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Animal Rennet: What The Term Means For Cheese

Animal rennet is found in many foods where you wouldn’t expect it – always a challenge for vegetarians. We tell you what rennet has to do with cheese and what alternatives there are.

If you eat vegetarian or vegan, it is particularly interesting for you to know which foods contain animal products – and whether they come from dead or living animals.

What is animal rennet?

Animal rennet is a mixture of different enzymes that occurs naturally in the gastric mucosa of young calves and other ruminants. The special enzymes break down the milk protein so that the milk thickens. This is the only way the calves can digest their mother’s milk. Since this is also true for humans, animal rennet is often added to dairy products to make them easier for us to digest.

If you eat vegan and completely avoid dairy products, animal rennet is not a problem for you, as it is only used in dairy products. If you follow a vegetarian diet, you must decide for yourself whether obtaining animal rennet is compatible with your lifestyle.

How is animal rennet obtained?

In order for animal rennet to be processed into food, it must be extracted from the stomachs of ruminants.

Since rennet is naturally there to make breast milk digestible, each mammal has a special rennet enzyme that is tailored to its own breast milk. In Europe, most dairy products come from cows, which is why rennet from young calves is often used in our food, but also from sheep or goats. The rennet quality is better the younger the animal was. This is because young animals drink a lot of breast milk and produce more rennet.

In order to use animal rennet for food, the animal stomachs are placed in a special solution – this is how the enzyme is released from the mucous membrane. It is then cleaned and preserved in several steps. All that remains is the enzyme and no stomach or other meat parts – the stomachs themselves, however, can only be taken from dead animals. The calves are not killed specifically for rennet – instead, the stomachs of animals slaughtered for meat production are used.

Animal rennet in cheese

Animal rennet breaks down milk proteins and allows milk to thicken without turning sour. It is precisely this property that is needed to produce sweet milk cheese – this includes most types of hard and semi-hard cheese. Many types of cheese only get their typical consistency with the help of rennet – without rennet they probably would not exist.

Are there alternatives to animal rennet?

There are some plant enzymes that work in a similar way to animal rennet. They are found in so-called rennet herbs, but also in the juice of papaya, pineapple or fig trees. However, they are only used for a few types of cheese because they affect the taste too much.
Rennet substitutes are often used in cheese production. These substances are often obtained by fermenting certain molds with microorganisms. In addition to moulds, however, these microorganisms also feed on other nutrient media that are not always vegetable.
Another alternative to animal rennet is an enzyme produced by genetically modified microorganisms. The genetic information from the mammalian stomach is implanted in the microorganisms so that they produce enzymes that are as similar as possible to animal rennet. However, there are currently no long-term studies on how GM foods affect our bodies – so GM foods should be treated with caution. This rennet alternative is not approved for organic food.

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Jackfruit: a Delicious Meat Substitute – But What About The Ecological Balance?

A new hype for vegetarians and vegans comes from the tropics: jackfruit conquers the palate as a meat substitute. We show how useful the fruit is as an alternative to meat and where you can already buy jackfruit.

Jackfruit grows in the tropics around the world and is usually eaten ripe and sweet in its countries of origin. Depending on the variety, a single fruit can weigh up to 35 kilos. The jackfruit tree can grow up to 20 meters tall, but bears its fruit on the trunk, making it easier to harvest. If you cut open the ripe fruit, a milky juice comes out that is reminiscent of glue. No wonder, because it belongs to the mulberry family – like the rubber tree (Ficus), which has the same sticky property.

In its countries of origin, the ripe jackfruit is served as a sweet dessert or eaten as a snack; similar to bananas, it is often dried into crispy chips. The kernels are also used: either dried and ground into flour or roasted as an addition to savory dishes.

Jackfruit has recently been rediscovered as a meat substitute. However, this is less so in their countries of origin than on the plates of vegetarians and vegans in western countries.

Jackfruit as a meat substitute

In order to use the tropical fruit as a substitute for meat in hearty vegetarian or vegan dishes, it must be harvested unripe. When ripe, their taste is reminiscent of fruit gum and would be out of place in goulash. Raw, however, the unripe fruits are inedible and hard, only their further processing makes them the fine-grained substitute for beef, pork or chicken.

