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Speculaas Cake: This Recipe Tastes Good Before and After Christmas

For the speculoos cake you can use old speculoos cookies. Even after Christmas, the creamy cake tastes irresistible. We show you a simple recipe with a vegan version.

The speculoos cake enchants with a fresh note of lemon and Christmas spices. Making speculoos yourself is very easy – so you can use your homemade speculoos cookies for the cake. Alternatively, you can use store-bought speculoos.

Tip: Use old speculaas for the cake to avoid wasting food.

In addition to the speculoos biscuits, the cake lives from the aromatic speculoos spice. Together with a little lemon and subtle sweetness, an irresistible cream is created that makes the cake special.

Serve the speculoos cake during the Advent season, on the Christmas holidays or in the following wintry weeks. Here you can find out how to do it safely.

Speculaas Cake: A simple recipe

When buying your ingredients, pay attention to organic quality. Organic seals such as Demeter, Naturland or Bioland assure products that are free from harmful substances such as synthetic chemical pesticides. This is how you protect the environment and your health. If possible, also buy products from regional production in order to avoid long transport routes with increased CO2 emissions.

Ingredients:

100 g butter
200 g speculoos
20 ml espresso
400 g vanilla yoghurt
200 g sour cream
2 tsp speculoos spice
2 ELA horn syrup
1Organic lemon: peel zest
1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground
1 handful of speculoos

Directions:

Put the butter in a small saucepan and let it melt over medium heat.
Meanwhile, crumble the speculaas biscuits into small pieces.
Mix the crumbly speculoos with the melted butter and espresso in a bowl.
Cover the bottom of the springform pan (diameter 23 centimeters) with the speculoos batter.
Tip: You don’t need to grease the base beforehand as the cookie mixture already contains butter.
Put the yoghurt and sour cream in another bowl. Mix them with the speculoos spice, the maple syrup and the zest of the lemon.
Spread the yoghurt mixture on the speculoos base and spread the cream evenly.
Place the speculaas cake in the fridge for two hours.
Decorate the speculoos cake with some cinnamon and crushed speculoos cookies before serving.

The vegan version

If you want to avoid animal products in your diet, swap out the following ingredients for a vegan alternative:

Speculatius: When buying speculoos, make sure that the biscuits are suitable for vegans.
Butter: Replace with vegan margarine or vegan butter. Coconut oil is also suitable, but changes the taste with its subtle coconut note.
Vanilla yogurt and sour cream: Instead of yogurt and sour cream, buy plant-based products like vegan yogurt. You can get a wide range of vegan alternatives to these dairy products in health food stores and well-stocked supermarkets.
You can keep the cake in the fridge for a few days. The speculoos cake tastes particularly good with hot chocolate or Christmas coffee.

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Persimmon: How Sustainable is This Fruit?

The persimmon is a breed from the persimmon. Here you can find out how the two fruits differ and how sustainable the persimmon is compared to the persimmon.

The persimmon is basically a persimmon fruit. The Spanish variety Rojo Brilliante is sold under the name Persimone or the brand name Persimon. Originally, the persimmon was created in the Valencia area through a natural crossing of local persimmon varieties. This resulted in some differences to the original kaki. However, both fruits still have a lot in common.

Both persimmon and persimmon are characterized by an intense color. Their orange flesh is a bright splash of color in desserts or salads. The nutrient-rich pulp of both varieties is a healthy addition in winter. As with the persimmon, the flesh of the persimmon is soft and sweet. This probably earned the kaki fruit the name “fruit of the gods”.

The persimmon differs from the persimmon

Despite the similarities, the persimmon also differs from the persimmon. Through further breeding, she received some new characteristics:

The shape: You can recognize the persimmon by its slightly elongated shape. The persimmon, on the other hand, is rather stocky and round.
The skin: While the skin of the persimmon is hard, you can eat it with the persimmon. You can bite into a persimmon like you would into an apple.
Tannic acid: With persimmons, you don’t have to wait until the fruit is almost overripe. Even the firm flesh of the persimmon is edible without any problems. The persimmon, on the other hand, has to be fully ripe and soft before you can eat it. A persimmon that is not yet (over)ripe leaves an unpleasant, furry feeling in the mouth. This comes from the contained tannins, the tannic acid. These plant substances literally pull your oral mucosa together: they astringent. In the case of persimmon, this astringent effect has been bred away. The proportion of tannic acid in the fruit is correspondingly lower.

