these

As a source of protein, vegetables with a lot of protein should not be missing in any vegan diet, along with tofu, cereals and nuts. We show you the varieties that can easily cover your daily needs.

To cover their protein requirements, most vegans use nuts or grains such as oats or amaranth and seeds such as flaxseed or pumpkin seeds. Various legumes are also very popular. But there are also other vegetables with a lot of protein.

If you do a lot of sport, it is important to consume enough protein. This is the only way your muscles can regenerate well after extensive training. We show you a summary of the best vegetable protein sources and what else is healthy in them.

Beans and Peas: The ultimate high-protein veggies

The following legumes are vegetables with a lot of protein (unless otherwise stated, the information applies to fresh beans):

Soybeans: 36 g
Pinto beans: 21 g
Chickpeas (dried): 19 g
Edamame (unripe soybean): 12 g
Broad beans: 11 g
Peas (frozen): 6.6 g
Mung bean sprouts: 4-5 g
Snow peas 4 g

Cabbages and green vegetables with lots of protein

Green vegetables with lots of protein:

Kale: 4.5 g
Cress: 4.2 g
Brussels sprouts: 4 g
Broccoli: 3.6g
Artichoke: 3.3 g
Spinach: 2.9 g
Savoy cabbage: 2.8 g

Mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms: 3.5 g
Mushrooms: 3.1 g
Shiitake mushroom: 2.2 g

More veggies with lots of protein

For a balanced diet with lots of plant proteins, it is also worth including the following vegetables with lots of protein in your diet:

Fresh corn: 3.4 g
Sweetcorn (canned): 3.2 g
Parsley root: 2.9 g
Potatoes: 2 g

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.

Food

Green Beans: They Have These Nutritional Values

With their good nutritional values, green beans are a healthy legume from the region. In this article you will find out which nutrients are in the beans and how healthy they are.

The green bean is also called garden bean or beans and grows as bush or pole beans. Originally from Latin America, it has been cultivated in Europe since the 16th century. As a legume, it binds nitrogen from the air with the help of bacteria on the roots, which is why it also thrives on nitrogen-poor soils.

As a regional legume, green beans are in season in Germany from July to October. We will explain to you what nutritional values are in the bean and how healthy it is.

Green beans: nutritional values at a glance

Like all legumes, green beans are a good source of plant-based protein and fiber. In addition, the bean contains vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B7 and beta-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A. When it comes to minerals, they contain significant amounts of potassium, calcium and magnesium. (Source: Apotheken Umschau)

Due to the high proportion of B vitamins, green beans contribute to a healthy metabolism and a strong nervous system. The minerals it contains are important for healthy muscles, bones and teeth. Green beans provide a long-lasting feeling of satiety, but can sometimes lead to flatulence and other digestive problems. Read the next section to find out how to prevent this.

Green beans – nutritional values per 100 grams:

Calories: 33 kcal
Carbohydrates: 5g
Fat: traces
Egg white: 2.5 g
Minerals:

Potassium: 225 mg
Calcium: 65 mg
Magnesium: 25 mg
Phosphate: 35 mg
Beta carotene: 320 mcg
vitamins:

Vitamin B1: 76mcg
Vitamin B2: 111mcg
Vitamin B3: 570mcg
Vitamin B5: 500mcg
Vitamin B6: 264mcg
Vitamin B7: 7mcg
Vitamin B9: 56mcg
Vitamin C: 20 mg

Healthy beans: Important tips for preparation

In addition to the healthy nutritional values, green beans also contain lectins such as the protein phasin. This is difficult to digest and is considered toxic to humans. That’s why you should never eat green beans raw, but always cook or boil them sufficiently: heating destroys the dangerous protein compound. According to the Bavarian Consumer Advice Center, you should cook, boil or blanch green beans for at least ten minutes. Important: pour off the cooking water, as this is also poisonous.

To prevent digestive problems such as flatulence, you can add caraway and/or fennel (seeds) to the dish. Alternatively, you can also prepare a caraway tea or tea made from fennel or aniseed and drink it after the meal.

Recipe ideas: In separate articles we will show you how to prepare bean salad and other green bean recipes.

Food

Dressing for Lamb’s Lettuce: These Salad Dressings Go Best

Are you looking for a dressing for lamb’s lettuce to spice it up a bit? Whether fruity, spicy or creamy: We have three delicious recipe ideas for lamb’s lettuce salad dressings.