In order to give the jackfruit tree enough strength to let a few jackfruit grow big, sweet and juicy, some smaller fruits are knocked off the tree unripe in the course of fruit growth. Every hobby gardener knows the method of “cutting out” the native tomato plants, every winegrower does the same thing in his vineyard on the vine.

Instead of disposing of these sorted unripe fruits, they are placed in brine for the local market or, more recently, processed into meat substitutes for export to western industrialized countries. The unripe, fibrous flesh is almost tasteless and can therefore be marinated to taste.

If the fruit pieces are cooked in a marinade and then seared, they are very reminiscent of meat. The crust also creates an almost perfect optical illusion. After all, it is the spices that determine the taste of meat.

Where can you buy jackfruit?

If you want to get started right away to conjure up a vegetarian goulash, a tender vegan “pulled pork” or a juicy burger, you won’t find what you’re looking for in every supermarket right away. Most of the canned or frozen pulp sold in Asian stores was harvested ripe. It tastes delicious, but it is only good as a fruity dessert, not as a hearty ingredient in meatless dishes.

If you are lucky enough to have the list of ingredients translated by the sales staff or do some research, you can also find unripe jackfruit pickled in brine in Asian, mostly Indian grocery stores. You can also find canned unripe jackfruit online. But before they can be used as an alternative to meat, they have to be cooked until soft by heating.

Jackfruit as a meat substitute: nutritional values ​​similar to potatoes

Jackfruit actually mimics the fibers of meat in texture, and with spices it’s possible to create not only a similar mouthfeel, but an almost identical taste. However, the jackfruit has less to do with the nutritional values ​​of meat. No wonder, given its high carbohydrate content, it is often served straight from the home garden as a substitute for rice in its countries of origin.

Nevertheless, jackfruit suppliers like to advertise their natural product with claims such as “nutrient-rich”, “rich in minerals”, “high in fiber”, “high in potassium”, “high in calcium and magnesium” and other advantages.

Basically, these statements are not made out of thin air, but a comparison with local food is worthwhile to decide for yourself whether it is really worth importing a jackfruit over thousands of kilometers (each per 100g):

Potassium: jackfruit 407mg; Potatoes 384mg, pumpernickel 192mg
Magnesium: Jackfruit 37mg; potatoes 22mg; Pumpernickel 54mg
Calcium: Jackfruit 27mg; potatoes 7mg; Pumpernickel 24mg
Protein: jackfruit 1.1g; potatoes 2g; Pumpernickel 4.84g
Fiber: jackfruit 4.15g; potatoes 1.56g; Pumpernickel 8.83g
While jackfruit’s reputation as a super-healthy meat substitute isn’t false, it’s also a bit blatant. As with avocados, the following therefore applies: only those who really use it to replace meat are actually better off ecologically. If you only put it on your plate for trend reasons or for alleged superfood nutritional values, you will find more ecological alternatives. (With this and other nutritional information, it should be remembered that the degree of ripeness, preparation methods, etc. also have an influence on the nutrients contained.)

Jackfruit instead of soy?

So far, the most popular meat substitute products have been protein-rich specialties made from tofu or seitan. The consistency of seitan is also somewhat similar to that of meat, but it is not suitable for people who suffer from gluten intolerance (celiac disease) or who want to avoid gluten.

Soy itself is a higher quality source of protein than meat, but not everyone likes it, has a different texture than meat and, depending on its origin, has been criticized for contributing to the deforestation of tropical forests or for being made from genetically modified soybeans.

The jackfruit’s path to success seems almost pre-programmed: it is gluten-free, has nothing to do with genetic engineering, offers an extremely meat-like mouthfeel and contains little fat. Green light for the jackfruit BBQ? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple…

Allergy to jackfruit

It’s not well-documented yet, but there is a risk of immediate allergic reactions with jackfruit. So if you are allergic anyway, you should definitely start small. Cross allergies are possible, for example, in allergies to nuts and birch pollen.