Persimmon: The fruit is so healthy

Persimmon is not lacking in healthy nutrients either. It is in no way inferior to kaki. The consumer window Hessen lists the following ingredients, among others:

Beta-Carotene: Similar to carrots, persimmon’s orange color indicates that the fruit contains the pro-vitamin A. Vitamin A is then formed from this in the body. This vitamin is important for cell protection as well as for mucous membranes and eyes.
Vitamin E: Vitamins from the E group have an antioxidant effect. They protect the blood vessels and strengthen the immune system.
Vitamin K: This vitamin is necessary for blood clotting to function. Vitamin K also promotes bone formation.
Vitamin C: Although the persimmon contains vitamin C, it is not a vitamin C bomb. According to the Hessian consumer information, the content is about 16 milligrams per 100 grams. For comparison: the same amount of oranges comes to 50 milligrams.
Vitamins E and K and pro-vitamin A are fat-soluble vitamins. Therefore, your body can process the vitamins better in combination with some fat. For example, add cream quark to a fruit salad or drizzle some linseed oil over your fruit dessert.

The nutritional information from the breeders’ association adds:

Minerals and trace elements such as iron, manganese and potassium.
Sugar: According to the growers association, 100 grams of fruit contain 14.1 grams of sugar. The consumer window Hessen explains that due to the sugar content, the calorie content of 70 kcal per 100 grams of fruit is quite high for all persimmon varieties. The sugar is composed of glucose and fructose, the glucose-fructose ratio is 0.9:1. With this value, the fruit should be better tolerated in the case of fructose intolerance.

Conclusion: how sustainable is the persimmon?

Regionality

The persimmon ripens in southern Europe between October and January. During this time it also comes onto the market in Germany. Conventional persimmons usually also come from Spain or Italy in winter. Off-season, however, they sometimes travel halfway around the world before arriving in Germany. They then come from China, Australia or South Africa.

If possible, only add persimmon or persimmon to your diet in winter. At this time of the year, the fruits have a shorter transport route behind them, provided they come from Germany. This improves their CO2 backpack in contrast to persimmons in summer.

Organic quality

When shopping, pay attention to organic quality. With this careful cultivation, the fruits do not come into contact with pesticides, especially shortly before harvest or transport. This is important with the persimmon because you can eat the skin. In organic markets, for example, you can find persimmons on the fruit shelf during the winter months. At Quiero Naranjas, for example, there are persimmons with the EU organic seal.

Origin

With fruits with the registered trade name Persimon, you can be sure that they come from Spain. They usually bear the designation of origin “Ribera del Xúquer”. That’s the name of the river that flows through the vineyards near Valencia. According to the EU directive, the registered designation of origin protects agricultural products for the respective area – similar to mineral water or Greek olive oil.

According to information from the growers’ association, the river is a major source of water for the persimmon plantations around Valencia. The association describes the region as one of the most fertile agricultural areas in Spain. The information does not indicate whether additional irrigation systems are necessary.

All this does not make the persimmon a really sustainable fruit from regional cultivation. However, another argument in favor of the persimmon is that it is a good source of vitamins in winter. In central European latitudes, fresh local fruit is scarce in the winter months. For example, you can use stored apples or pears, regional winter apple varieties, as well as preserved compotes such as plum compote or quince compote. In summer and autumn, on the other hand, you have a wider selection of regional fruit. You can find out what’s in season in Germany when in the Utopia season calendar.

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Jackfruit Goulash: This Vegan Dish is a Success with this Recipe

The jackfruit goulash tastes just as hearty as its traditional counterpart – and without any meat. We show you which ingredients you can add to the plant-based alternative and present a recipe in more detail.

Jackfruit goulash is a hearty dish and goes particularly well with winter cuisine. You can also prepare vegan goulash with tofu or soy strips. The corresponding South Asian fruit is used in the jackfruit goulash. The recipe is quick to prepare and may even convince non-vegans. We will also tell you which ingredients are suitable in addition to jackfruit and what you can combine well with the goulash.

Jackfruit Goulash: Key Ingredients

For a successful jackfruit goulash, not only the aromatic taste, but also the right consistency is crucial.

Green, unripe jackfruit is particularly well suited as a meat substitute, as it is almost tasteless and the consistency is reminiscent of real pieces of meat. Buying jackfruit fresh is not that easy. You often have to be lucky to occasionally find them in well-stocked wholesale markets. Alternatively, buy canned green jackfruit. It serves the same purpose, lasts longer, and is easier to obtain.

However, jackfruit has to cover very long transport routes to get to Germany and therefore causes high CO2 emissions. Therefore, only use jackfruit occasionally in the kitchen. Local alternatives can include locally grown tofu, soy, seitan and lupine.

