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Wheat Germ: That’s Why They’re so Healthy

Wheat germ is actually a waste product in flour production, but it is very healthy. You can find out here what advantages they bring to your health.

Wheat germ is a tiny component of ripe wheat grains. They are at the top and only make up about three percent of the total weight. Just like wheat bran, the sprouts are a by-product of flour production.

The germs are separated from the grains in a complex process. Since the sprouts are very oily, the flour would go rancid faster and have a shorter shelf life, so they are removed. Since wheat germ contains many valuable nutrients, it is stored, sold separately or processed into wheat germ oil.

Wheat germ is so healthy

Wheat germ is particularly rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and amino acids. In addition, the protein-rich seedlings contain unsaturated fatty acids.

Wheat germ contains a particularly large number of these vitamins:
Vitamin B1: plays an important role in the functioning of our nervous system. If the vitamin is missing, depressive moods and poor memory can occur
Vitamin B2: also known as riboflavin, is relevant for the metabolic processes in the body
Vitamin B3: supports the energy metabolism and helps to absorb important nutrients from the diet
Vitamin B5: also known as pantothenic acid, is important for heart health, lung function and digestion. In addition, it is said to reduce stress and improve hair growth
Vitamin B6: important to strengthen our immune system and nervous system
Vitamin B9: the so-called folic acid. It supports blood formation, growth and the formation of new cells
Vitamin E: has an antioxidant effect and ensures that cells are protected from free radicals, which are involved in the development of various diseases. The German Society for Nutrition recommends that adults consume around twelve to 15 milligrams of vitamin E every day. Already 50 grams of wheat germ can cover this need
In addition, wheat germ is rich in important nutrients:
The seedlings contain valuable minerals such as:
Calcium: important for building and maintaining bones, teeth and muscles
Potassium: improves the functioning of muscles and nerves
Magnesium: ensures that muscles can work well
Phosphorus: is required for energy metabolism
It also contains the following trace elements:
Iron, which promotes oxygen transport in the blood
the antioxidant selenium
Zinc, which is also considered a beauty element.
Wheat germ also has these positive effects on your health:
A study indicates that regular consumption of wheat germ slows down the aging process.
The University of Graz found out in 2013 that the ingredient spermidine ensures that degenerative diseases such as dementia can be prevented.
Wheat germ is also said to have a positive effect on the gonads and thereby increase fertility.
Wheat germ is also a good source of vegetable protein. The proteins are particularly important for the smooth running of many bodily functions and play an important role in building muscles.

This is how you integrate wheat germ into your diet

The great thing about wheat germ is its high nutrient density. This means you don’t have to consume large amounts to reap the benefits. Since the sprouts are high in calories, adding two to three tablespoons of wheat germ to your food daily is sufficient.

You should make sure that you do not boil or bake the sprouts, as they are sensitive to heat and lose the valuable ingredients through heat. Add the sprouts raw to your morning muesli, yogurt, or smoothie. Its slightly sweet and nutty aroma also goes well with a seasonal fruit salad.

You can buy wheat germ in health food stores or drugstores, for example. Since they are won regionally, you can access them with a clear conscience.

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Food

Olives: That’s How Healthy They Are

Olives are not only very tasty, but also healthy. We explain why you should eat more of it and what you need to consider when buying.

If you are a lover of Mediterranean food, then the olive should not be missing from the dining table. The fleshy stone fruit of the olive tree with the intense flavor is usually eaten pickled with Italian, Spanish and Arabic dishes, served as tapas or sprinkled on pizza. For the most part (90 percent), however, olives are processed into olive oil.

You can buy both black and green olives. Black olives have a more intense and aromatic flavor than green ones, since they are ripe and green are unripe. Both varieties contain important vitamins and minerals. Since fresh olives are very bitter, they are usually preserved in oil or brine, which flushes out the bitter substances and makes the olives edible.

The olive tree (Latin: Olea europaea) is an evergreen tree and belongs to the olive tree family. In Europe alone there are more than a thousand different species of olive tree. An olive tree takes up to seven years to bear fruit. Only after 20 years does an olive tree become really productive. A single tree can live for several hundred years.

