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It doesn’t matter whether you wash the laundry at 30 or 40 degrees? No – because lower temperatures not only save energy and costs. You also have another advantage. How big is the difference really?

Washing at low temperatures: what about cleanliness?

As far as washing the laundry is concerned, many fall into a certain routine after a while – and then always wash at the usual number of degrees. At first glance, the difference between 30 and 40 degrees sounds very small; after all, it is just 10 degrees more that are generated in your washing machine. However, these 10 degrees are by no means low for the washing machine: it requires almost twice the energy if it has to bring the temperature to a full 40 instead of just 30 degrees.

The worry that the laundry won’t get really clean or isn’t hygienic if you wash it at lower temperatures is usually unfounded. Washing machine technology is so advanced today that laundry can be cleaned at just 20 degrees. A so-called hot wash (a wash cycle that can heat up to 90 degrees) is only necessary in the case of contagious diseases or a special need for hygiene – according to the Stiftung Warentest.

If you want to be on the safe side that the laundry is completely germ-free even at 30 degrees, you should let it dry in the fresh air if possible. Here, the sun kills various germs with the help of UV radiation.

Focus on costs and the environment

When comparing the washing temperatures, it can be seen that there is no noticeable difference in the cleaning effect.
However, if you take a look at power consumption and the environment, you can see some significant differences:

If you normally wash at 60 degrees and now turn it down to 40 degrees, about 50 percent of the electricity costs are saved
If you calculate this down from 60 to 30 degrees, you save as much as 67 percent.
Depending on the electricity provider, you save around 40 euros if you wash about three times a week. It is therefore worth switching to lower temperatures.
You are also doing something good for the environment, as the lower energy consumption and CO2 emissions can only be reduced by washing at lower temperatures; and by up to 35 percent. The Federal Environment Agency recommends: Washing permanently at the lowest possible temperature and only choosing a program at 60 degrees once a month to prevent the growth of germs in the washing machine. For example, bedding or towels should be washed.

Conclusion: washing at low temperatures – so what’s the point?

Unless you have an illness or other reason that makes you forced to do a hot wash, try to do a hot wash only once a month. You don’t lose anything when it comes to cleanliness: Today’s washing machine technology and detergents ensure clean laundry even at low temperatures.

If you wash at low temperatures, this offers advantages for you and the environment. On the one hand you can save money in the long run, on the other hand you also help to reduce CO2 emissions. In summary, there are no disadvantages for you if you wash at low temperatures.

The initial question as to whether it makes a difference to wash laundry at 30 or 40 degrees can therefore be answered in the affirmative. There is no noticeable difference in terms of cleanliness, but all the more so in terms of the environment and the costs involved.

Sport in winter is not just about skiing or tobogganing. Jogging, walking or cycling can also be fun in winter – of course only if it’s not slippery. Anyone who moves outside in the cold is doing something for their health, because sport in winter strengthens the immune system.

Sports in winter: Wrap up warm and slowly adjust to the temperatures

Unlike heat, the body can prepare itself for cold temperatures. Proper clothing and proper preparation for outdoor training is crucial. But up to what temperatures can you train?

According to the expert, the temperature up to which training outdoors still makes sense depends on the state of fitness and health. The lower the temperature, the harder the sport is for the body. For older and unfit people, Matzarakis recommends avoiding exercise in sub-zero temperatures.

Training in winter: how cold is too cold?

Because the following also applies to physically fit athletes: If the temperature is below minus 20 degrees Celsius, jogging and playing football outside should be a thing of the past.

According to the rules of the International Biathlon Union (IBU), which also apply to other sports, competitions may not be started. If it is colder than minus 15 degrees, wind chill and humidity must be taken into account.

When the air is still, caused by high humidity and fog, pollutants such as dust particles, nitrogen oxides or sulfur can accumulate on the ground. These can lead to additional strain on the respiratory tract. “If you’re not fit, you should leave the sport outside,” continues Matzarakis. This is especially true for asthmatics and people with poor health.

Strong Immune System: Hardening up is good for fitness

Sauna, foot baths or walks in the fresh air: from the point of view of the medical meteorologist, hardening is important for fitness. Sport should be done in the sun during the day if possible in winter. Sport should be avoided when the temperature is too low, the wind is too strong and the humidity is too high.

As long as it’s not snowing excessively or dangerously slippery, exercising in freezing temperatures can strengthen both body and mind. For example, the immune system can be strengthened and physical well-being can also increase.

Especially in times of the corona pandemic, outdoor sports can help to increase physical activity – and also lead to a better mood.

Reduce the risk of catching a cold and improve your mood

Cold viruses have a harder time spreading. Because: The cold air when running moistens the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. In addition, the immune system is stimulated by movement and changing temperatures.