In addition to jackfruit, the insider tip in this recipe is the broth of sour, pickled cucumbers. The pickles give the jackfruit goulash a fine flavor that is very similar to the hearty meat goulash.

When buying your ingredients, always make sure that they come from organic farming. In this way you support sustainable agriculture that does not use chemical pesticides. You can get organic ingredients in organic shops or at the weekly market. Organic seals such as Bioland or Demeter are a good indication of sustainable purchasing.

Jackfruit goulash: recipe

Ingredients:

250 g canned jackfruit
200 g tomatoes
350 large peppers
1 piece onion
2 clove(s) garlic
4 tbsp oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
200 mlred wine, dry
700 ml vegetable broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
60 ml gherkin stock from pickles
6 large gherkins
1 pinch(s) of salt
1 pinch(s) of pepper

Directions:

Drain the canned jackfruit in a colander. If necessary, cut the jackfruit into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
Wash the tomatoes and peppers. Cut them into small cubes. Peel onion and garlic. Finely chop the garlic and cut the onion into thin strips.
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan. Fry the jackfruit in it over high heat for about five minutes.
Add onion and garlic to the jackfruit. Fry them for two minutes until translucent.
Heat the other 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan. Add the jackfruit and onions from the pan along with the tomato paste. Roast the ingredients in the pot for at least four minutes. Let the tomato paste roast well so that the aroma can develop.
Deglaze everything with the red wine. Add the vegetable broth, soy sauce and cucumber stock. Let the ingredients boil.


Put the tomatoes and peppers in the pot. Cook all ingredients for 20 minutes on low heat.
Cut the pickles into cubes and add them to the goulash five minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Season the finished jackfruit goulash with salt and pepper.
Serve the jackfruit goulash with fresh bread, potatoes or potato dumplings. Sprinkle some fresh parsley over the goulash as a garnish.

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Protein Diet: This is How You Can Implement It More Sustainably

The protein diet is intended to help you lose weight and at the same time prevent muscle breakdown. In this article you will learn what is behind the diet and how you can implement it sustainably.

The protein diet is particularly popular with athletes. It should help you lose weight and at the same time prevent the body from breaking down muscle mass in addition to fat. The body needs protein to maintain and build muscle. By the way, protein and protein are the same thing.

With the protein diet, you reduce the nutrients that are crucial for the production of body mass. These are mainly carbohydrates. They provide energy and prevent the body from breaking down fat. You can think of fat as your body’s emergency reserve. It only burns it when it can no longer provide sufficient energy from carbohydrates. So if you severely reduce the intake of carbohydrates, your body will burn fat.

A low-carbohydrate diet is also known as a low-carb diet. The protein diet thinks one step further: by consuming a lot of protein, you prevent your body from losing muscle mass.

Ask yourself beforehand: Why do I want to go on a diet?

Question the motivation behind your diet. Do you really want to do something for your health or are you driven by ideals of beauty that put you under pressure? Don’t get stressed. Your value as a human being is measured by your character, not the size of your waist.

Maybe you don’t need a diet at all to feel more comfortable in and with your body – you can get inspiration and tips for a healthy lifestyle here: Lose weight effectively: How it works healthy and sustainably.

After you become clear about your motives, you can also approach the diet with a deeper awareness. In the next sections you will find out what such a protein diet can look like and how it can be made as ecologically sustainable as possible.

Dangers and benefits of the protein diet

According to the consumer center, a protein diet in which you almost completely avoid carbohydrates (ketogenic diet) can have health disadvantages:

Dizziness, weakness and headaches may occur.
It also increases the risk of gout attacks and urinary stones.
So be sure to stick to the maximum of two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If in doubt, seek medical advice and clarify beforehand whether the protein diet is right for you from a health perspective!

It’s best to try to eat high-quality and good carbohydrates instead of giving them up completely. The German Society for Nutrition e.V. recommends a daily amount of carbohydrates of about 50 percent of the energy intake. The energy helps you in sports as well as in school or at work. A balanced diet is key here. Also: No diet can have a lasting effect if you don’t change your diet permanently and do sports regularly or get enough exercise.

However, a protein diet also has benefits for your health:

The egg white will help de-fat your liver.
It is also said that a detoxification process generally takes place during a diet. Nowadays, many foods in the supermarket are laced with harmful preservatives. Your body may be able to recover a bit from this on a diet.

