they

Pistachios are a healthy and tasty snack between meals. The delicious nuts contain many healthy ingredients. We’ll show you which ones.

Pistachios are healthy: the ingredients

Pistachios are delicious and have a long list of healthy nutrients. This includes:
Potassium (with 1005 mg vs. 393 mg almost three times as much as bananas!)
phosphorus
beta-carotene
Vitamin B6
thiamine
magnesium
These and other ingredients contribute to the fact that pistachios are very healthy:
Because pistachios have high bioavailability, the nutrients in the nuts are very easily absorbed in your stomach.
Pistachios have a lot of antioxidants and are therefore particularly anti-inflammatory. The nuts increase the level of the important antioxidant lutein in the human body, which is why they are also extremely good for your eye health.
The polyphenols and tocopherols in the small green seeds are even said to prevent cancer and heart disease.
If you want to lose weight, pistachios are an ideal snack for you: they have a lot of unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids and proteins, which has been proven to fill you up faster and help with weight loss. In one study, they significantly helped some overweight subjects with their diet.
But keep in mind that pistachios are very nutritious: 100 grams contain over 600 kilocalories. Therefore, you should not overdo it with them and rather consume them in smaller amounts if you want to lose weight.
Pistachios help with diabetes: they reduce triglycerides in the body, which are usually very high in diabetic patients. Intestinal bacteria, which are directly associated with type 2 diabetes, are said to be regulated by pistachios. Another study was even able to demonstrate a positive effect on blood sugar levels.
In general, pistachios have a good influence on your intestinal microbes. The short-chain fatty acid butyrate produced by the bacteria can not only prevent indigestion, but also prevent colon cancer.
Pistachios are high in healthy fats. The unsaturated fatty acids in nuts not only help you lose weight, they are also good for your heart and cholesterol levels. They have been shown to lower the unhealthy LDL cholesterol in your blood. Even young men who were already following a healthy Mediterranean diet were particularly good at pistachios: they also noticeably lowered their cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Pistachios and their risks

Although pistachios do not have any particularly harmful ingredients, they can become downright toxic if stored incorrectly: the investigative Swiss television program for consumer protection “Kassensturz” tested pistachios together with the sister station “À Bon Entendeur”. They discovered a high level of aflatoxins in half of the 14 different pistachio packs.

If pistachios are not stored dry, they can be attacked by mold. These convert into the dangerous, hepatoxic mold toxin aflatoxin. It can severely damage the liver and even lead to lung cancer.

Since pistachios are only dried slowly in the sun in Iran, for example, the risk of mold is high. The gentle process preserves the nutrients better and intensifies the taste, but unfortunately the moisture also makes the nuts more susceptible to mold. Of course, this can also happen in industrial production as soon as they are not stored dry enough.

In addition, the consumer protection magazines report that pesticides were also found in the tested products. For the most part, however, they are below the legal limit values – with the exception of two products: one Ültje product exceeded the legal values by a full 200%. However, Ültje blames this infestation on uneven distribution in the load. High levels of both aflatoxins and pesticides were also found in a Geneva market product.

Even if the products from the market often help small farmers or importers, they often mean less control than with large food manufacturers.

Background information on healthy pistachios

We know the pistachio as a tasty, green nut with a hard shell and a crunchy core. However, this nut is the stone fruit of the pistachio tree. More than 10,000 years ago, pistachios were cultivated in the Middle East, especially in Syria. There they are still a delicacy today, part of the long cultural history of many countries throughout the area:

For a long time, the pistachio was considered an exclusively royal delicacy that was withheld from the “common people”. But over time, it spread among travelers, merchants, and common folk. Because of its long shelf life and high nutritional value, it was popular with everyone. Over the years they conquered the entire world and came to us during the Middle Ages. The largest cultivation areas are found today in Iran, the USA, Turkey and China.

With us, the pistachios are mostly roasted and salted and eaten directly as a snack. In the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans, it is processed into a wide variety of delicious sweets: halva, baklava, maamoul or kunafah. These sinful pastries are usually created and processed with lots of sugar, honey, syrup and rose water. The pistachio serves both as a basic ingredient and for refinement. You can find many of these in oriental grocery stores.

But pistachios are also processed into various sweet specialties in Italy: the addition of pistachios gives the Sicilian almond pastry Pasta di Mandola an incredibly intense taste. Amaretti, cantuccini and cannoli are also often refined with pistachios.

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.

Food

Radishes: They Really are That Healthy

The healthy radishes are known to us as a spicy ingredient in many salads. But the spicy root vegetables can taste much more than just good.

A radish is a healthy root vegetable that belongs to the cruciferous family. Its botanical name is Raphanus sativus, but the vegetable is also sometimes simply called “radish”. The tuber, which is related to the radish, has a slightly pungent taste. It gives salads a light spiciness.