The ingredients of healthy olives

In addition to many minerals and trace elements, olives contain between 15 and 45 percent fat. Black olives have a higher percentage of fat than green ones. The fat is mostly oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid. This is said to have some health benefits:
Reduced levels of inflammation in the body
reduced risk of heart disease.
Prevention and control of cancer
Olives are also good for friends of the low-carb diet: They only have four to six percent carbohydrates. This is mostly dietary fiber.

Since the green olives are the unripe fruits, the black olives contain more of the healthy ingredients. So if you like to eat olives, at least try to reach for the darker fruits from time to time.

You will find the following minerals and vitamins in the healthy olives:
sodium
calcium
phosphorus
iron
Vitamin A
vitamin E
folic acid
In addition to the minerals, there are also secondary plant substances in the healthy fruits.

Fermented olives are also said to have a potential probiotic effect, meaning they help keep the digestive tract healthy.

In addition, olives increase the levels of the valuable antioxidant glutathione in the body. This is a very powerful antioxidant that studies have shown may help or prevent diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis, liver disease, HIV and diabetes.

Topic sustainability: What you should consider when buying healthy olives

If you would like to buy high-quality healthy olives, it is best to make sure that they are organic olives. When buying black olives, there is also one thing to be careful about: Make sure they are not blackened green olives.

Because the ripening process takes a long time, the unripe green olives are often sold colored to keep costs down. “Colorings” or additives such as E 579 (iron gluconate) and E 585 (iron lactate) are used for this. Although these are harmless, it is still a case of deceiving consumers. So always make sure that the packaging or the jar on the back just says “black olives” and not “blackened”. If you want to be on the safe side, look at the additives.

Olive trees grow best in Mediterranean climates and can withstand a lot of heat. The majority of olives – and olive oil – are grown and produced in Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy. Their share of the world market is 80 percent. Although olives are planted all over the world, in Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt or Morocco, in South Africa, South America, California, Australia and Japan, European farmers still dominate. If possible, buy olives that you know come from Europe.

In northern Europe, too, the cultivation was tried again and again on a large scale, but failed. Because although it is now warmer here too, olive trees only barely survive frost. The northernmost cultivation is now in Cologne, but the cultivation is not as productive as in southern countries.

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Food

Fruits and Vegetables: That’s The Difference

Sometimes it’s not so easy to tell the difference between fruit and vegetables. Vegetables go in the salad and fruit on the cake? Read here where the real differences are.

In everyday life, we are usually pretty sure whether we have fruit or vegetables on our plate.

Our sense of taste determines that fruit such as pears or grapes tend to be sweet to sour and vegetables tend to be savory, such as peppers and tomatoes.
Cooking habit says: Vegetables often end up cooked on the plate, while fruit is a crunchy raw food snack.
But: There is no generally valid difference between fruit and vegetables. For example, botanists use a different definition than traders. Depending on the context, different definitions are useful.

For botanists, fruit comes from a fertilized flower, like an apple or a pear. Vegetables consist of other parts of a plant, such as the leaves of spinach or the stalk of asparagus. According to this definition, rhubarb would be a vegetable, while tomatoes would be a fruit.
According to a common definition, fruit grows on perennial plants, while vegetables belong to annual plants. When it comes to tomatoes, it becomes clear that the definitions are not congruent: tomatoes – a fruit for botanists – grow on annual plants and are considered vegetables according to this definition. Asparagus is perennial and would therefore be a fruit.
Why several definitions can make sense is explained when you consider when you need a definition: If you want to prepare a refreshing fruit salad, raw edible and sweet to sour ingredients make sense and are considered fruit for you in this situation. Whether these originated from a flower or another part of the plant is then rather uninteresting for you. However, when it comes to breeding or growing plants, you need to know how they reproduce – or even which parts are edible.

Why are fruits and vegetables at the top of the list in supermarkets?

In the supermarket, fruit and vegetables are sorted according to nutritional habits. Typical salad ingredients such as cucumber, tomato and pepper are next to each other and typical fruit such as apples, pears and grapes are usually not far apart.

Have you ever wondered why fruit and vegetables are usually offered in the entrance area of ​​the supermarket? The fruit and vegetable department slows down the running pace due to its structure and the products that the customer can smell and touch directly. As a result, customers buy more products. In addition, fruit should give the customer the feeling of fresh and healthy food.

To ensure that only healthy fruit and vegetables and no pesticides end up in your shopping basket, buy fruit from controlled organic cultivation. This is not only more appetizing, but also protects the environment.