Protein diet: Knowing how to be vegan

Protein is found in high concentrations in animal products such as meat, milk, cheese and eggs. However, you can still do without animal foods even in a protein diet. This can not only be tasty and healthy, but is also good for the environment. Factory farming is a major driver and, among other things, the cause of climate change and, particularly due to its intensive form, is partly responsible for insect mortality. The intensive consumption of animal products is part of the chain that threatens our future.

In addition, for you as an individual, a less animal-heavy diet means an investment in your health. In addition to protein, animal products also contain a lot of fat. In contrast to the “good”, i.e. unsaturated fatty acids, which are found in walnuts, for example, meat has a high proportion of “bad”, i.e. saturated fatty acids.

So you can use nuts and legumes for a high-protein diet.
Lentils, peas and beans are also very good sources of protein.

In many supermarkets there are now products that have an extra high protein and low carbohydrate content. Pasta, for example, usually contains a lot of carbohydrates. If you want to reduce this, it is better to use protein pasta. You can also buy protein bread.
By the way: When it comes to the question of the right time of day to eat, opinions differ. According to Sabine Holzäpfel, a consultant in the food and nutrition department of the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center, a hearty breakfast in combination with a less sumptuous evening meal is recommended. This is because the digestive system works harder in the morning than in the evening. There is also the option of intermittent fasting. For example, a meal can be completely omitted and the interval between meals promotes weight loss simply because of its length.

More important than time, however, is the calorie deficit itself. Your basal metabolic rate is what your body would use in calories every day without exercise. You can control your calorie deficit through exercise and nutrition.

Protein Diet: A Meal Plan

You can create varied menus with a focus on protein, fiber and good carbohydrates from the foods already mentioned and many others. A day of the protein diet could look like this:

Breakfast: (protein) rolled oats, chopped nuts and seeds with oat milk and a slice of protein bread/whole wheat bread with peanut butter and tomatoes and possibly a homemade protein shake
Lunch: Protein pasta/wholemeal pasta with lentil bolognese and lots of vegetables
Dinner: Lettuce with tomatoes, tofu and walnuts or a bean salad

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Study: This is How Much Greenhouse Gas Vegans Save

Anyone who eats vegan does something for the climate – and not a little: An ecologist from Oxford University has calculated how much greenhouse gas a single vegan person saves each year. The amount corresponds to several flights.

The meat industry is one of the most polluting sectors of all – this has been known for a long time. Livestock breeding and animal husbandry cause high greenhouse gas emissions, and an extremely large amount of agricultural land is lost for animal feed and animal farms. No wonder, then, that a diet without meat, milk, eggs and other animal products is more sustainable.

How much the vegan lifestyle actually brings, however, may surprise many. In 2019, the ecologist Joseph Poore from the British Oxford University calculated for the Spiegel magazine how many greenhouse gases a vegan in Germany is responsible for per year.

Vegans save eight flights

According to Poore, every person in Europe produces an average of eleven tons of greenhouse gases every year. Anyone who lives vegan saves two tons every year, including 670 kilograms of CO2. According to Der Spiegel, two tons of greenhouse gases correspond to about eight economy class flights between London and Berlin.

In his calculation, Poore assumed, among other things, that the production of vegan food requires significantly less agricultural land. Plants and trees that bind carbon dioxide can grow on the area, which is free thanks to Veganer:innen.

It is worth giving up animal products

The British ecologist and his colleagues published a comprehensive study on the subject last year. For the analysis, the research team evaluated data from 40,000 farms in 119 countries. According to the study, giving up meat and dairy has the biggest impact on our carbon footprint.

Even the animal products that have the least impact on the environment still cause more environmental degradation than the most unsustainable vegetables and grains. (More details from the study here).

The current calculation of the greenhouse gas savings of vegans shows once again why it is worth eating fewer or no animal products. However, for those who are used to eating a lot of meat or dairy products, the transition can be difficult.

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Bake a Crispy Pizza: This Trick Makes It Possible

If you want to bake pizza properly, you don’t need a stone oven. But there is a crucial trick how the pizza gets really crispy in the oven at home. We’ll tell you.

Baking pizza properly is an art in itself. A traditional Italian pizza has a crispy base and topped with fresh ingredients. The secret behind this is the preparation in the stone oven: a fire burns under the stone, which heats up its surface considerably. The pizza is then baked crispy brown directly on the hot stone.

But you can also imitate how a stone oven works at home. Most modern ovens have a setting where the pizza gets nice and crispy without burning. We’ll show you a simple trick to make pizza like it’s out of the stone oven.