Especially in winter, the body is happy about fresh food. Lamb’s lettuce is particularly welcome here as it is in season during the winter months.

Fiery lamb’s lettuce with lemon and chilli dressing

A dressing with chili also warms you up from the inside and really cheers you on during the cold season. Combined with fresh lemon as a vinegar substitute, you have a vitamin boost.

For the lemon and chilli dressing (for approx. 200g lamb’s lettuce) you need the following organic ingredients:

salt and pepper
½ tsp sweet mustard
4 tablespoons high-quality salad oil (e.g. a mixed oil made from sesame, sunflower and soybean oil)
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ – ¾ tsp chili powder, depending on how spicy you want it
some water
Whisk all the ingredients together with a whisk, then pour over the lamb’s lettuce. The sweet mustard balances the hot chilli powder and gives the lamb’s lettuce dressing a thick consistency.

Honey-mustard salad dressing for lamb’s lettuce

A honey-mustard dressing goes very well with the nutty and mild-tasting lamb’s lettuce. Mustard adds that certain something with its spiciness and the honey rounds it off with its sweetness – an ideal combination for your lamb’s lettuce dressing.

Ingredients for the lamb’s lettuce dressing (for approx. 200g lamb’s lettuce):

salt and pepper
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp honey
1 finely chopped shallot
4 tbsp salad oil
Mix all the ingredients with a whisk or a whisk. If you are using an electric mixer, add the shallot after mixing. You can round off your salad with roasted pine nuts or a salad seed mixture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame and pine nuts.

Fruity walnut raspberry dressing

Fresh lamb’s lettuce can also be excellently combined with a fruity touch of raspberries and a good portion of omega 3 in the form of walnuts and walnut oil. The recipe uses raspberry jam, which you can certainly replace with thawed raspberries from the summer months and thus have a slightly healthier version.

For the fruity lamb’s lettuce dressing (for approx. 200g of lettuce) you will need:

salt and pepper
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp raspberry jam, alternatively 2 tbsp frozen raspberries, defrosted
1 handful of walnut kernels
Preparation: Press the raspberry jam or the defrosted raspberries through a fine sieve with a spoon so that the small seeds do not end up in the salad dressing. Then mix all the other ingredients except for the walnuts with a whisk and pour them over the lamb’s lettuce. Garnish everything with the walnuts and your raspberry dressing is ready.

Notes on the ingredients

It is also important to pay attention to organic quality when it comes to lamb’s lettuce in order to avoid chemical-synthetic pesticides. Of course, the best thing is to simply grow lamb’s lettuce in your own garden or on the balcony: Sow lamb’s lettuce: you have to bear this in mind when sowing .

Food

Food Pyramid: These Foods Should Become a Habit

Healthy nutrition – everyone talks about it, but hardly anyone knows what it really is. Anyone who tries to finally eat healthily will usually fail miserably after a few weeks. But why is that? And how can you really eat healthy and, ideally, sustainably?

Before you worry about what you eat, you should know what food your body needs – and how much of it. The amount of energy a person needs depends mainly on two things: age and exercise. If you move a little at work or in your free time, you need less energy than someone who moves a lot. If you want to lose weight or are overweight, you should expend more energy than you take in.

If you want to know exactly how much energy you need, you can use an energy balance calculator to find out. And then it’s about the actual diet: The food pyramid offers a good guide to which foods are healthy and in what quantities we should eat them.

Food pyramid: which food groups are important?

The food pyramid shows you what you can eat a lot of – and what rather little:

The lowest level of the pyramid and thus the basis of your diet are drinks: we should drink about 1.5 liters per day – preferably water, unsweetened tea or diluted juice spritzers. If water tastes too boring for you, experiment with cucumber, mint, fruit or ginger to give the water more flavor. Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks such as cola & co. can also be drunk from time to time, but better only on special occasions and then only in moderation.
The 2nd level of the pyramid contains vegetables and fruits: A healthy diet should contain plenty of them – preferably five servings a day. A portion corresponds to your own hand (palm without fingers). That sounds like a lot at first, but it’s easier than you think: For example, eat muesli with fresh seasonal fruit for breakfast in the morning and drink a glass of orange juice or have a few vegetable sticks in between. If you then eat a portion of vegetables as a side dish at lunchtime and maybe a fruit salad for dessert, then you have almost reached the five portions. A small salad for supper in the evening and you’ve already eaten enough fruit and vegetables. Give it a try!
The third place in a healthy diet should be cereals, rice and potatoes. It is best to use whole grain products – they keep you full longer, contain more minerals and provide fiber.
Only then comes the food group of animal products and sources of protein, such as dairy products, eggs, meat and fish. Anyone who eats a vegan or vegetarian diet naturally avoids these animal foods – because proteins are also found in plant products, for example in the form of legumes. A healthy diet also includes vegetable oils and fatty acids from rapeseed or olive oil. Snacks, sweets and other nibbles are at the top of the food pyramid and should only be eaten infrequently.
Of course, it is not that easy to find enough regional vegetables and fruit in winter, but if necessary you can also use the frozen version. In addition, many varieties can be canned, pickled or dried during the high season so that they are preserved even in winter. Have a look here: Preserving food: 3 simple methods.

