple: It Really is That Healthy – Vitamins, Nutritional Values, Сalories

The apple is the undisputed favorite fruit. It can be processed in many ways and is considered very healthy. But why is that?

An apple contains many healthy ingredients

Vitamins: Apples contain the vitamin A and B vitamins. The vitamin C content depends heavily on the variety: the Braeburn is the front runner with 24-35 milligrams per 100 grams and can even keep up with a tangerine. The well-known varieties Golden Delicious and Elstar rank further behind with around 10-15 milligrams per 100 grams.
Nutrients: Not only the vitamins make the apple so healthy: It is also rich in minerals such as potassium and calcium and contains fructose and glucose, i.e. easily digestible carbohydrates. The natural dietary fiber pectin promotes digestion.
Skin: Most of the healthy components of the apple are in or directly under the skin: For a balanced diet, you should therefore eat them. The color of the skin also reveals something about the nutritional value of the apple: reddish apples contain anthocyanins, which are beneficial for blood vessel health. In addition, green-skinned apples are often imported from overseas and harvested when they are still unripe – so they have less time to form their nutrients. In addition, their long transport route has a negative impact on the climate.
Calories: Apples are mostly made up of water. A medium-sized apple weighing 100 grams therefore only has an average of 57 kilocalories. Because of the pectin it contains, it is still filling and therefore the ideal snack for in between.

Effects of the apple on health

Because the apple is so rich in healthy phytochemicals, numerous studies have been conducted into possible healing effects. Researchers have observed several positive health effects:

Gastrointestinal complaints: Very finely grated apple is a tried and tested home remedy for diarrhea. The pectin swells in the intestine and helps the body to bind the intestinal contents.
Cholesterol levels: Anyone who eats apples regularly can lower their cholesterol – this was the result of a study by Florida State University. The participants were able to lower their cholesterol levels by 23 percent within six months and slightly reduce their body weight by regularly eating dried apples and plums.
Colon cancer: In a laboratory experiment, oligosaccharides, a specific form of carbohydrates, were extracted from apples. According to the researchers, these substances were able to fight human colon cancer cells more effectively than chemotherapy. This is mainly due to the fact that the natural active ingredients are not toxic to healthy cells. They can therefore be dosed higher. However, the result has not yet been confirmed by further studies.
Antioxidant effect: Secondary plant substances are among the antioxidants, so they can render free radicals in the body harmless and thus strengthen the cells. This effect was demonstrated in particular in an experiment with apples as part of a study by the Max Rubner Institute in Karlsruhe: After test persons had eaten a larger quantity of apples, their cells were significantly less damaged.
An apple has the most healthy ingredients when it is eaten fresh and ripe. Only a few of the secondary plant substances are lost through storage. If the apple is processed into juice or mush, on the other hand, there are hardly any healthy nutrients left.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Peel Chestnuts: It’s Really Easy With These Tricks

Peeling chestnuts is not always easy. Here we show you a few tricks on how to quickly free the fruit of the sweet chestnut from its hard shell.

The chestnut is a further bred form of the chestnut and a little sweeter than this. Nevertheless, there is no difference in how you peel chestnuts or chestnuts. So you can use these tips for other sweet chestnuts as well.

Tip: Only use fresh chestnuts. You can recognize them by the fact that their shell is shiny and they feel heavy. If they seem hollow to you, they’ve already dried up. If you collect chestnuts, it is best to only use the largest fruits. Make sure they are intact.

Roast the chestnuts in the oven

You can prepare chestnuts in different ways. If you roast them in the oven, the typical chestnut flavor comes out particularly well. In addition, the sweet and nutty fruits are much easier to separate from their skin. How to prepare the chestnuts for peeling:

If you have enough time: Put the chestnuts in water for one to two hours, then the skin will give way more easily.
Score the chestnuts crosswise on one side. This is particularly easy with a serrated knife. Basically, it doesn’t matter which side you cut into. With a cut on the round side, however, you can arrange them better on a tray or grid.
Place an ovenproof bowl of water on the bottom of the oven, this will keep the chestnuts particularly juicy.
You don’t need to preheat the oven. Set it to 200 degrees top/bottom heat or 175 degrees convection and roast the chestnuts in it for about 20 minutes. How long they take depends on the variety and size. When they’ve all risen along the cut side and you can see the yellow flesh, they’re done.
Take the chestnuts out of the oven.
You should now be able to easily remove the fruit from the shell. The hotter they are, the easier it is to peel the chestnuts. In order not to burn yourself, you should still let them cool down briefly.