In winter, many people suffer from winter depression or at least a low mood due to the cold and gloomy season. Exercise can play an important role in fighting depression, the Journal of Sports Medicine points out.
The movement creates positive feelings and a better mood.

Prevent venous insufficiency and strengthen bones

Heating air and tight boots can congest blood in the veins in winter, which is why doctors recommend exercise in the fresh air during the cold months. Above all, running is healthy: Sport activates blood flow in the legs and prevents swelling and tingling.

You can also fill up on vitamin D when exercising in daylight. This is especially important in the dark winter months. This can supplement the storage that healthy people have built up in summer with the help of the sun’s UV light. In general, sports like running, where the body supports its own weight, are good for the bones.

Why can slim people eat whatever they want and still not gain weight? Expert Holger Klemm, head trainer at the fitness club, knows the answer. He reveals what this has to do with good insulation on the one hand and the sheer waste of energy on the other.

Lose weight successfully: Energy utilization is crucial

I explain the secret of these “turbo burners” as follows: The answer to the riddle lies in the so-called thermogenesis – also called energy utilization. Let’s compare two people, one slim and one overweight.

Secret of thin people: large heat losses

Lean people have poor energy utilization. This means that up to 40 percent of the energy consumed when eating is released into the environment as heat via the body. So people with little subcutaneous fat lose a lot of heat. They are ruthless “energy wasters”.

Heating costs are the biggest chunk in the calorie balance. This means that it has to be refilled as quickly as possible so that the core temperature of the body does not drop. If you compare it figuratively with a house, with today’s energy costs it would fall victim to the wrecking ball, at best it would be re-insulated and insulated.

With this type of metabolism, almost half of the calories consumed are lost to the atmosphere. These turbo combustors can usually keep their weight for life because they can hardly store any energy and have trouble not getting thinner. Unlike many overweight people.

Good insulation for fat people

Fat people are well insulated, which allows the body to store calories in depots in the body, even when eating less. If the supply becomes scarce, the body reduces the blood flow to the external areas. Cold hands and feet are typical signs and a permanent freezing. So he has enough energy left over to better isolate the vital rest, namely the body.

Calorie reduction often gives unwanted impetus

So it’s no wonder that skinny people with poor energy utilization can eat so often and so much. You simply don’t gain weight because the calories are burned off immediately. Attention: If you tend to be obese and simply reduce the number of calories you take in, you are teaching your body to store fat.

Chips are as much a part of a TV night as amen is to church.

Chips: Human physical condition is important

Particularly piquant: The fatter the test person who had to taste the chips – in the scientific sense – was, the more the reward center in the brain was activated when eating the potato chips. The comparison of food and drugs in terms of how they work in the brain also shows parallels. The messenger substance “dopamine” plays a central role here. This means: It can happen that you need more and more of something to get the same happiness as the first time – This becomes addictive.

Isa Mack from the “University Hospital Tübingen” doesn’t see it that dramatically. One thing is clear to them: nutrition and the reward system belong together. “For anything that is important for self-preservation and self-reproduction, the reward system has to kick in,” she told the world. The special preference for “sweet and greasy” is evolutionary. It is also known that the reward system of overweight people reacts differently to food. “But that doesn’t mean that it was always like this or that it can’t be changed,” says Mack.

It also provides a way to enjoy chips without a guilty conscience. “You have to trick yourself.” One possibility, for example, is not to take the whole bag with you, but just a small bowl in front of the television. If you want to work off the chips again, nutrition experts recommend sport.

It takes so much exercise to get rid of the chips

But chips can also be really healthy if you prepare them yourself. If you cut and prepare the potato slices yourself, season them and put them in the oven, then the snack is significantly lower in calories than the industrially produced fattening foods. There are now numerous alternatives to the classic snack. Chips are now made from carrots, zucchini and beetroot. Sweet potatoes are also good for making homemade chips.

A test by Sport1 shows how long you have to do sports if you should succumb to the temptation of 100 grams of potato chips: According to this, you either have to jog for 45 minutes, walk for 90 minutes, do 60 minutes of strength training, ride a bike for 75 minutes, 60 minutes of breaststroke or 35 minutes of squash.

Fresh from the fridge, the butter is hardly spreadable. There are little tricks to get them spreadable.

This is how butter is made

As soon as the milk arrives at the dairy, it is separated into cream and skimmed milk. The cream is then heated.
After the cream has been heated (pasteurization), it is sent to a tank called the cream ripener. There it rests together with cultures for a maximum of 20 hours until the cream has a slightly sour taste.
The cream is then processed in a butter-making machine with many kneading processes. This should create a solid but still spreadable butter.
Now the finished butter is portioned and packaged.

Why does butter solidify in the fridge?