Choose the right setting

In order to bake pizza properly, you should select the appropriate setting on your oven. So first familiarize yourself with the different oven symbols.

The setting, which mimics the brick oven, is convection with bottom heat. You can recognize this setting by the symbol of a fan with a line or a wave underneath it. This setting is perfect for properly baking pizza. It is baked crispy on the bottom, but only gently cooked on top.

Bake your pizza with this setting in the lower third of the oven at maximum temperature. Depending on the recipe, the pizza is ready in ten to twenty minutes.

If your oven does not have this setting, then alternatively bake the pizza at the maximum temperature on top/bottom heat. Place the pizza at the bottom of the oven. In this way, the heat comes directly to the dough and makes it crispy. The baking time also varies with this variant depending on the recipe.

By the way: This setting is also suitable for heating up pizza. The leftovers will still taste good the next day.

Pizza like from the stone oven: ideas for at home

With the right setting on your oven, you can also make a pizza with a crispy crust at home. It tastes especially good if you make the pizza yourself. Both the pizza dough and the pizza sauce are prepared quickly. Then choose your favorite ingredients and top the pizza with peppers, spinach, olives, cheese or fresh rocket, for example. Get inspired by these pizza recipes:

  • Cauliflower Pizza
  • Spinach pizza
  • Pizza Marinara
  • Arugula Pizza

Tip: Pizza as fast food does not have to be unhealthy. You can also bake a healthy pizza without yeast and white flour. We’ll show you how it’s done here: Fast and healthy pizza? It works with this ingredient.

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Vitamin D: This is What You Should Know About the Sunshine Vitamin

Vitamin D is extremely important for our body – and very popular as a dietary supplement. Their manufacturers like to suggest that it is absolutely necessary to use vitamin supplements to meet the vitamin D requirement. What’s behind it? We explain everything you should know about the vitamin.

Vitamin D actually describes a group of D vitamins, of which vitamin D3 is the most important variant. The fact is: our body can produce the fat-soluble vitamin itself with the help of sunlight, but can also absorb it from food. But is this combination enough to provide us with the “sun vitamin”?

What do we need vitamin D for?

Anyone who has ever broken a bone may remember the well-intentioned advice of their doctor that effervescent calcium tablets from the supermarket only help if you combine them with the “installation aid” vitamin D.

The vitamin is particularly responsible for

healthy bones
Strong muscles
strong immune system
Research is currently being carried out into whether vitamin D is also important to support certain functions of the cardiovascular system or to protect us from cancer. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) created an overview of the current study situation, according to which, among other things, the vitamin D status can have a positive or negative effect on the risk of respiratory infections.

How does our body absorb the vitamin?

Our body can produce vitamin D3 itself from the UV-B light contained in sunlight. All you have to do is go out in the sun with uncovered skin, i.e. without sunscreen, or stay outdoors long enough. How long depends on your skin color and the latitude where you are. Of course, the weather and the time of year and day also play a role. In our latitudes, vitamin D formation is possible from March to October, according to the Robert Koch Institute (Rki).

In any case, it is important to be outdoors regularly and to let the sun touch your skin. The recommendations range from 25 minutes a day (March to October) to five minutes several times a week. The Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR) writes: “It is recommended to expose yourself to the sun for a total of approx. 5 to 25 minutes per day with your face, hands and larger parts of your arms and legs uncovered.”

Important: Always keep in mind that staying in the sun for too long without sun protection can lead to sunburn and, in the worst case, to skin cancer. Therefore, do not stay unprotected in the sun for too long at a time.

Vitamin D in winter and vitamin D deficiency

The fact that the sun’s rays are lower in the winter months does not mean that there is an immediate deficiency in vitamin D. The body can store the vitamin D and use these reserves to compensate for the need in the winter months relatively well.

However, if you start the winter with a poorly filled vitamin D store, a deficiency can occur that has a harmful effect on our health. Certain diseases and medications can also inhibit the absorption of vitamin D3.

Vitamin D overdose: side effects

An overdose of vitamin D can only result from the wrong dosage of dietary supplements and vitamin D preparations.

Both Stiftung Warentest and Öko-Test have warned in recent years that vitamin D preparations are often overdosed and mostly unnecessary.

As far as the bones are concerned, the motto “a lot helps a lot” should not be assumed with the preparations, because an overdose does not lead to particularly strong bones, but on the contrary to a leaching of calcium from the bone substance and thus to osteoporosis.