Fruit and vegetables: The origin makes the difference

If you’re one of the lucky people with your own garden, you can see which fruits are in season. Some types of fruit and vegetables can also be grown in pots on the balcony.

Without your own harvest, you can also enjoy seasonal, regional fruit and vegetables. Seasonal fruits from your region are characterized by the fact that they have not traveled long distances and are very fresh. This saves them fuel and energy expended in bringing groceries to us from afar and storing them.

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Food

Azo Dyes: That’s Why They’re Critical

Azo dyes are popular colorants for food and textiles. You can find out here why they are not entirely undisputed.

What are azo dyes?

Azo dyes belong to the group of synthetic dyes, which means they do not occur naturally in nature. Their history is still very young compared to that of natural dyes. Natural dyes, such as plant dyes, were already available to our prehistoric people. The first azo dye, aniline, was not synthesized until 1856 by the English chemistry student Perkin. After this cornerstone, however, it all happened in quick succession: in just under 40 years, scientists discovered a total of 324 different synthetic dyes.

For a long period of human history, dyes were considered a luxury good with limited availability. This changed rapidly after the invention of synthetic dyes. Azo dyes in particular are significantly cheaper and color significantly more effectively and more permanently than natural alternatives. As a result, natural colorants became a niche product.

The food industry also quickly took a liking to azo dyes. In contrast to many natural colorants, azo dyes are extremely heat-resistant and can be used in all types of food, regardless of the pH value. Color pigments naturally occurring in plants, such as anthocyanins, tend to discolor at neutral or alkaline pH levels.

In addition to vegetable colorings, natural colorings of animal origin were also popular in the food industry in the past. An example of this is the red pigment carmine, which is obtained from the cochineal scale insect. Carmine is rarely used in the food industry these days because it is more expensive than azo dyes and is not considered vegan.

Why is there a warning on products with azo dyes?

Today, the following ten azo dyes are permitted as additives in food:
E 102 (tartrazine)
E 110 (Yellow Orange S)
E 122 (Azorubine)
E 123 (Amaranth)
E 124 (cochineal red A)
E 129 (Allura Red AC)
E 151 (Brilliant Black BN)
E 154 (Brown FK)
E 155 (Brown HT)
E 180 (Lithol Rubin BK)
If a food manufacturer adds an azo dye to his product, he must mark this in bold on the list of ingredients. In addition, when using the azo dyes E 102, E 110, E 122, E 124 and E 129, the manufacturer must print an additional warning on the packaging: “May impair activity and attention in children”.

A study by scientists at the University of Southampton in England from 2007 is responsible for the warning. The researchers examined the effect of azo dyes on the behavior of three-year-old toddlers and eight- to nine-year-old school children. The result of the study was that children who were given a drink colored with azo dyes tended to have hyperactive behavior and poor concentration.

In a statement, the Federal Office for Risk Assessment rated the results significantly more cautiously than the research group from England. The behavior of the children observed in the study is not clear enough to prove a connection between hyperactivity and azo dyes. In addition, no biological mechanism can be derived from a behavioral study.

The European food authority followed the assessment of the Federal Office for Risk Assessment and does not consider a harmful effect of azo dyes to be proven. The EU Parliament cannot therefore ban azo dyes. However, in 2010, the EU Commission gave in to the demands of consumer protection organizations and decided that the azo dyes examined in the study must be labeled with a warning.

Why are azo dyes suspected of being carcinogenic?

Another accusation from consumer protection organizations is that the Azora dyes are carcinogenic. This assumption is based on the fact that colorectal cancer is more common in industrialized countries, where azo dyes are widespread in all areas of everyday life.

It is not the azo dyes themselves that are carcinogenic, but their degradation products. Azo dyes are not metabolized by our body and therefore end up unchanged in the intestine. There they break down bacteria into aromatic amines. These aromatic amines damage our genome, which can promote the development of cancer.

However, it must always be remembered that the dose makes the poison. We absorb only a small proportion of azo dyes through food. Textiles dyed with azo dyes represent a significantly greater burden.

But even for textiles, the scientific expert commission of the EU is of the opinion that the exposure to azo dyes in everyday life can be regarded as very low. She advocates defining maximum values ​​for the use of azo dyes, but sees a ban as superfluous.