The most famous and commercially available variety of radish only measures up to four centimeters in diameter, is round, white on the inside and wine-red on the outside. However, there are different varieties of radishes, some of which are cylindrical, cone-shaped, or even white on the outside and reddish-pink on the inside.

Radishes grow quite quickly: they germinate after a week and can already be harvested after a few weeks. If you grow radishes yourself, you shouldn’t wait too long before harvesting them, otherwise they will become woody and taste unpleasant.

Cruciferous vegetables (lat: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae) are known to have positive health effects. But how healthy are radishes really?

Radishes and their healthy active ingredients

Radishes are 94 percent water and only have 14 calories. So you don’t have to worry about your preference for the spicy tuber starting.

The following main components make the root tuber so healthy:
potassium
folic acid
vitamin C
calcium
beta-carotene
mustard oil
The mustard oils contained in radishes are responsible for both the pungent taste of the tuber and numerous positive effects on your health.

The active ingredients in radishes have a healthy effect on your body in the following ways:
Anti-inflammatory: According to a study, radishes and other radishes are said to reduce the levels of inflammation in your body.
Diabetes: Positive effects were repeatedly observed in patients suffering from diabetes: radishes increased the antioxidants and reduced free radicals in the body. They regulate your blood sugar levels by inhibiting glucose absorption in your gut and have been shown to reduce your blood sugar.
Gastrointestinal problems: radishes are said to neutralize stomach acid. Therefore, they are said to help with occasional heartburn. However, if you have chronic problems with stomach acid, you should consider making lifestyle changes.
Gallstones: The mustard oil glycosides in radishes and radishes convert to mustard oil isothiocyanates in your body. A study has shown that these substances from black radish have a positive effect on the gallbladder: the active substances detoxify it and help to eliminate gallstones. This can also lower your cholesterol levels since cholesterol can build up in the bile.
Heart: Your heart also benefits from the reduction of “bad” cholesterol in your body: too high a cholesterol value increases the risk of arteriosclerosis. Additionally, several studies suggest a direct link between mortality from heart failure and low consumption of cruciferous vegetables such as radishes.
Liver: According to an analysis of various studies, the substances in cruciferous vegetables protect liver cells in liver diseases (such as liver cirrhosis). They are also said to be able to prevent liver cancer.
Cancer: According to a study, radish extract triggers faster cell death in cancer cells. The US National Cancer Institute explains that cancer research is very much focused on the study of cruciferous plants, since the substances they contain could even prevent the development of cancer cells: mustard oil isothiocyanates have been able to prevent lung cancer and esophageal cancer in animal experiments.

Food

Green Vegetables: That is Why They are Particularly Healthy

Light energy makes green vegetables an essential food. But why? The keywords from biology lessons are chlorophyll and photosynthesis.

Green vegetables contain more chlorophyll

Green vegetables are green because they contain a lot of chlorophyll. The name comes from the Greek words chloros (green) and phyllon (leaf). The fabric is also called leaf green.

Chlorophyll is a natural pigment produced by plants when they carry out photosynthesis. Through chlorophyll, plants absorb light energy and convert it into chemical energy.

According to researchers at the Max Planck Institute, photosynthesis is the biochemically most important process on earth, as it forms the basis of life and food for animals and humans. Plants could not survive without photosynthesis.

When you eat green vegetables, you absorb chlorophyll and other vital and health-promoting ingredients such as vitamins, nutrients, fiber, antioxidants and carotenoids.

Superfood chlorophyll – are green vegetables healthier?

Are green vegetables healthier than vegetables of a different color due to the phytochemical chlorophyll? More and more studies show that phytochemicals have a positive effect on human metabolic processes. This applies to chlorophyll as well as, for example, to flavonoids and carotenoids. Flavonoids impart red, blue, yellow, and purple coloring to many vegetables and fruits. Carotenoids are often found in green, but also in orange-yellow-red vegetables and fruit.

The German Society for Nutrition DGE therefore recommends taking in the widest possible range of secondary plant substances. And that in the form of vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts, seeds, potatoes and whole grain products.

The DGE advises against taking chlorophyll in high doses, for example as a dietary supplement in juices, powder or tablets. According to the DGE, the plant substances could be necessary “in the compound of a food” so that green vegetables can have a health-promoting effect. There are also no reliable studies to date on whether the preparations can lead to harmful side effects in excessive doses.