The calcium released from the bones then accumulates in the body’s soft tissues and can thus impair the function of many important organs such as the heart, lungs, muscles, tendons and blood vessels. Kidney problems can also develop as a result, such as kidney calcification or the formation of kidney stones. In the long term, overdosing can even lead to kidney failure.

Other possible symptoms of a vitamin D overdose:

Constipation, abdominal pain and vomiting
loss of appetite and weight loss
high blood pressure
psychoses
headache
muscle and tendon pain
fatigue
confusion
dizziness

If you take vitamin D supplements, you should take these symptoms seriously because they can lead to serious physical impairments in the long term.

Daily requirement of vitamin D

Although vitamin D3 has such important functions in the body, a daily dose of just 20 micrograms is enough to cover our daily needs. However, it is possible to cover 80 to 90 percent of the daily vitamin D requirement in our latitudes by spending time outdoors, so that the requirement actually taken up with food (or with food supplements) is usually lower.

The BfR writes that an intake of 20 micrograms per day is only recommended “if the body does not produce vitamin D itself”.

With age, however, the body’s ability to produce the vitamin from sunlight decreases, but at the same time the need for it increases with regard to osteoporosis and mobility. It therefore makes sense for seniors to have regular medical examinations and advice on whether it is necessary to take vitamin supplements.

Unfortunately, the way we live today means that many Germans are not optimally supplied with vitamin D because they spend less and less time outdoors. But that doesn’t mean that you have to take nutritional supplements right away – and certainly not on your own.

The consumer center writes, citing a study by the Robert Koch Institute (Rki) from 2019: “Most Germans are far from a clinical vitamin D deficiency, which also has health effects.”

The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) only recommends vitamin D preparations if an improvement in the vitamin D status cannot be achieved either through self-synthesis or through diet.

Which foods contain the vitamin?

You can get around 10 to 20 percent of the vitamin D you need from food. Because it is fat-soluble, the sun vitamin is particularly found in

fatty fish such as salmon and herring
Liver (cod liver oil or beef liver)
egg yolk
Mushrooms, for example chanterelles and button mushrooms
Cheese like Gouda

There are also foods, such as dairy products and margarine, that contain added vitamin D.

Vitamin D test: for “reasonable suspicion”

Anyone who doubts that their own body is sufficiently supplied with vitamin D can have this tested by a doctor.

However, the BfR recommends: “Since a large proportion of the healthy German population cannot be assumed to have a vitamin D deficiency, the vitamin D supply should only be determined if there is reasonable suspicion of a deficiency situation or in persons at risk.”

In any case, before you reach for tablets or other preparations, you should have a vitamin D test done by your doctor. Like all dietary supplements, vitamin D preparations should really only be taken if a deficiency has been diagnosed by a doctor – otherwise you risk serious side effects.

Important to know: If the doctor considers the suspicion of a deficiency to be justified, the health insurance company will take over
cost of the test. According to Oko-Test, a test on your own account costs between 20 and 30 euros.

Anyone who just feels a little listless and tired in winter does not necessarily suffer from a vitamin D deficiency.

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Carotenoids: This is How You Get Them, Not Just From Carrots

Carotenoids are natural pigments that give carrots their orange color. They are also essential nutrients. Here you can find out what they can do and where you can find carotenoids.

Carotenoids and Vitamin A

Carotenoids are a whole group of phytochemicals. According to the medical portal DocCheck, over 1,000 different carotenoids are known in the plant world. The plant substance is fat-soluble pigments that color plants from yellow to red. The color of fruit or vegetables gives you an indication that they might contain carotenoids. Yellow, orange or red fruits and vegetables are usually rich in carotenoids.

But there are exceptions. Carotenoids can also be found in green leafy vegetables. Here the green leaf pigment covers the reddish carotenoids.

Of the numerous carotenoids in the plant kingdom, six are vital for the human organism:

  • alpha and beta carotene
  • lycopene
  • lutein
  • cryptoxanthine
  • zeaxanthin

Carotenoids – here they are contained everywhere

Of the carotenoids, beta-carotene is the most common in our food. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) explains that the body can process beta-carotene most easily.