For reasons of precaution, it makes sense if you avoid food and textiles colored with azo dyes. If you do without industrially processed food and loudly colored drinks, you usually automatically do not take in any azo dyes through your food. When buying clothes, also give preference to textiles dyed with natural dyes, even if these are difficult to find these days.

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Cinnamon Sugar: That’s The Right Ratio

Cinnamon sugar tastes delicious on many desserts. You only need the two ingredients cinnamon and sugar – and in the right proportion. We explain how you can mix cinnamon sugar.

In most households, rice pudding and semolina pudding are never served without cinnamon sugar. But the right cinnamon-sugar mixture also goes well with yeast dumplings and other sweets and desserts.

Cinnamon sugar can be bought premixed in the supermarket. These not only come with additional packaging, but sometimes also contain other unnecessary ingredients such as flavors. That’s why we recommend that you simply make your own cinnamon sugar. So in the end there is really only cinnamon and sugar in the mixture – and you can adjust the ratio to suit your taste.

Mixing Cinnamon Sugar: The Right Ratio

Ultimately, of course, it comes down to individual taste as to the ratio of cinnamon and sugar that goes best together. However, a standard mixture has been established that tastes good to most people and can serve as a rule of thumb. According to this, the perfect cinnamon sugar is mixed in this ratio:
10 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Variations: Some find this blend too sweet. In this case, you can halve the amount of sugar. In the low-sugar kitchen you can also mix cinnamon and sugar in a ratio of 1:1 – this will then have a much more intense taste.

Cinnamon sugar: which sugar and which cinnamon?

Sure, cinnamon sugar only needs two ingredients: cinnamon and sugar. But nevertheless, or precisely because of this, the quality of these is crucial:
You can use either white or brown sugar.
Beet sugar, cane sugar and raw cane sugar: In our special article on the subject, we explain the differences and tell you what is important when it comes to sugar.
Alternatively, you can use a sugar substitute for the cinnamon sugar mixture. Above all, birch sugar (xylitol) and erythritol are recommended for this, as they behave in a similar way to ordinary sugar. Both sugar alternatives are suitable for diabetics.
When it comes to cinnamon, it mainly depends on the variety: Cassia cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon is significantly cheaper, but contains more coumarin – a substance that can be harmful to health in larger quantities. If you frequently use cinnamon sugar, it is better to use Ceylon cinnamon.

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Food

Olive Oil: That’s How Healthy it is For Our Body

Olive oil is supposed to be healthy: you hear and read that again and again. But why is that – and how does olive oil compare to other vegetable fats?

Olive oil is considered very healthy – that’s why it is an essential part of healthy diets and even diets like the Mediterranean diet. Some attribute the healthy effect to the high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids, others to the many polyphenols. The latter belong to the secondary plant substances, give olive oil its bitter and pungent aromas and are said to have numerous positive effects. However, studies also show that there is still a need for research into the health value of olive oil – and that other vegetable oils are not necessarily less healthy. In addition, there are quality differences in olive oil that affect the health value.

Lots of healthy oleic acid: the ingredients of olive oil

Compared to many other vegetable oils, olive oil is characterized by its high content of oleic acid (a monounsaturated fatty acid).

14 g saturated fat
73 g monounsaturated fatty acids
11 g polyunsaturated fatty acids
14 mg vitamin E
60 mcg vitamin K

Is Olive Oil Healthy? Assessment based on the ingredients

To find out if olive oil is healthy, you can first look at the individual ingredients. The isolated ingredients do not necessarily have the same effect as the finished product. Nevertheless, the analysis of the ingredients can provide initial clues. The focus is on the ingredients that are supposed to make olive oil particularly healthy – i.e. oleic acid and polyphenols.

Olive oil consists mainly of oleic acid. This monounsaturated fatty acid is said to have numerous positive properties:
According to a review, scientists in two intervention studies found that oleic acid has anti-inflammatory effects. As part of the studies, a total of almost 280 people followed a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil. As a result, inflammatory markers in the blood dropped, which the study authors believe is apparently due to oleic acid. An observational study of around 3,000 Japanese women came to the same conclusion. However, both studies also say that the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid and the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid also have an anti-inflammatory effect.
In experiments on cell cultures, oleic acid has an anti-carcinogenic effect, i.e. it inhibits the growth of tumor cells. However, clinical studies in humans are still pending.
According to two other studies, oleic acid helps against insulin resistance and strengthens the immune system.