If you want to check whether you eat according to these recommendations or don’t feel like counting calories, you can also use the “What I eat” app from the Federal Center for Nutrition, for example.

For more variety in the food pyramid

The rule of thumb is: If you want to eat healthily, you should eat as varied a diet as possible. Each level of the food pyramid contains various foods that can provide a varied supply of important nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

In order to get as much variety as possible when choosing vegetables and fruit, it makes sense – and at the same time sustainably – to orientate yourself on the seasonal calendar. In almost every month, different varieties have high season.

Try out fruits and vegetables that you haven’t tried before, or combine them in completely new ways. Of course there are varieties – such as the avocado – that are very healthy, but not regional and only end up on our plates with great transport effort and water consumption. There are often less well-known local species from the region that are just as healthy, tasty and much more sustainable.

Healthy eating starts with shopping

You can already make sure you eat healthy when you go shopping: because once there are cola, chips and chocolate in the kitchen cupboard, they will certainly be eaten. Before you ask yourself what you want to buy, the next time you go shopping, you could ask yourself where you shop.

Do you go to the supermarket around the corner by default? Or a few streets further to the organic or unpackaged shop? Perhaps there is also a (organic) weekly market or an organic farm shop near you? Small regional shops usually offer seasonal food from the region, and you often get good tips on how to prepare it.

There might also be a farmer in your town who delivers crates of vegetables directly to your home. Vegetable boxes mainly contain seasonal vegetables and thus automatically ensure a varied, healthy and sustainable diet. It’s often worth doing a little research before heading back to the supermarket around the corner as usual.

It also makes sense to plan what you want to buy before you go shopping. So you don’t buy anything superfluous or more than you need. When shopping, you should consciously choose which foods go in the shopping basket. In addition to the price and quality, the organic seal or the fair trade label, the list of ingredients and the nutritional information on the packaging can also be helpful.

In general, it is of course better to buy food that is as unprocessed and fresh as possible.

More vitamins and minerals through healthy cooking

Cooking is also part of a healthy diet: vitamins are best preserved when vegetables are prepared “al dente” – i.e. crispy. In general, temperatures that are too high and baking and roasting times that are too long should not be used.

Keeping warm and warming up also destroys vitamins. If you want to save energy at the same time, you should close the lid while cooking – this saves up to a quarter of the electricity – and use the residual heat from the stove.

Habit: In small steps to a healthy diet

It is certainly difficult to eat healthily and on the basis of the food pyramid overnight. This claim is far too high and almost impossible to meet.

Give yourself the time you need to make the dietary changes. It’s completely normal and okay if it doesn’t work out right from the start. Try it with small steps: Instead of the usual chocolate muesli in the morning, you can simply try grain muesli and fresh fruit. But you can also take it slower – try out what works best for you: maybe you can get used to the fruit in the chocolate muesli first.

Despite a healthy diet, it is important not to lose the fun of eating. Deal with the food, find out where it comes from and which recipes you can try out. Healthy eating will soon become a habit.

Food

Minerals: These are the Most Important Nutrients in Your Diet

Minerals are essential for our body. But which are the most important ones and what effect do they have? And what is the difference to vitamins?

Minerals: why do we need them?

Minerals are vital for our organism (to survive). They ensure that everything, really everything, works well – from the bones to digestion and cell renewal. Like vitamins, minerals are micronutrients that the body needs in addition to macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins and fats – to regulate metabolic processes. They are important for the electrolyte and water balance, for the immune system and indispensable for the structure and function of bones, muscles and teeth. The body also needs minerals for vision and the nervous system, and they are involved in blood clotting and reproduction.

However, our body cannot produce the micronutrients on its own – but we can support it by eating the right foods. Minerals are found as inorganic food components in various animal and vegetable foods. You can read about which minerals are in which foods at the end of the article.