Butter reacts very differently to cold compared to margarine. This is due to the different fat composition of the two dairy products, but there are more differences between the two items. Butter contains more saturated fat, which hardens when cold. Whipping the butter also plays an important role, because the consistency changes with the size of the fat globules. The composition of the animal feed also influences the spreadability and the ingredients. For example, if cows get a lot of green fodder, the butter contains more omega-3 fatty acids. On the other hand, corn and a lot of concentrated feed lower this ingredient again.

Soften the butter with water

Spreading the butter quickly at room temperature does not work. You don’t always want to or can’t put the fat spread in the microwave and so every day people put one or more holes in their bread slices, which are now filled with a whole piece of firm butter. But with the following simple trick, the problem is now over.

Here’s how it works

Get a glass jar that’s slightly larger than the butter. Now pour hot water into this and let it stand for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the glass absorbs the heat of the water and you can pour off the water. Now put the warm glass over your butter and wait a few minutes. After just a short time, your butter will be wonderfully spreadable and can be spread on bread or processed in a dough without any problems.

Make butter spreadable with lunch box

If you still want to have your butter ready to spread without any effort, you can achieve this with a water-cooled ceramic butter dish. With this storage, the butter always stays fresh and soft. The butter dish doesn’t even need to be placed in the fridge. Only the lower part of the container is filled with cold tap water. The idea of ​​the ceramic jar came about at a time when there was neither electricity nor a refrigerator, which is why it has a long tradition.

Food waste is a global problem. Far too often food ends up in the trash. A study shows that people who buy healthy food often throw away more. This wastes a lot of resources – and harms the environment.

Study shows: Fruit and vegetables in particular end up in the trash

The study examined the relationship between diet quality, consumer food waste and various sustainability measures. A look at the results shows that between 2007 and 2014 an average of 422 grams of food per person was thrown away every day.

Important resources are used to grow fruit and vegetables: in particular, irrigation water and pesticides are required more than for other foods. These resources are also wasted by throwing away fruit and vegetables – important resources that could have been used to grow other foods.

Wasted resources – simple household countermeasures

Accordingly, consumers who strive for high-quality nutrition are faced with the challenge of buying the right amount. Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables means buying more – which in turn increases the risk that some of it will go uneaten and end up in the trash instead. According to the researchers from the USA, this could be particularly difficult for consumers with little time and money and for families with children.

However, there are some approaches to counteract this. For example, you can enter exactly when which meal is prepared on a plan. This way you can plan better. In addition, consumers can find out how to store fruit and vegetables correctly so that the food does not become inedible. Another option is to freeze the food in between.

Impact: Waste also harms the environment

The “Federal Environment Agency” also warns against the careless disposal of food in the garbage: The authority emphasizes above all the drastic consequences this has for the environment: “More than 38 million tons of greenhouse gases are produced every year, a good 43,000 square kilometers of agricultural land are used, as well as 216 million cubic meters of water are consumed”, reports the “Federal Environment Agency”.

Conclusion: A healthier diet often goes hand in hand with increased food waste. Fruit and vegetables in particular often end up in the garbage. This not only wastes resources, but also harms the environment. However, with a few simple tips and a greater appreciation for food, this can be countered a little in the household.

Researchers have found in a new study that an especially early breakfast reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Study on diabetes prevention: The investigations delivered the desired result

The Endocrine Society – an international medical organization concerned with endocrinology and metabolism in general – has published a press release on a study. The study was able to establish a connection between type 2 diabetes prevention and an early first meal of the day.

A study on the subject was conducted by senior physician Marriam Ali at Northwestern University in Chicago

Insulin resistance occurs when the body is no longer able to properly use the insulin produced by the pancreas. In addition, the glucose from food can then no longer penetrate the cells as well. People with insulin resistance are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people whose bodies are optimally processing insulin.

Metabolic diseases are becoming an increasing problem in society

“With the rise in metabolic diseases such as diabetes, we want to expand our understanding of what diets can address this growing problem.”

To do this, the researchers evaluated the data from 10,575 adults who had taken part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The participants divided them into three groups: people who ate for only 10 hours a day, those who ate for 10 to 13 hours, and those who ate more than 13 hours a day. They then divided them into six smaller groups based on the time the first meal of the day was eaten (before or after 8:30 am).

The researchers wanted to investigate whether insulin resistance and blood sugar levels in the body were lower when the subjects had breakfast before 8:30 a.m. In addition, they analyzed whether it also had a positive effect on insulin resistance and blood sugar levels if the subjects had practiced intermittent fasting.

The eating intervals turned out to be irrelevant: the timing of breakfast is crucial

The study found that how much of the day meals were eaten made no difference to blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance was slightly higher with shorter eating breaks than with longer ones. However, it was lower overall for all subjects if breakfast was eaten before 8:30 a.m. – regardless of whether they had eaten all of their daily meals within 10 hours, 10 to 13 hours or more than 13 hours. Eating breakfast before 8:30 a.m. has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

“So these findings make it clear that timing is much more closely linked to metabolic parameters than the length of the eating interval,” says Ali, going on to explain that this reinforces the intake from an early breakfast.