Olive oil is healthy, but usually not suitable for searing

How healthy olive oil is also depends on how you use it. If you heat olive oil, for example, you have to be careful: If the smoke point of the oil is exceeded, toxic substances can form. Thanks to the heat-stable oleic acid, olive oils can usually be heated up to around 180 degrees. So you can use them for baking, steaming and gentle frying. You should only avoid searing or deep-frying at high temperatures.

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Kala Namak: That’s Why It’s Popular in Vegan Cuisine

Kala Namak, also known as black salt, smells like rotten eggs – and is still popular in vegan cuisine. We explain what you need to know about the special salt from India.

In this article you will learn what kala namak is, how you can use it in the kitchen and what you should pay attention to when buying it.

Black Salt: Peculiarities of Kala Namak

Kala Namak originally comes from India and is widely used there and in other South Asian countries. Although it’s called black salt, it’s more of a reddish-dark purple color – mainly because of the iron it contains.

But it’s not just the color that makes Kala Namak so unusual: the salt smells like rotten eggs, which is due to the sulfur compounds it contains. This is why Kala Namak cannot convince every nose, but most palates can if used correctly: A little Kala Namak gives dishes the typical egg taste. Therefore, the salt is particularly popular with vegans and egg allergy sufferers.

Characteristics of Kala Namak:
Colour: dark red, dark violet, black-greyish
Taste: salty, sulphurous, like egg
Odour: sulphurous, like slightly rotten eggs
Origin: India, Pakistan
Trade names: Kala Namak, Black Salt, Black Salt, Rock Salt, Saindhav, (Indian) Sanchal

Kala Namak: Crafting

In the traditional production process of Kala Namak, rock salt from the Himalayan mountains is mixed with charcoal, spices, herbs and the seeds of the harad plant and heated. This process is no longer common for commercial distribution. There are two main ways to make black salt:
Kala Namak with Harad seeds: Rock salt (often from the Himalayas) is boiled with Harad seeds (fruits of the Terminalia chebula plant)
Synthetic black salt: Sodium chloride is mixed with sodium sulfate, sodium hydrogen sulfate and ferrous sulfate and reduced with charcoal
Both versions of Kala Namak are very similar in terms of taste and appearance. The “real” black salt is considered to be of higher quality and is usually a little more expensive.

Kala Namak in the kitchen – recipe ideas and tips

No other vegan food tastes as close to a boiled egg as Kala Namak. That’s why black salt is so popular in vegan diets and it’s hard to imagine life without it.

Kala Namak is therefore suitable for all dishes in which you want to imitate eggs, for example:
vegan scrambled eggs with tofu or chickpea flour – with some turmeric for the yellow color
vegan shakshuka with chickpea flour and oatmeal
Avocado, finely seasoned with black salt – for example on a slice of bread
vegan omelette
vegan egg salad
Poor Knight (French Toast) as a vegan variant
In Indian cuisine, on the other hand, kala namak is used in a completely different way. There it is mainly an ingredient in chutneys, fruit salads, chaats or raitas. But you can also add Kala Namak to fruit juice drinks and long drinks.

In any case, you should only use black salt sparingly – otherwise the peculiar taste will quickly become too much.

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Lifestyle

“Paleo Diet”: That’s What The Stone Age Diet is all About

The “Paleo diet” only includes foods that our Stone Age ancestors ate. You can find out here what advantages and disadvantages it has and whether there is also a meatless version.

Paleo diet: Eat like in the Stone Age

Eating like in the Stone Age – according to this resolution followers of the Paleo diet eat. This is not a diet in the traditional sense. After all, you can eat as much as you want and you don’t have to count calories. Rather, the Paleo diet is a nutritional philosophy.