Tip: If the furry skin of the chestnuts doesn’t come off completely, rub it off with a clean kitchen towel.

Boil chestnuts before peeling

If you only boil chestnuts and don’t roast them, the flesh will remain soft. This makes it easier for you to puree them and, for example, to make homemade chestnut puree or chestnut soup. However, it is then also more difficult to separate the furry skin from the chestnuts.

Prepare the chestnuts as described in steps 1 and 2 above.
Put them in a pot of salted water and bring to the boil.
Boil the chestnuts in the water for 10 minutes, until all of the chestnuts have risen in the scored areas.
Drain them in a colander.
The same applies here: the hotter they are, the easier it is to peel the chestnuts. As you can see, the right tactic depends on how you want to consume or process the chestnuts later.

Also delicious raw

Although raw chestnuts are more difficult to peel than roasted or boiled ones, you can still eat sweet chestnuts raw. Soaking them for a few hours beforehand will help get them out of their shells and skin off.

Chestnuts and chestnuts are rich in protein, valuable vegetable oils and contain vitamins C, E and all B vitamins. They are gluten-free foods and offer a nutrient-dense alternative to grains for people with gluten intolerance.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Coconut Chips: How Healthy and Sustainable They Really are

Coconut chips are considered a healthy and filling snack between meals. You can find out here how the tropical fruit actually affects your body and what ecological effects coconut chips have.

Coconut chips: how to buy and use them

You can not only buy coconut chips and snack on them, you can often find them as part of muesli and nut mixtures or bars. They are also a popular ingredient for yoghurt and quark dishes, smoothies and smoothie bowls or creamy desserts.

You can also use the chips as a baking ingredient for cookies, muffins and other desserts. They are suitable as a decorative topping for soups, curries and other wok dishes with coconut milk. When buying, you should use organic coconut chips if possible. In this way you support sustainable agriculture that works without pesticides that are harmful to the environment and health.

Also make sure that the coconut chips do not contain any sulfur dioxide (E 220). This is a preservative that poses no risk as long as the legal limits are observed. However, some conditions, such as asthma, require caution. Sulfur dioxide also destroys vitamin B1. It is therefore forbidden to sulphurize certain products containing vitamin B1.

Some coconut chips also contain sugar syrup or other sweeteners. If you want to avoid this, you should first look at the list of ingredients.

These are the nutritional values of coconut chips

Compared to other nuts, coconut chips are relatively high in calories: Rapunzel coconut chips contain around 700 kilocalories per 100 grams. They each consist of about seven percent carbohydrates and protein and about 14 percent fiber.

Almost all of the rest is fat. So this makes up about two-thirds. Coconut chips consist largely of saturated fatty acids. They contain 64.4 grams of the rather unfavorable fats per 100 grams. Up to a certain amount, saturated fatty acids also play an important role for our body: For example, they are essential for the protection of our organs and for hormone and immune metabolism.

At the same time, however, they also increase the LDL cholesterol level. This increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. According to the guidelines of the German Society for Nutrition, saturated fatty acids should therefore not make up more than seven to ten percent of the total energy balance. However, this value is often exceeded. That’s why you should only consume coconut products in moderation.

Compared to nuts and seeds, coconut chips are also poorer in micronutrients. They only contain potassium and iron in appreciable amounts. Other minerals or vitamins are contained only to a small extent.

Make coconut chips yourself: Here’s how

If you want to make your own coconut chips from fresh coconut pulp, you can follow these steps:

First, it is best to cut the flesh into thin strips with a vegetable peeler.
Place the strips on an oven rack or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Optionally you can refine them with a little salt or a sweetener of your choice.
The coconut strips are now placed in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about seven to ten minutes. If they are already slightly browned around the edges, you can take them out and let them cool down.

How sustainable are coconut chips?

Coconut palms only grow in tropical regions. The Philippines, Indonesia and India are therefore among the largest coconut producers. Coconuts therefore have to cover long transport routes to Germany. Their life cycle assessment is correspondingly poor.

In addition, it is usually very difficult to trace back the coconut chip chain. For most coconut products, it is unclear under what working conditions and for what wages farmers in the countries of origin had to grow and harvest the fruit.

That’s why you should use Fair Trade certified coconut chips whenever possible. Depending on the type of seal, regular working hours, fair wages, democratic corporate structures and transparent trade routes are among the things that are taken into account.

Another problem is that coconut trees are slow growing and not very productive. If the demand for coconut products increases, this creates pressure in the producing countries. Farmers may then turn to harmful monocultures and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to speed up yields. This is particularly fueled by the increasing demand for inexpensive coconut oil.