The variety of green vegetables in your kitchen

You probably eat green vegetables mostly as raw vegetables, as a salad, as a warm main course or as a warm side dish. Larger quantities can also be processed well in a smoothie, in pesto, herb butter and sauces. Here is a selection of green vegetables that you can find in almost every supermarket or market in your area:
Green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, rocket, spinach, purslane, nettle or chard
green fruit vegetables such as green peppers, cucumbers, zucchini or avocado
Green cabbage such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, or savoy cabbage
green onion vegetables such as spring onions, leeks or wild garlic
green legumes such as beans or peas
Herbs such as parsley, lovage, basil, dill, chervil, tarragon or mint
the green of vegetables such as radishes, kohlrabi or carrots
green sprouts or green asparagus plants

Food

Alfalfa Sprouts: They Really Are That Healthy

Alfalfa sprouts often end up as a topping on the salad. Here you can find out whether the small seedlings are really that good for your health.

Origin and active ingredients of alfalfa sprouts

Alfalfa sprouts are the germinated seeds of a popular forage crop, lucerne. Alfalfa is a legume and originally comes from Asia, where it has been cultivated for many centuries. The name alfalfa means something like “father of food”, which is very apt given the many nutrients it contains. The alfalfa sprouts contain, among other things:
lots of plant-based protein
Vitamin A, strengthens eyesight and skin
Vitamin B1 and B6, important for the nervous system and a well-functioning metabolism
In addition to the immune system, vitamin C also promotes fat metabolism
Vitamin E protects the body from free radicals
essential amino acids such as tryptophan and tyrosine 7
lots of magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc and phosphate
Furthermore, alfalfa is characterized by the large amounts of antioxidants and chlorophyll. Antioxidants also help scavenge free radicals, while chlorophyll balances acid-base balance.

Saponins for a strong immune system

Perhaps one of the greatest health benefits of alfalfa sprouts is their high saponin content. Saponins are particularly useful for the intestines because they have an anti-inflammatory effect and strengthen the intestinal flora. According to some studies, saponins can also prevent some cancers and ensure a strong immune system.

These modes of action are also attributed to saponins:
Saponins ensure that harmful bacteria are combated and bacteria that are beneficial for the intestinal flora are encouraged to grow.
Saponins bind cholesterol in the intestine. As a result, they do not get into the bloodstream as quickly.

Alfalfa sprouts as a remedy for autoimmune diseases

In autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus, the body’s own defenses turn against the body. The antibodies then inflame the tissue and organs. In medical tests, these symptoms could be reduced by saponin. Therefore, alfalfa sprouts might actually be helpful for treating such diseases.

Preparation of alfalfa sprouts

It is best to always buy organic alfalfa sprouts. But you can also easily draw them yourself. After you have briefly rinsed the fresh sprouts with water, you can use them in many different ways:
Sprinkle raw sprouts on bread with cream cheese or hummus for a healthy topping.
Mix alfalfa with some quark and you have a delicious dip for vegetable sticks.
Top off a tasty salad with a few alfalfa sprouts.

Food

Isotonic Drinks: Effect and How Useful They Really Are

Isotonic drinks are designed to provide athletes with energy and important minerals in a particularly effective manner. However, only a few of the commercially available isotonic drinks can do this – and there are healthier alternatives.

For many people, isotonic drinks are part of sport, after all they are supposed to supply the body with energy, liquid and sweated-out nutrients. In particular, the electrolytes sodium, potassium and magnesium are lost when you sweat.

Your body usually has a certain level of these minerals. When a drink has the same concentration, it is said to be “isotonic”.

Isotonic drinks: how they work

In order to understand what is special about isotonic drinks, you have to deal with the phenomenon of “osmosis”. Imagine a cell in the human body: It is separated from the environment by a cell membrane. On both sides of the membrane is water (after all, we are mostly made of water) in which minerals such as sodium are dissolved. If the concentration of these minerals is different on either side, this is compensated for by drawing water to the side with the higher concentration. This process is known as “osmosis”.

Now let’s apply this to an isotonic drink: since it has the same nutrient concentration as our body, it can pass through the digestive tract without the body having to dilute it with water. With a hypertonic drink (e.g. cola) it would be different: the body would have to compensate for the high nutrient content by diluting the cola with water in the digestive tract. This would temporarily remove liquid from the blood and the digestive tract would have to work harder.

Isotonic drinks, on the other hand, get into the blood quickly and easily. There the contained sugar and the electrolytes are transported to the cells. Isotonic drinks quickly provide energy and important minerals.

Isotonic drinks: do you need them?

According to experts, as long as you only exercise moderately (i.e. less than about an hour at a time) you do not need isotonic drinks – it is sufficient if you quench your thirst with water.

The situation is different in competitive sports: if you do intensive sports for several hours, you should fill up your electrolyte stores. Studies also show that sugar helps maintain performance.

Food

Sulphites in Wine: Are They Unhealthy?

Sulfites in wine are always the subject of health discussions. Here you can find out exactly what the sulfur compounds are all about and how harmful they actually are.

What are sulphites?

Sulfites are sulfur compounds, more precisely salts containing sulfur dioxide. In the food industry, sulfur dioxide and sulphites are particularly well known as preservatives. Sulfurizing is considered one of the oldest preservation methods as it effectively prevents the formation of fungi and bacteria that drive the mold process.