A glass of red wine a day is good for the heart – right? Scientists have studied the effects of daily alcohol consumption on heart disease and found: This myth can be dangerous for some people.

Be careful with heart disease: it is better to do without the daily glass of wine

Dora Csengeri from the University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg explains the results as follows: “People with moderate alcohol consumption had a 16 percent higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation compared to abstinent people. Around 6000 of the study participants suffered during this time atrial fibrillation for the first time.” The cardiologist Csengeri confirms the connection between already low alcohol consumption and an increased risk of atrial fibrillation.

It has long been known that excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to the heart. The difference to previous research with this study is that even small amounts of alcohol can trigger heart diseases such as atrial fibrillation, reports heart specialist Andreas Götte of the German Heart Foundation. The scientist and doctor Csengeri therefore emphasizes: “With regard to atrial fibrillation, regular consumption of even small amounts must be discouraged”.

Csengeri adds the following in connection with the misconception that regular consumption of small amounts of alcohol, such as a glass of wine, does not harm or even protect the heart: “20 grams of alcohol per day have a certain protective effect”. However, the researcher explicitly points out that this positive effect only relates to cardiac insufficiency and heart attacks – in no way to atrial fibrillation.

Conclusion: Is it safe to drink a glass of wine?

The heart expert Andreas Götte emphasizes that the right balance is relevant when consuming alcohol. According to the German Heart Foundation, his recommendation is as follows:

People who are completely abstaining from alcohol should not start because of possible health benefits.
People with atrial fibrillation should reduce their alcohol consumption significantly or even completely avoid alcohol.
People who only occasionally drink a glass of alcohol should not be afraid of atrial fibrillation and, at best, can benefit from the positive effects on the risk of heart attack and heart failure.
People who consume alcohol regularly should be aware of the risk of developing atrial fibrillation.

Why are cherries so healthy? And why are the small fruits so important for pregnant women? Here you can find out everything about the cherry.

Eating cherries during pregnancy: why is the fruit important for the development of the unborn child?

The cherry is particularly recommended for women during pregnancy, as it also contains a lot of folic acid. Folic acid is necessary for cell division and responsible for blood formation.

If there is not enough folic acid in the body during pregnancy, this can have serious consequences for the unborn child. Because a folic acid deficiency can lead to deformities in children, since the first cells of the unborn child cannot divide properly.

Therefore, pregnant women in particular should use the small red vitamin bombs more often, ideally even daily. But even those who are not expecting a child should definitely include the cherry on their menu.

Healthy cherry recipes for every day

Anyone who thinks that cherries can only be eaten pure or as jam is wrong. The healthy power fruit offers completely different recipes and opportunities to let off steam in the kitchen*. The red fruits are particularly good in salads, with yoghurt and muesli for breakfast or as a healthy snack in the form of refreshing cherry and sour cream ice cream.

If you prefer something savory, you won’t miss out on the cherry either: balsamic cherry gnocchi with sage and olive oil, but also a spicy cherry chutney with onions and fresh ginger are hearty and healthy energy boosts.

So the cherry is an absolute superfood for everyone, but especially for pregnant women.

Many people know this nutritional advice from grandma: cherries and water don’t go together. The myth that the combination of fruit and liquid causes stomach pains is even said to go so far that the stomach can burst. But is that really true? We got to the bottom of this legend and we have the answer for you.

Controversial Myth: Stomach Pain from Eating Cherries and Drinking Water?

There are no medical studies that the Federal Center for Nutrition refers to as to whether cherries actually cause stomach pains when combined with water. However, there are various theories as to how the severe abdominal pain can occur after eating the cherries along with drinking water. The nutritionist Claus Leitzmann speculates that the origin of the grandparent myth probably comes from the war and post-war period.

Clean water was scarce at that time. The abdominal pain was probably caused by contaminated water that was drunk along with the cherries that were eaten. Other causes of abdominal pain can be yeast or bacteria on the cherries. In the stomach, they can start to ferment together with the drunk water and the fructose of the cherries and cause severe stomach pains. The water you drink also dilutes the stomach acid, which loses its protective effect.

The harmful bacteria can therefore continue to work unhindered on the fermentation process in the stomach. People who suffer from fructose intolerance should therefore be particularly careful when consuming foods containing fructose. A doctor’s recommendation is not to overdo it with the consumption of cherries and to drink liters of water afterwards. If you stick to a halfway normal consumption amount, there will probably be no stomach ache. By the way: Apricots (apricots), damsons (plums) and other stone fruit, as well as gooseberries, can cause stomach ache for the reasons mentioned above if you eat too much of them and drink too much water afterwards.