You can find beta-carotene in a variety of different vegetables and fruits. According to the DGE, the following foods are good sources of the plant substance:

Vegetables: carrots, sweet potatoes or squash.
Fruit: apricots, honeydew melon, but also persimmons or persimmons.
Leafy greens: kale, spinach, or lamb’s lettuce.
These vegetables also contain essential carotenoids:

Tomatoes: they mainly contain lycpoin.
Paprika or chili: here the carotenoid capsanthin not only provides the color but also the spiciness. You can use the hot chilies in a peach chutney with tomatoes, for example.
Maize or einkorn: Maize and the ancient grain einkorn contain zeaxanthin. You can make a protein-rich snack yourself from roasted corn.
With these recipe ideas you bring the healthy carotenoids to the table:

Stuffed Pumpkin: A recipe with spinach and feta
Kale: vegetarian recipe ideas to cook at home
Tomato and polenta casserole: A simple recipe
Paprika vegetable recipe: This is how you prepare it deliciously
Oil or fat is an important ingredient when preparing meals containing carotenoids. Carotenoid is a fat-soluble plant compound. The fats make it easier for the body to absorb the substances. According to the DGE, 2.4 to five grams of fat per meal are sufficient. Fry the vegetables with a little oil or serve creamy quark with the fruit salad. The vegan solution is to add some linseed oil to the dressing.

The carotenoids are essential nutrients

Carotenoids are an essential nutrient for humans. The body needs the plant substances, among other things as a precursor for the vital vitamin A (retinol). The medicine portal Netdoktor explains that vitamin A is important for healthy bones, teeth and eyes. It is further involved in the structure of the skin and plays a role in the development of the fetus during pregnancy.

To ensure an adequate supply of the important vitamin A, the human body has two options:

Carotenoids from plant food – They are a precursor, also called provitamin A. The body then uses it to build vitamin A itself.
Get vitamin A from foods of animal origin. The organism of animals also builds vitamin A from carotenoids in vegetable feed. That is why ready-made vitamin A is already contained in cheese, milk or meat products, for example.

Carotenoids are much more than just a precursor to vitamin A. They themselves are also involved in important functions in the body:

One study found that the retina of the eye contains carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Beta-carotene is also necessary for vision.
Carotenoids strengthen the immune system and act as antioxidants. They help keep body cells intact. This is what DocCheck calls beta-carotene or lycopene in connection with cancer prevention. Studies indicate, for example, that lycopene could reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Carotenoids are part of the human pigment melanin and are therefore involved in the formation of the color of skin, hair and eyes. The pigmentation acts as a natural protection against UV rays.

Carotenoids in a vegan diet

The body can usually cover its vitamin A requirements well with the carotenoids from plant-based food. The DGE explains that there are no thanks for a vegan diet and healthy fat digestion.

But there are exceptions: If fat digestion is disturbed or you have problems with the pancreas, you should seek medical advice to be on the safe side. This also applies if you have an increased need for nutrients, for example if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Oversupply and undersupply of carotenoids

Don’t worry about oversupply. The DGE explains that too much carotenoid from natural sources is hardly possible. In addition, no health risks were found when carotenoids were ingested through vegetables and fruit. For this reason there is no limiting value.

On the other hand, there is a maximum amount for beta-carotene as a coloring agent (E 160a). It can be added to foods such as fruit juices, butter, margarine or cheese. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has set a minimum amount per day for this. The tolerable amount is six to 15 milligrams a day.

The DGE also points out that improper intake of high-dose vitamin A or beta-carotene in food supplements can cause long-term vitamin A intoxication (poisoning) with liver damage.

Vitamin A deficiency is extremely rare. According to the DGE, a deficiency in our latitudes can usually only be caused by illness. For example, in the case of chronic intestinal diseases or severe burns, the body has an increased need for vitamin A. Symptoms that can indicate a deficiency are very dry skin and mucous membranes as well as loss of appetite or night blindness.

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Food

Puccia: This is How the Apulian Bread with Olives Succeeds

Puccia is an Apulian bread and you can make it vegan or vegetarian. We show you how to bake the flatbread with olives.

Puccia comes from southern Italy, specifically Apulia, and is a type of flatbread. The dough often resembles a pizza dough and is supplemented with ingredients such as olives.

You can also buy ready-made puccia at some supermarkets. However, homemade pucce have no extra additives or preservatives and are therefore healthier, and you avoid packaging waste.

In order to use good quality food, pay attention to organic quality. Conventional olive oils in particular can contain harmful substances. Read the following article: Olive oil test: Convince discounter and organic oils. We can particularly recommend the organic seals from Demeter, Bioland and Naturland, as they follow stricter criteria than the EU organic seal.

Puccia: This is how the Apulian bread with olives succeeds

Ingredients:

130 g durum wheat semolina
500 ml water
50 g green olives
50g black olives
1 clove(s) garlic
400 g flour
40 g of yeast
50 g olive oil
5 g salt

Directions:

Pour boiling water into a bowl and stir in the durum wheat semolina. Let everything swell for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the olives into small rings and the garlic into small pieces.
Now put all the other ingredients in a new bowl. You should also add the garlic, you should wait with the olives so that they don’t fall apart when kneading.
You can break up the yeast into small pieces with your fingers and add them.