How many minerals does the body need?

In order for the processes in the body to work properly, the supply of minerals and vitamins must be right. But how many minerals does the body need? Because this is not so easy to assess, there are official nutrient recommendations. In German-speaking countries, the D-A-CH reference values are the standard. These reference values indicate the amount of nutrients a person should consume in order to stay fit and healthy. Incidentally, there are also these recommendations for the other nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and also for energy, water, fiber and alcohol.

The reference values are initially based on the nutrient requirement – i.e. the amount of nutrients that is necessary to avoid a deficiency. This requirement is increased by 20 to 30% because it is an average value: this means that the reference values are usually higher than the actual nutrient requirements. Individual needs vary from person to person and depend on many things such as age, gender or metabolism.

If you eat a balanced diet, you shouldn’t have any problems with deficiency symptoms: Most people in Germany are adequately supplied. However, there are some risk groups that should pay special attention to their mineral intake. They include pregnant and breastfeeding women and the sick, but also people with a lot of stress, an unbalanced diet, special diets and vegan diets. If you belong to one of these groups, you can take minerals in a targeted manner: either through dietary supplements or – and we recommend this – by eating the right foods.

Minerals: bulk and trace elements

Minerals are required by the body in different amounts and are divided into bulk and trace elements depending on their content in the body.

The bulk elements include: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine, phosphorus and sulfur. They occur in a concentration of over 50 mg per kg of body weight.

Trace elements, on the other hand – as the name suggests – only occur in traces in the body. They are only found in the body in concentrations of less than 50 mg per kg. The minerals iron, iodine, fluoride, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium and molybdenum are considered trace elements. A special feature is the mineral iron: Although it occurs in a concentration of around 60 mg per kg of body weight – it should therefore theoretically belong to the bulk elements – due to the similarity of its functions to the trace elements, iron is counted to this subgroup of minerals. The most important minerals and their functions at a glance: Many types of fruit and vegetables contain minerals.

The most important minerals and their functions at a glance

Minerals have different functions and are found in different foods. We give you a brief overview of the most important minerals here – if you want more detailed information, browse through the linked articles on the individual minerals.

Magnesium is important for the muscles and enzymes that stimulate metabolism – it also ensures strong bones and is involved in the storage and release of hormones. The mineral is found in many plant sources such as spinach, kohlrabi, nuts and sunflower seeds, wholemeal bread and legumes.
Calcium: Teeth and bones need enough calcium (or calcium) to grow and remain stable – children in particular should therefore always consume enough of the mineral. But it also strengthens your cell walls, helps make hormones, and plays a role in blood clotting. If you are deficient, calcium is “pulled” out of the bones and into the blood, which can cause osteoporosis. It is therefore best to eat enough green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, algae or nuts – dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt also contain a lot of calcium.
Sodium: This mineral is found in almost all foods – especially table salt and salty products. You need sodium for your water balance, your blood pressure, the activity of enzymes and your acid-base balance. However, be careful not to eat too much salt – too much sodium can cause problems with high blood pressure, edema, drowsiness and restlessness.
Phosphorus: Just like calcium, phosphorus is important for teeth and bone formation. In addition, the muscles need the mineral to convert energy into movement and it is a building block of our genetic make-up. Phosphorus is added to industrially processed foods in particular – but even if you do without such products in everyday life, you don’t have to worry about a deficiency here: The substance is found in protein-containing products, legumes, nuts, most types of fruit and vegetables and also in Meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.
Potassium is extremely important for the transmission of nerve signals, water and electrolyte balance as well as for good muscle function. You can find it in many foods, especially spinach, potatoes, kale, mushrooms, and nuts.