The representatives of this Stone Age diet adhere to the presumed diet of our ancestors – the hunters and gatherers. That is, they feed exclusively on foods that already existed in the Paleolithic period, such as:
fruit and vegetables
meat
Fish
eggs
nuts
Taboo, on the other hand, are foods that we have only been producing and consuming in large quantities since the invention of agriculture:
Grain
sugar
potatoes
Dairy products
legumes
and processed foods

Paleo diet to prevent lifestyle diseases

The basic idea behind this nutritional concept is that humans have spent far more time on this planet as hunters and gatherers than as sedentary farmers. His body therefore had more time to adapt to the diet of the time than to the modern diet.
Civilization diseases like
diabetes
high blood pressure
overweight
have arisen in our “settled time”. From this, proponents of the Paleo diet conclude that the Stone Age diet is more natural and tolerable.

Is the Paleo Diet Healthy?

There are few clinical studies examining the long-term effects of a Paleo diet. Existing studies show that the diet can have a positive effect on the body:

In a study of 70 overweight women, half followed the Paleo diet while the other half followed the Nordic Health Recommendations. Fat mass was reduced to a similar extent in both groups, but the percentage of triglycerides fell more in the Paleo group. A high proportion of triglycerides in the blood can promote arteriosclerosis.
In a study of patients with type II diabetes, the paleo diet also reduced the subjects’ fat mass and also improved their insulin metabolism.
In another study, in which only 20 subjects took part, the paleo diet reduced cholesterol levels.
The Paleo diet appears to have health benefits. However, one review notes that weight loss on the Paleo diet (like other diets) is probably primarily due to reduced calorie intake. The studies also do not show whether the Paleo diet also has positive effects in healthy people. In addition, despite isolated successes, there is no scientific evidence that the diet can alleviate conditions such as autoimmune diseases or allergies.

Is there a vegetarian form of the Paleo diet?

There is also a meatless version of the Paleo diet. Paleo vegetarians call themselves the vegetarian Stone Age eaters. And basically, both diets have something in common – they attach great importance to fresh fruit and vegetables.

However, a paleo-vegetarian diet eliminates meat in addition to grains, dairy, potatoes and legumes. It is therefore important to look for alternative sources of vegetable protein and to pay particular attention to the regular consumption of nuts, healthy vegetable fats and seeds.

It is advisable to consult a doctor or nutritionist beforehand and to carry out regular blood tests.

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Lemons: That’s How Healthy They Are

Lemons are considered very healthy – not least because they contain a lot of vitamin C. We explain to you what else is in lemons and when they are ripe.

Lemons: The healthy all-rounders

Lemons, which belong to the rue family like grapefruit or orange, are a versatile fruit:
In summer we like to add them to our drinks to give them a fresh, sour taste.
In winter, lemons in the form of a hot lemon are used as a home remedy for colds and to strengthen the immune system.
In the kitchen, you can refine many sweet and savory dishes with lemon juice and zest.
In addition, lemons can neutralize odors in the refrigerator or dissolve limescale as a household remedy.
Tip: Look for an organic seal when buying lemons. This guarantees that the lemons are untreated and that you can use both the zest and the juice.

Are Lemons Healthy? The nutritional values

Lemons have a high water content, which is good for our water balance. The fruits are also low in calories and can therefore help with weight loss. Unlike other types of fruit such as grapes or bananas, they contain little sugar and are therefore healthy.

This is what the specific nutritional values ​​of 100 grams of lemon look like:

29 kilocalories of energy
89 grams of water
0.3 grams of fat
9.3 grams of carbohydrates
2.5 grams of sugar
1.1 grams of protein
2.8 grams of fiber
53 milligrams of vitamin C
26 mg calcium
138 grams of potassium
8 mg magnesium

Lemons: Healthy vitamin C suppliers

The lemon is considered healthy because of its high vitamin C content.
100 grams of lemon contains an average of 50 milligrams of vitamin C and thus covers about half of the daily vitamin C requirement.

A study found that you can prevent kidney stones by drinking lemon water for a long time. Vitamin C helps to stimulate kidney function.

Note: Other foods such as strawberries, blackcurrants, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale or cauliflower contain significantly more vitamin C than lemons.

Conclusion: Lemons are considered healthy mainly because of their high vitamin C content. However, there are no precise scientific studies on what effects, for example, an alkaline diet or a lemon juice cure can have on the body. What you should make sure, however, is that you cover your daily vitamin C requirements. Especially in winter or when the immune system is weak, it makes sense to use lemons regularly.

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Cooking Tips

Decalate the Coffee Machine With Home Remedies – That’s How it Works!