When the swollen durum wheat semolina has cooled down enough that you can easily put your finger in the bowl, add it to the other ingredients.

Now knead everything into a smooth dough. Finally add the olives and let the Puccia dough rise covered in a warm place for an hour.
Knead the risen dough again. If it’s too sticky, dust it with some flour if necessary.

Divide the dough into even pieces and form small flatbreads. They should be about ten centimeters in diameter.
Place the Puccia flatbreads on a baking sheet and place them on the middle of the oven. Place another bowl of water in the bottom of the oven to give the dough a nice crust. Bake the flatbreads at 160 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes. Note: Do not preheat the oven as this allows the dough to rise again before you bake it. It also saves energy and is better for the environment. Also read: Preheating the oven: useful or not?
To check if the flatbreads are done baking, you can take one out and tap the bottom. If you hear a dull, hollow sound, the Puccia are done.

Puccia prove: This is how the flat cake tastes particularly good

You can fill the Apulian flatbread as you like. There are no set ingredients or recipes. Italians often refer to Puccia as:

Mozzarella (you can also use vegan mozzarella)
tomatoes
basil
arugula
fried vegetables
So that the Puccia is not dry and tastes spicier, you can spread the halves with spreads or sauces:

homemade tomato sauce
pesto Rosso
Basil pesto
cream cheese
Make sure that you use organic food whenever possible. We also recommend that you shop seasonally and regionally. This is how you act particularly sustainably.

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Food

Pickling Red Cabbage: This is How It Stays Fresh

You can pickle red cabbage to significantly extend its shelf life. In this article we will show you exactly how to pickle red cabbage.

Red cabbage is a nutrient-rich winter vegetable and particularly contains vitamin C, vitamin E, dietary fiber, iron and phytochemicals. The colorful vegetables can be prepared in many ways – for example as red cabbage according to a classic recipe, as red cabbage salad or as red cabbage soup.

In this article, we would like to show you how to pickle your red cabbage and how to ferment it for at least six months. You only need two ingredients for the basic recipe.

We recommend that you buy organic red cabbage. In this way you avoid that it was grown with chemical-synthetic pesticides or artificial fertilizers. Because it can be stored well, you can get red cabbage from regional cultivation all year round.

Pickling red cabbage: A basic recipe

Ingredients:

1 kg red cabbage
20 g salt

Directions:

Remove the stalk of the red cabbage. Cut the remaining cabbage into the desired shape and size, for example into fine strips.
Place the red cabbage strips in a bowl along with the salt. Use about 20 to 25 grams of salt per pound of cabbage. Knead and mix the red cabbage strips well with the salt until the juice begins to escape. This creates a brine.
Leave the red cabbage in the bowl for one to two hours and then mix it up again.
Now fill the herb and liquid in portions into a swing-top glass with a rubber ring that holds 1.5 liters. When decanting, always press the cabbage down well so that as much air as possible escapes. The glass should be no more than three quarters full at the end.
Make sure the pickled red cabbage is completely covered with the brine. Weigh the red cabbage down with a fermenting weight, a small glass container, or a clean rock. Seal the jar and leave it at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for five to seven days.
If necessary, fill the red cabbage into smaller jars and keep them tightly closed in a cool place.

Tips for pickling red cabbage

In the following we would like to give you a few tips that can be helpful when pickling red cabbage.

It is best not to use screw-top jars. If you pickle red cabbage, gases are formed as a result of the fermentation. The resulting pressure could cause the glasses to burst. Some pressure can escape from glasses with swing tops and rubber rings. In addition, you can occasionally open the lid briefly during fermentation to release the pressure.
Make sure you use clean glasses and have a clean work environment overall. This will prevent harmful microorganisms from multiplying. You can sterilize the jars with boiling water, for example, before use. More about this here: Sterilizing glasses: The best methods with step-by-step instructions.
It is important that the red cabbage is completely covered with liquid. If the juice is not enough, you can make additional brine. Add 20 to 25 grams of salt to 1 liter of water or, if you need less, 10 to 12 grams to 500 milliliters. This can be especially necessary if you prefer to cut your red cabbage into larger pieces.
If you pickle red cabbage, you can play with other spices and ingredients according to your taste. In the second step, you can add chopped onions, diced apples or cumin, for example.

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