Chloride: The mineral is related to sodium and potassium and is a component of stomach acid and bones. In addition, chloride regulates the water balance and is involved in the acid-base balance. A good source of chloride is table salt. You can also cover your chloride needs with foods such as salami, pork ham, kefir, milk or cheese.
Iron: is involved in the storage and transport of oxygen in the blood, blood formation and the regulation of numerous metabolic processes. The mineral is also important for brain development in children and adolescents. Menstruating women have an increased need. You can cover your needs with green vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, brown rice and other whole grain products or with animal products such as meat or offal.
Iodine: As an essential component of the thyroid hormones, iodine is involved in growth and maturation, heat production and energy metabolism. Iodized salt is a good source of iodine.
Fluoride is a component of bones and teeth, it promotes the development of tooth substance and inhibits the growth of caries bacteria. You can get fluoride from mineral water, fluoridated salt, or black tea.
Zinc: The trace element is a component of many enzymes and the antioxidant protection system, it is also involved in growth and development, influences hormone metabolism and the immune system. Because our body cannot store the mineral well, we depend on a continuous supply – for example through whole grain products, oatmeal, milk and milk products or meat.
Selenium protects against oxidative damage, influences blood clotting, is involved in thyroid metabolism and stimulates the immune system. You can cover your needs with potatoes, brown rice, peanuts, asparagus, wholemeal bread or hazelnuts.
Copper has many functions in the body. Among other things, it helps with the mobilization and transport of iron, protects against free radicals and contributes to the coloring of eyes, hair and skin. Nuts – especially cashews – salsify, artichokes and whole grains are good suppliers of copper.
Manganese supports the development of connective tissue, protects against free radicals and is involved in carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. Blueberries are a particularly good source, but blackberries, spinach, strawberries, kale or wholemeal rye bread also help to cover your daily needs.
Chromium supports the absorption of glucose from the blood and thus ensures a balanced blood sugar level. You can meet your needs with foods such as mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, spinach and tomatoes.
Molybdenum is a component of enzymes and is found in foods such as red cabbage, green beans, peas, peanuts and whole grain products.

Minerals vs. vitamins: A distinction

Both minerals and vitamins are micronutrients and very important for your body: They influence all life activities, so a deficiency can have serious consequences. But the fundamental difference between vitamins and minerals lies in their origin: vitamins are organic compounds in the body, while minerals are inorganic components.

You need both micronutrients for a healthy and functioning organism: Both vitamins and minerals are involved in numerous metabolic processes, they play a major role in the electrolyte and water balance, are for the immune system and for the structure and function of bones, muscles and teeth indispensable. They are also necessary for vision and the nervous system and are involved in blood clotting and in the processes of reproduction, cell division and differentiation.

Food

List of Kitchen Herbs: These Herbs Should Not Be Missing in any Kitchen

Fresh kitchen herbs unfold a much more intense aroma than dry spices – and you can grow them yourself. Here is our top 10 list for refining your food.

What would tomato and mozzarella be without basil leaves or pizza sauce without oregano? Freshly cut kitchen herbs give your dishes a lot of flavor. On top of that, you can be sure that no pesticides will get into your home-grown herb.

Top 10 list of kitchen herbs: treats with medicinal properties

There are hundreds of different kitchen herbs and so the list of personal favorites will vary greatly for everyone. The following selection of kitchen spices will give you inspiration for your own kitchen.

The biennial parsley is one of the most popular herbs in German kitchens. So that it does not lose its spicy-intensive aroma, it should be cooked for a maximum of a short time. The spice from the umbelliferae group is extremely rich in vitamins and is said to be good for the bladder and digestion. Parsley grows best in bright locations without direct sunlight. You should avoid waterlogging.
The strong, spicy chives not only refine dishes with their slight spiciness, but are also said to keep pests away in the garden due to their strong smell. For a bountiful harvest, you should remove the flowers regularly and divide the plant every spring as it needs space to grow.
Dill is a spicy-tart, slightly sweet kitchen herb. It is particularly suitable for the preparation of fish and salads. The annual umbellifer needs sufficient moisture for its growth and you can harvest it continuously from a growth height of 15 centimeters.
The refreshing, aromatic basil goes well with refining tomatoes and salads. However, the plants available in the supermarket usually do not last long because they are planted far too closely together in nutrient-poor soil. It is best to repot the basil into a larger pot or into the garden immediately after purchase.
Oregano is a staple pizza spice for most. The essential oregano oil can have an antibacterial effect on wounds. If you want to plant oregano yourself, you should pay attention to a warm and sunny place. As with all kitchen herbs, it is important to keep sufficient distance between the individual plants.
The spicy, slightly smoky thyme is particularly suitable for Mediterranean dishes and can help as a home remedy for coughs. Thyme likes it dry, sunny and occasional fertilization.
Mint not only freshens breath as a tea, but also gives sauces, marinades and desserts a piquant, spicy-fresh note. You can also use it for homemade lemonade. As a kitchen herb, it likes partial shade, well fertilized and moist.
Lemon balm leaves are known as a calming tea. But the lemony-tasting medicinal herb is also suitable for refining sweet and savory dishes. The perennial kitchen spice likes it sunny and nutritious. You should avoid waterlogging.