Sulfites are also declared as antioxidants. This means that they prevent the flavors and vitamins of a food from degrading. They also counteract discolouration. This is why most dried fruits are sulphurised: the food industry guarantees that they retain their intense color and therefore look more appetizing.

Sulfites must be declared on the list of ingredients from a quantity of ten milligrams per liter (or kilogram) (the approval regulations for sulfur dioxide apply). They are listed under the E numbers E220 to E228. In addition to dried fruit, sulfur compounds are used in many other foods:
Chips, crackers & Co.
Jams & Jellies
ready meals
fruit juices
condiments
Fruit and vegetables in a glass
Wine
Note: Sulfites are not to be confused with sulfides. Sulphites are the salts of sulphurous acid while sulphides are the salts of hydrogen sulphide. They are also found as an additive in food. In their natural form, they are found as secondary plant substances, for example in onions, leeks or garlic.

Sulfites in wine: Harmful or harmless?

Wine is the most well-known area of application for the sulfur compounds, since sulphites often occur in relatively large quantities in wine. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that sulphites are formed naturally during fermentation. To preserve flavor and color, however, winemakers add most of it in the form of aqueous sulfite solutions, sulfur powders, or sulfur gases.

The rule of thumb is that red wine usually contains fewer sulphites than white wine. The same applies to dry wine in contrast to its sweet counterpart. In the EU, there are certain guidelines that do not allow wines with too high a sulfite content. The maximum values vary depending on the type of wine.

People who suffer from asthma or other chronic respiratory diseases should also be careful when consuming sulphites. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), excessive amounts can aggravate existing symptoms and trigger other allergic reactions.

If the recommended maximum amount of sulfite is greatly exceeded, this can lead to nausea and sometimes long-term health damage in all population groups, according to the BfR.

Is there wine without sulphites?

Since sulfites are naturally present in wine, there are no sulfite-free wines. However, there are a few wineries that offer wine without artificial sulfite additives. There are no explicit seals for this so far. Sulfites may also be added to organic cultivation.

Therefore, find out about the composition of the wine on websites or in wineries or wine shops in your area.

Food

Store Strawberries Correctly: This Way They Stay Fresh Longer

Strawberries are very delicate and perishable. Therefore, it is important to store strawberries properly. You can find out here how they stay fresh the longest.

Freshly picked strawberries are very aromatic and rich in vitamin C, folic acid and other important nutrients. Unfortunately, they are also easily perishable and quickly lose their aroma. That’s why you should always buy them fresh from the region or pick them yourself. In addition, it is important that the strawberries are not crushed during transport and get fresh air.

It is best if you store the strawberries at room temperature and eat them the same day. Since water strips the flavor of the fruit, wash it and remove the stems and leaves just before eating. You should always cut out bad spots immediately, as mold in strawberries spreads quickly due to the high water content.

Store strawberries in the fridge

Strawberries will keep in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to two days if you store them properly. For this it is important that you keep the strawberries unwashed in the fridge. Additional moisture would cause the fruit to spoil faster.

So that the strawberries get enough air, it is best to put them in a large sieve. But be careful not to stack them too high. It also makes sense to line the bottom of the crisper with kitchen paper, as it will absorb excess moisture. If you don’t have a large colander, you can store the strawberries on a large plate or tray lined with paper towels.

Freeze strawberries

If you want to store the fruit longer, you can also freeze the strawberries. Unfortunately, they get a bit mushy when defrosting, but you can still make a delicious strawberry sauce or a smoothie out of them, for example.

Tip: In order to be able to portion the fruit better later, you can freeze them individually before you freeze them properly. To do this, place them on a tray or large plate and freeze them for a few hours. Then fill them together in a freezer.

canning strawberries

Instead of freezing them, you can also cannish the strawberries. It works like this:
Wash the strawberries thoroughly and remove the pulp.
Place them in clean, boiled mason jars.
Boil water with sugar in a ratio of 3:1 in a saucepan.
Allow the resulting sugar water to cool.
Pour the sugar water over the strawberries up to the rim of the jar and seal tightly.
Now you boil the jars. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can also do this in the oven:
Place the mason jars on the rack in the oven.
Fill a baking sheet two inches high with water and slide it onto the rail under the rack.
Heat the oven to 130 degrees until the water on the tray starts to boil.
Turn off the oven and let the jars cool in the oven for about 30 minutes.
When the jars have cooled, you can remove them from the oven, label them, and store them in a cool, dark, and dry place.

Food

Nori Algae: They Really are That Healthy and Sustainable

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

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

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

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

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

Nutritional values and ingredients of nori seaweed

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

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

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

This is how nori seaweed is grown

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

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

How sustainable is nori seaweed?

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

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

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

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

Food

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.