Keep Reading
By
Food

The Myth of Coffee: How Healthy is The Drink Really?

There have been numerous myths surrounding coffee for years. For many, it has now become an indispensable part of every day.

Caffeine as a stimulant

When it comes to coffee, the caffeine factor plays a crucial role. Many people reach for a cup of coffee early in the morning to shake off morning fatigue and start the day awake. The effects of caffeine are quite varied. First and foremost, it ensures that our circulation gets going and our mood rises positively. After consumption, our body needs about 30 to 45 minutes to transport the caffeine into our bloodstream. With normal consumption, caffeine has a stimulating effect on the psyche. The main advantage of this is that we can overcome performance lows and get into an alert and alert state. Even the memory capacity of our brain can be temporarily improved by consuming coffee. Concentration increases and we overcome phases of tiredness. Another great benefit of caffeine is that our peripheral blood vessels dilate – at the same time, the cerebral vessels shrink. This can alleviate migraines and headaches – a property that pharmaceutical companies have now discovered for themselves. Caffeine is found in many headache pills these days. Of course, excessive caffeine consumption can also have a negative effect on our body. Sleep disorders, headaches and restricted motor skills are side effects that can occur if consumption gets out of hand. As with so many things in life, enjoying delicious coffee should be done in moderation.

The side effects of too much caffeine are partly to blame for the fact that coffee has a bad reputation in some circles. But if you don’t drink dozens of cups at once, you have nothing to fear here either. This is different for pregnant women, for example. The half-life of caffeine elimination for a normal human is around four hours. Expectant mothers, on the other hand, have to reckon with a half-life of around 20 hours. Therefore, you should take a closer look here. A suitable alternative would also be decaffeinated coffee. Older people often use this variant, so that it can be one or two more cups a day. A variety of flavors and manufacturing processes allow everyone to enjoy an unforgettable coffee experience – with or without caffeine. After all, it’s not the quantity that counts, but the taste – and that’s just wonderful with coffee.

Coffee – healthy or unhealthy

With regard to the question of whether coffee is healthy or unhealthy, the advantages and disadvantages of coffee should be discussed. In general, however, it can be said that coffee is better than its reputation suggests. In the following, the symptoms of coffee consumption are to be considered in more detail:

The rumor has long been that coffee is harmful to the heart and even causes cancer. However, it is now known that exactly the opposite is the case. According to the European long-term study EPIC, in which health data from over half a million people were evaluated, there is evidence that the consumption of coffee protects against brain tumors, colon cancer, prostate cancer and much more. The complex composition of coffee, which consists of several hundred ingredients, indicates that this is more of a healthy than an unhealthy drink. Scientists have also observed that the arteries of people who drink three to five cups of coffee a day have less hardening than those of people who don’t drink coffee. This primarily benefits our heart and has a positive effect on blood flow. A study by doctors from Boston (USA) also showed that a few cups of coffee a day lowers the risk of heart disease. In total, more than 1.3 million coffee drinkers took part in the study. With the advancing studies, more and more all-clear signals are being raised about coffee. Myths about coffee consumption are losing ground and are making the already popular drink even more popular.

The fact that coffee was often considered unhealthy in the past is due to many characteristics and prejudices. Even today, some of these rumors persist and wrongly condemn the drink. For example, it is denounced that many coffee drinkers are also smokers and die earlier. However, recent studies show that people with a tendency to consume coffee tend to live longer rather than shorter. Earlier studies were simply falsified, since the factor of smoking was included there. A big problem factor for many is caffeine. But here, too, it is true that consumption in moderation is more beneficial than harmful. There are also numerous types of coffee without caffeine.

When it comes to our heart, coffee keeps coming up. So he should be responsible for high blood pressure. In people who drink coffee only occasionally, caffeine causes blood pressure to rise slightly for a short time. However, regular coffee drinkers get used to this increase in blood pressure and compensate for it after just two to three weeks. So this no longer occurs or only very slightly.

Not all coffee is the same

The variety of coffee beans and the different methods of preparation give the issue of coffee a whole new meaning. There is mild as well as strong coffee, tart flavors or a light variety of aromas. Everyone likes their coffee differently and this is where you have to take a closer look. Depending on the roast, type of coffee and preparation, every body reacts differently to the pleasure of coffee. Sensitive stomachs can, for example, tolerate strong roasts better than mild ones, since the longer roasting breaks down bitter substances. You just have to try it here. Once you have found the right coffee for you, it can work wonders. It can boost digestion, strengthen the liver and have an extremely invigorating effect.