The sour-fruity taste of sage is ideal for vegetarian dishes. Sage also has an anti-inflammatory effect and is popular as a tea during the cold season. The spice likes it sunny and dry.
Lemongrass is a herb from Asian cuisine and gives dishes a lemony aroma. So that it grows well in the kitchen, you can use potting soil mixed with a little sand as a substrate. Lemongrass likes it bright and moist, but it does not tolerate waterlogging.

Food

Marmalade, Jam, Jelly: These are the Differences

Do we eat jam, marmalade or jelly for breakfast? We explain the subtle differences and solve the mystery of why there is hardly any jam left to buy. But all the more jam…

When we talk about spreading jam on our bread, we mostly use the word “jam” as a collective term for any fruity spread. But in the German-speaking area, the consistency of the processed fruit makes the small difference. Then it can also be called jam or jelly.

The jam is cooked from citrus fruits with sugar. The name probably comes from the Portuguese word “marmelo” for quince. In recipes that have been handed down, the quinces are boiled down to a mush and thus preserved as a supply. For example, if you cook raspberries with preserving sugar, you get raspberry jam, not jam.

Many jams are actually preserves

What we often refer to as jam in everyday language is usually actually jam. While in the past spreads with pieces of fruit were jams and spreads were jams, the latter is now only reserved for citrus fruit spreads.

The term jam comes from the French confiture. It derives from the Latin word “conficerem” or confectionery. Because even in ancient Rome, fruits were preserved with sugar. Even today we still often find this method to preserve fruit. In the Mediterranean area, whole figs are cooked in sugar syrup and eaten as a dessert.

Jelly is made from fruit juice

A fruit jelly is only made from fruit juice without solid fruit components. The name jelly refers to the gelling of the fruit juice with sugar by boiling it down. Currant juice, for example, is good for fruit jellies because it sifts out the small seeds.

By the way: You can still call your homemade jam that, regardless of how it is prepared. Because there are no naming regulations for your own production. The advantage of homemade jam: You can decide for yourself what kind of sugar goes in and use regional and seasonal berries and fruits.

German and English jam: EU wants to create clarity

The English terms “marmelade” and “jam” cause quite a bit of confusion. In English, “marmelade” is only made from citrus fruits, all other types of fruit are called “jam”. The problem: This English definition does not fit the classification according to the way the fruit is processed, as is the case in Germany, for example. Therefore, a separate EU jam regulation creates clarity with the terms in international trade.

The EU Jam Regulation is based on England and the term “jam” is reserved for products with citrus fruits:

Each kilo of jam must contain at least 200 grams of citrus fruits, peel, fruit pulp or fruit juice.
Jelly jam contains only citrus juice and no pulp.
Jam refers to all other types of fruit, regardless of how they are processed. The fruit content must be 350 grams of fruit pulp per kilo. There are exceptions for certain fruits, including black and red currants, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Here the proportion may also be less than 350 grams.
If it contains more fruit, it is called “extra jam”.
The EU regulation still stipulates that no extra jam may be made from melons, grapes, apples and pears.
There is no new definition for jellies. Jellies consist of 350 grams of fruit juice, if the proportion is higher, it is also called jelly extra. It remains to be seen whether Brexit will change anything in EU regulation.

Food

Beet Sugar, Cane Sugar and Raw Cane Sugar: These are the Differences

Which sugar is hidden behind beet sugar, cane sugar and raw cane sugar? We explain the differences between the types of sugar and give tips on what to look out for when buying.

Cane sugar, raw cane sugar and whole cane sugar

Cane sugar is obtained from sugar cane. Sugar cane is grown in tropical countries like Brazil, South Africa, Australia or Cuba. Three different types of sugar can be made from cane sugar. They differed in the degree to which they were refined.

Whole cane sugar: The first and healthiest level of cane sugar is whole cane sugar. The sugar cane juice obtained is only thickened, dried and then ground. This preserves the molasses with its valuable minerals and vitamins. It is also responsible for the caramel flavor and the brown color of whole cane sugar.

Raw cane sugar: This is the variant for which the sugar crystals are only refined once. As a result, a small part of the molasses is retained and is responsible for the slightly brownish colour.

Cane sugar: The white cane sugar has been subjected to the refining process until it no longer contains any molasses. It not only lacks the brownish colour, but also the healthy minerals and vitamins.