The cup of coffee is part of the daily morning ritual for many people. But a coffee machine also needs care and should be descaled and cleaned regularly. Because without descaling there is no taste perfect coffee and damp coffee residues are also an ideal breeding ground for mold and other germs.

But how do I know that the coffee machine has to be descaled?

Many coffee machines now show this using a control light. But there are also other signs that the machine has to be descaled:
White deposits are formed
The coffee machine runs slower
The machine is exceptionally loud
The coffee doesn’t get really hot and does not taste good
How often you have to clean your machine depends on how often you use it, how strong the water hardness is and how quickly it calculates. On average, however, a coffee machine should be cleaned every 1-2 months.

Decalate the coffee machine with professional cleaning agents:

A large number of different descalcers are offered in stores. Almost every coffee machine manufacturer also offers suitable descaling agents for their machine. But there are also some brand -independent products.

Basically, you cannot do anything wrong with these descaling agents – simply put the descaler into the machine according to the manufacturer’s specifications and start descaling. After that, the coffee machine is perfectly descaled and ready for further use.

Decalate the coffee machine with home remedies – this is how it works:

However, professional cleaning products from the trade have a big disadvantage: they are quite expensive. But there are also cheaper ways to decalify and clean the coffee machine – for example, some home remedies are perfect for this. This makes the coffee machine cleaning not only cheaper, but also more environmentally friendly.

The classic: coffee machine decalcify with vinegar essence

A very widespread method is to clean the coffee machine with vinegar essence. But how exactly does it work? We show you step by step what you have to do to clean your coffee machine with vinegar essence:
First of all, it is important that the vinegar essence with water is diluted in a ratio of 1: 4. Because undiluted and highly concentrated, it can harm rubber seals and other sensitive parts in the machine.
Once you have diluted the vinegar essence, put it in the water tank of the coffee machine, let it work briefly and start the descaling process according to the specifications of the respective manufacturer.
It is important that you let water run through the machine for 2-3 times after descaling so that the next coffee does not taste like vinegar.
The descaling is ready and the coffee machine is ready to go again.

For particularly environmentally conscious descaling: descaling with citric acid

You don’t have any vinegar essence at home right now? No problem – you can easily clean your coffee machine with a simple lemon. This has the advantage that citric acid is particularly environmentally friendly. And you only have to take the following steps:
Clean the surfaces of the coffee machine:
Halve a lemon and remove the seeds
Squeeze some lemon juice over a sponge. With the sponge you can then wipe over lime deposits, leave the whole thing on for about 30 minutes and then wipe it moist.
Discalate the coffee machine:
To clean the inside of the coffee machine, you have to press the lemon completely.
Then it is important to give the lemon juice through a sieve so that no pulp gets into the machine.
Now you can dilute the juice of a whole lemon with about one liter of water and then put the mixture into the water tank.
Now you can start descaling again according to the manufacturer.
Once the descaling has ended, think about rinsing the coffee machine with water 2-3 times.
You already have a perfectly descaled coffee machine and the coffee tastes great again.

Special caution is required here: descaling coffee machine with amidosulfonic acid

If the coffee machine is once particularly dirty, there is also the possibility to decalcify the coffee machine with amidosulfonic acid. Available, for example in the hardware store.

But here you have to be particularly careful! This acid has a caustic effect. Therefore, you should wear mouth protection and safety glasses with the application.

This is how it works: Mix ten grams of amidosulfonic acid with one liter of water and then start descaling as usual.

It is particularly important here that the machine is washed through water several times after cleaning.

Baking powder – descale the miracle cure for the coffee machine

There are many home remedies that are suitable for descaling. Baking powder is also ideal for cleaning. Simply dissolve baking powder in one liter of water and then let this solution run through the coffee machine. The machine is clean again and the coffee tastes flawless again. The descaling is so easy with baking powder.

The descaling with home remedies is therefore not only significantly cheaper than decalcifying with buyable solutions, but also more environmentally friendly.

How can I protect my coffee machine against lime?

Unfortunately, the formation of lime cannot be completely avoided. You can take some preventive measures, but these will not completely prevent lime formation. One way to restrict the formation of lime to do without tap water. Instead, use still water from bottles (i.e. water without carbon dioxide), this is far from the water from the tap. It may be enough if you descalate the coffee machine every 6 – 12 months.

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