If we look at the different types of coffee, the question quickly arises as to whether coffee also makes you fat. Here it can be said quite clearly that the standard black coffee, i.e. the pure caffeine drink, has just two calories – in other words, we could drink coffee all day long and would not gain weight. But that changes when milk and sugar come into play. The numerous coffee specialties such as cappuccino, latte macchiato and other milk coffees make the low-calorie drink look like a little fattening. But the same applies here: “the masses make the difference”. If you don’t reach for too many calorie bombs and don’t drink them in bulk, you certainly won’t gain weight. For some of us it is also worth taking a look at an organic coffee. This is purely natural and contains no additives. So coffee drinkers can breathe easy and don’t have to worry about too many calories.

Coffee is better than its reputation

The fact that coffee is considered unhealthy by some people is mainly due to the many prejudices and myths surrounding the subject of coffee enjoyment. Nowadays, however, it can be said that coffee is not only better than its reputation, but is also considered healthy. Side effects such as shaky hands, palpitations, weight gain and others have little to do with the coffee itself. With normal consumption, coffee has a positive effect on our body and also tastes wonderful. Everyone has to decide for themselves which coffee is the best. However, the variety of coffee types and flavors leaves nothing to be desired and gives us a true pleasure experience.

Keep Reading
By
health

Oatmeal Diet: It Really is That Useful

How does an oatmeal diet work? And how can you lose weight with the healthy type of grain? We will explain to you what is behind it and how useful it is.

Oatmeal Diet: How it works

Oatmeal is healthy and can help you lose weight. These are the most important basic assumptions of the oatmeal diet:

The main component of the diet is oatmeal. You should consume 250 g of this per day. Whole grain oatmeal is best, as this keeps the blood sugar level constant. You can combine the oatmeal with yoghurt, quark, milk and fruit as you wish.
While you can use the oatmeal dishes for breakfast and lunch, a fresh salad, raw vegetables or vegetables are recommended for dinner. In some cases, this is also combined with lean meat, although meat production should be viewed critically due to animal suffering and the ecological balance.
You should drink two liters of water per day. Fruit and herbal teas and vegetable juices without sugar are also allowed.
Avoid sugar as much as possible during this diet, as this promotes cravings and raises blood sugar levels.
You should not exceed the calorie limit of 1000 to 1300 kcal.

Why does oatmeal help you lose weight?

Despite the relatively high calorie content, oatmeal is a healthy food. Oats are characterized by these nutrients:

Dietary fibre: The large amount of dietary fiber contained in oatmeal ensures that you feel full for a long time and promotes digestion.
Proteins: The vegetable proteins promote muscle growth.
Carbohydrates: The high carbohydrate content is a valuable supplier of energy that keeps the blood sugar level stable. You store less fat, so there are no food cravings.
The following nutritional values apply to 100 g of oatmeal:

Calorific value: 371 kcal
Fat: 7g
Carbohydrates: 59 g
of which sugar: 1.1 g
Protein: 13g
Dietary fiber: 10 g

How useful is the oatmeal diet?

The oatmeal diet requires a lot of commitment and creativity. If you combine oatmeal with many different foods, you can lose weight without showing signs of deficiency. However, you must make sure that you count the calories you burn very precisely every day and come up with varied oatmeal recipes every day.

However, you should not follow this diet for longer than three weeks, because even with a lot of inventiveness, the oatmeal will certainly become monotonous at some point. Instead, it is more sustainable to eat a balanced diet and do enough exercise. With this way of life you can maintain your desired weight in the long term, feel balanced and at the same time treat your body with respect.

Keep Reading
By
health

Glyx Diet: What’s Behind It and How Useful It Really is

On a glycemic diet, you try to avoid foods with a high glycemic index. So carbohydrate-rich foods are taboo. We explain whether this makes sense.

The Glyx Diet is all about the glycemic index (GI). This indicates how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating carbohydrate-containing foods:

When you eat a cube of dextrose (glucose), the sugar goes directly into your blood – so the blood sugar level rises very quickly. Glucose thus has the highest GI, the value is 100.
Conversely, when you eat a slice of whole grain bread, it takes your body a while to convert the long-chain carbohydrates in the bread into glucose. Therefore, the blood sugar level rises more slowly. In other words, whole grain bread has a lower GI.
According to the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), a GI below 55 is low, between 55 and 70 medium and above high.

But why should eating only low GI foods help you lose weight? The basic idea is that when blood sugar levels rise slowly after a meal, you stay full longer. Because the slower it rises, the slower it falls again and we only have a need for sugar supplies later.