Beet sugar

Beet sugar: Beet sugar is almost identical to raw sugar. Both consist of sucrose and have the same chemical composition. Beet sugar is obtained from sugar beet – a regional product. Sugar beets are grown in Central Europe. You will not find raw beet sugar, which would contain a small amount of healthy minerals from the sugar beet juice, on the market because it has an unpleasant taste.

Cane sugar and beet sugar are refined

The processing of sugar cane and sugar beet is similar. First, beets or sugar cane are crushed and juiced at at least 70°C. This raw juice is then treated with lime, carbonic acid and filters to remove unwanted substances such as proteins or minerals.

By further, slow heating, the raw juice is thickened until sugar crystals form. This is the so-called raw sugar with the characteristic yellow-brown color. In order to turn it into beautiful, white granulated sugar, the sugar crystals are dissolved and crystallized again and again. This process takes up to eight hours and is called refining, which is why white sugar is also called refined sugar. It doesn’t matter which plant the sugar comes from. Cane sugar can also be refined and thereby form white crystals.

What to look out for when shopping for sugar

When shopping, you should first be aware that too much sugar is not healthy. It doesn’t matter whether it’s beet sugar, cane sugar or other types of sugar: 100 grams of sugar contain around 400 calories and no vitamins whatsoever. It is responsible for many diseases of affluence.

It is true that “unrefined sugar” contains more minerals. However, their total content is less than one percent. In order for you to have any health benefit from eating unrefined sugar, you would need to eat a few pounds of it. That would be anything but healthy. Because there is no refining, it can be considered more sustainable – and is therefore the better one.

Also, don’t fall for the misconception that brown sugar is healthier than white sugar. Oftentimes, brown sugar is just conventional white beet or cane sugar that has been colored brown.

Disadvantages of cane sugar are the long transport routes and land reclamation for the sugar cane cultivation areas. Beet sugar comes from sugar beets from the local region, but – like cane sugar – requires a lot of energy to process.

Uncategorized

Patent blue to sulfuric acid: These 9 E numbers are harmless

E numbers do not have a particularly good reputation. In fact, some of the food additives can cause problems. But not all E numbers can be lumped together, because there are also food additives that are completely harmless.

We usually associate bad things with E numbers and additives. The food industry uses them to change product properties and, for example, to make food last longer, which makes storage and transport easier.

Another frequent purpose of additives: The product should be “improved” optically or in taste by flavor enhancers and colorings. But E numbers are not all the same: while you should avoid some E numbers because they are suspected of triggering allergies, for example, there are others that you should be able to eat without hesitation.

What does the E in E number mean?

E-number is actually just another name for food additives that are approved in the EU – the “E” in “E-number” stands for “Europe”. Interesting: Up until 1993, only 265 E numbers were permitted in Germany. Alignment with EU legislation has meant that over 300 different food additives can now be used.

There are many different additives that are supposed to fulfill very different functions in food:

Antioxidants: prevent fats from going rancid and ensure longer shelf life.
Emulsifiers: combine substances that normally do not mix together, such as oil and water.
Dyes: make food more colorful and bright.
Thickeners: ensure the desired consistency of pudding or ice cream, for example.
Flavor enhancers: spice up the taste.
Preservatives: inhibit microorganisms and ensure a longer shelf life.
Sugar substitutes: used as a sugar substitute.

E-Numbers: Health assessment based on the ADI value

Extensive tests are carried out before an E number is approved. The so-called ADI value is determined: It describes the amount of an additive that a person can eat every day throughout their life without endangering their health.

The ADI value (acceptable daily intake = tolerable daily intake) is given in milligrams per kilogram of body weight and is usually determined by feeding experiments on animals. Because these results cannot be directly transferred to humans, the value from animal experiments is usually divided by 100 – so that only about one percent of the amount that was harmless to animals is permitted for humans.

At first that sounds like a safe, although unfortunately not animal-free, procedure. Nevertheless, not every health risk for humans can be ruled out in this way: For example, there can be interactions with medication, some people are particularly sensitive due to allergies, and with a very unbalanced diet, the ADI value can be reached or even exceeded. With some E-numbers, such health hazards are more likely – you should therefore avoid them.

The “good” E numbers

But not all E numbers are problematic: the consumer advice centers have evaluated all food additives to determine whether they pose a potential risk to health. The consumer advocates came up with a total of 153 harmless E numbers. So far, there are no indications of any health hazards associated with these additives.

In some cases this is not very surprising: Additives such as vegetable charcoal (E 153), carbonic acid (E 290), vitamin C (ascorbic acid, E 300), locust bean gum (E 410) and beeswax (E 901) sound harmless – and they are. With other E-numbers, one might think at first glance that they are not good for us, but in reality they pose no risk.

That doesn’t mean we recommend cramming tons of these additives into your diet, though – generally speaking, the less processed a food is, the better.

9 additives without risk

From the 153 E numbers that are considered harmless, we have selected nine particularly interesting additives, which we would like to introduce to you in more detail below.

E 131 patent blue V
Patent Blue V is – as the name suggests – a blue dye. Because of its strong color, patent blue V is mainly used as a coloring for fruit gums, glazes and beverages (keyword Blue Curaçao). The E number can hardly be absorbed in the stomach and intestines, the additive is largely excreted undigested and is therefore considered harmless to health.

E 150 B Sulphite caustic caramel
Caustic Sulfite Caramel is a plant-based brown colorant made through the use of lye and sulfur compounds. Caustic sulphite caramel is used to color alcoholic beverages such as whiskey and beer and foods such as sausages, cola, jams, condiments or sweets. However, the dye may not be used in organic foods, at least not as long as it is only used for coloring.

E 297 Fumaric acid
The E number is an acidifier found in every living cell. It is used for dry products such as custard powder, instant tea powder and confectionery production. The ADI value of fumaric acid is 6 mg/kg body weight, and there are also maximum amounts for certain foods: a maximum of 4 grams of fumaric acid is permitted per kilogram of pudding powder, and a maximum of one gram for instant powder for teas and fruit drinks.

E 356 sodium adipate
Sodium adipate is an acidulant and flavor enhancer with a salty taste. The food additive is used in convenience products such as baked goods, jelly desserts, and powdered drinks. Its ADI value is 0 to 5 mg/kg body weight and a maximum of 10 grams per kilogram can be used depending on the product. So far there are no indications of possible health hazards from E 356.

E 503 ammonium bicarbonate
This food additive is counted among the raising agents, release agents and acidity regulators – you may know it as “stag horn salt” from baking gingerbread. The E number is used in particular for baking powder and can be found in chocolate, cocoa products and coffee substitute products. There is no ADI value and no maximum quantity restriction for E 503, but the quantity specification applies quantum satis (“as much as necessary”): This means that the E number in a food is only added as much as necessary and as little as possible may be.

E 513 sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is an acidulant used in the production of spices, cheese and sugar syrup. The E number is also approved for organic products, there are no health concerns. As with the E number E 503, the quantity quantum satis applies to sulfuric acid: as much as necessary, as little as possible. Theoretically, the concentrated acid could lead to the destruction of body tissue – but such acidity does not occur in food.

E 586 4-hexylresorcinol
4-Hexylresorcinol is a color stabilizer that prevents crustaceans from turning brown. The E-number is only approved for crustaceans: Shortly after catching crustaceans, black spots can form – regardless of whether they are fresh, chilled or frozen crustaceans. This discoloration is neither harmful to health nor does it affect the quality of the marine life, but many people judge the discoloration negatively. 4-Hexylresorcinol inhibits the enzyme responsible for discoloration. Although the E number is considered harmless to health, frequent consumption is not recommended.

E 907 Hydrogenated poly-1-decene
Hydrogenated poly-1-decene is a separating and coating agent for confectionery and dried fruit. The E number is also used in the baked goods industry, where the substance ensures that cakes and bread can be removed from the mold after baking. In this case, hydrogenated poly-1-decene is considered a processing aid and not an additive and therefore does not have to be declared on the list of ingredients of the food. The maximum amount of the substance is limited to 2 g/kg and its ADI is set to 6 mg/kg body weight.

E 1505 triethyl citrate
This food additive is a carrier that is only approved for egg white powder and flavorings. It ensures that the aromas are distributed in the food and that the egg white can be whipped again if some egg yolk has gotten into it during mechanical separation. Although the E number is considered harmless to health, there are concerns among people with mold allergies.

Harmless E numbers: conclusion

Although all the additives mentioned – and many more – are classified as harmless, none of the E numbers mentioned sound particularly appetizing. The problem also applies to E numbers that are harmless to health: They are used in particular for (highly) processed foods – foods that we should generally avoid if we want to do something good for our health.

That’s why the Utopia conclusion is: It’s always worth looking at the packaging. If you lose your appetite just reading the synopsis, you should look for alternatives. As a Utopia reader, I hope you know that there are more than enough of them!