Glyx diet: lose weight through changing your diet

The Glyx diet goes back to the ecotrophologist Marion Grillparzer. The concept has been around since 1999 and is still quite popular. The Glyx diet is not intended to be a short-term diet, but rather a permanent change in diet.

Getting started begins with two to three soup days, during which you mainly eat soup. This is supposed to stimulate fat burning.
This is followed by a “fat burner” week, which has a recipe plan for three meals a day. By primarily eating plenty of vegetables and protein (the diet recommends 1.5g of protein per pound of body weight per day), you should lose up to half a pound per day.
In the third phase you should change your diet permanently. There is a table for this in which the foods are divided according to GI into green (low, i.e. good), yellow and red (high, i.e. bad). Some foods that only have a medium GI but contain a lot of fat are also marked in red. Overall, you should eat lots of vegetables, as well as regular (low-fat) meat and fish and high-quality fats such as olive oil.
Basically, you should avoid processed products, especially if they have a high GI. Sweets, high-carbohydrate fast food such as fries and most alcoholic beverages are taboo (list: high-carbohydrate foods).
In addition to meal plans, the Glyx Diet requires you to exercise for 20 to 30 minutes a day.

Effect of the Glyx Diet on the Body

In a statement on the Glyx diet, the DGE summarizes various studies that deal with the effects of the diet. Overall, the DGE came to the conclusion that the Glyx diet can be beneficial for people suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus or a pre-form. Studies have shown that diabetes patients improve their glucose metabolism when they avoid foods with a high GI.

Also, a meta-analysis suggested that low GI diets may lower blood pressure. However, according to the DGE, the study had systematic errors. Effects such as a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and types of cancer have been studied. However, there are no clear results yet.

In healthy people, there is no evidence that the Glyx diet has a positive effect on health. Whether it is an effective method for losing weight and whether you actually lose half a kilo per day during the “fat burner” week has also not been proven by any study.

Criticism of the Glyx Diet: The Concept GI

Some things about the Glyx diet can be seen positively: You should eat lots of vegetables, avoid ready meals and exercise regularly. In a statement, however, the DGE criticizes the idea of ​​orienting nutrition to the GI:

Orienting yourself solely on the GI of a single food is of little use. Because the concept no longer works in a wholesome meal. For example, fats and proteins ensure that the body absorbs blood sugar more slowly. So you could also say that fats and proteins lower the GI of the meal. So, a single potato can potentially trigger cravings as it has a high GI. However, if you eat it together with herb quark, it becomes a healthy and filling food.
Some extremely healthy foods like pumpkins and watermelon are high GI. So are these foods not healthy after all? The problem is that the GI only indicates how quickly the carbohydrates from a food are utilized – not how many carbohydrates are actually contained in the food. Watermelons have a GI of 80, but only contain about five carbohydrates per 100 grams. The parameter, which considers the proportion of usable carbohydrates in addition to the GI, is called “glycemic load” (GL). And here it turns out: The GL of 100 grams of watermelons is quite low.
Even the GI of individual foods is often only an estimate. It may be that a certain whole grain bread was found to have a GI of 74. However, another whole grain bread, where the grain has been ground a bit finer, may already have a different GI. Because it depends very much on the processing. It is also unclear how exactly dietary fiber affects the GI.

Other criticisms of the Glyx diet

Then there are other criticisms of the Glyx diet:

The Glyx table alone hardly helps to put together a healthy and wholesome meal, since it makes no statements about fats, proteins and micronutrients such as vitamins or minerals. There are recipe suggestions, but no deeper knowledge of healthy cooking is imparted.
The Glyx diet recommends consuming 1.5g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. The recommendation of the DGE is only 0.8 grams. It has not been proven that this amount of protein is harmful to health. However, there is evidence that too much protein is harmful to the kidneys. The Glyx diet is therefore not suitable for people with kidney problems.
Fructose has a low GI and is therefore not a problem in the Glyx diet. According to studies, too large amounts of the simple sugar are said to promote obesity, among other things. At least the Glyx diet bans ready meals, which often contain a lot of fructose.
The consumer advice center criticizes the fact that it is recommended to eat meat regularly and fish at least three times a week. Even if you buy humanely farmed meat and fish, they still have a pretty bad life cycle assessment.

Conclusion on the Glyx Diet

It is quite possible to eat healthily after the Glyx diet. Going through GI charts before every meal, however, is quite exhausting – and, as has been shown, not necessarily useful. If you want to lose weight healthily, you should eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly. You don’t need a special diet for this.

Keep Reading
By