Transport routes worsen the ecological balance of the jackfruit

Those who do without meat or animal products often do so for ecological reasons. Not only the love of animals is decisive, but also the knowledge of the catastrophic ecological balance of animal-based foods is leading more and more consumers to eat vegetarian or vegan.

And that’s exactly the catch with the new meat substitute: Because the jackfruit only thrives in the tropics (especially India and Bangladesh), it already has a significant carbon footprint when it comes to our stores. Irrespective of whether it is shrink-wrapped, preserved in cans or transported and sold deep-frozen: the fruity meat alternative has already used up a lot of fossil fuels before it is eaten.

We do not yet have any publicly available data on the precise CO2 emissions from jackfruit. Nevertheless, one should at least question the jackfruit from an ecological point of view. The life cycle assessment of regional, seasonal vegetables is probably better when consumed daily.

Because jackfruit is just about to become the new star among vegans and vegetarians, there are only a few farms that cultivate the fruit according to the guidelines of organic cultivation (see above: Buy jackfruit: preferably organic). On the positive side, jackfruit is typically grown in mixed cultures.

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Coffee Types at a Glance: What You Should Pay Attention to When Buying

Whether cappuccino, espresso or americano – coffee is more popular than ever. We give you an overview of the most important types of coffee and show you what is important when buying one.

For many, coffee is the pick-me-up in the morning or the obligatory conclusion to a delicious meal. Coffee is very popular: around 0.4 l of coffee is consumed per person per day. The selection on the coffee shelves in supermarkets is correspondingly large.

We explain to you:
what types of coffee there are and how different types of coffee are made from them
how coffee is grown
what problems there are in the conventional coffee trade and
what you as a consumer should pay attention to when buying coffee.

Overview of the types of coffee: Coffea Arabica at the top

There are over 100 different types of coffee worldwide, which differ in their biological basis.
With a share of around 70% in the global coffee trade, Coffea Arabica is by far the dominant type of coffee. It is characterized by a comparatively low caffeine content and its characteristic aroma. In areas with a tropical climate, Arabica is mostly grown at high altitudes. The largest growing areas are in Brazil, Colombia and Central America.
Compared to Arabica coffee, Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) is significantly more resistant and faster-growing. With a market share of almost 30%, this gives it second place among the most traded types of coffee worldwide. However, it has higher acidity and tastes less aromatic, which is why it is often used for the production of cheap coffee.
Other types of coffee such as Liberica and Maragogype only have a very small market share. The Maragogype bean is particularly low in acid and has a low caffeine content. The Liberica bean, on the other hand, has a tart aroma and a comparatively large amount of caffeine.
Within the different types of coffee, there are a large number of subtypes that differ in their characteristic taste and contribute to coffee diversity.

Type of coffee is not the same type of coffee

But how is it that we basically only have two different types of coffee, but can’t decide on the coffee shelves because of all the different types of coffee? The type of coffee is only the basis of the different types of coffee, the variety of varieties results from different cultivation conditions and manufacturing processes:
The soil and the climate influence the ripening process and thus the taste
After harvesting, there are various methods of separating the coffee beans from the pulp and drying them
Roasting time: espresso beans are roasted much longer than coffee beans
Often certain types of coffee are so-called blends, i.e. a mixture of different types of coffee. The mixture creates new flavors or ensures that certain types of coffee always taste exactly the same.

Is expensive coffee good coffee?

We can answer this question with a conditional “No”, because unfortunately it is not that simple. While high-quality coffee tends to be more expensive than lower-quality coffee, price is not a guarantee of high quality or environmental friendliness.

The coffee variety Kopi Luwak, for example, is relatively expensive, but highly questionable from an environmental point of view. These coffee beans travel through the digestive tract of civets, giving them their characteristic aroma. However, the civets are kept in cages in questionable circumstances and are often fed only coffee beans, leading to severe nutritional deficiencies.

Pure coffees that come from a specific growing area and are not mixed with other beans often have a higher price. As a consumer, you know where your coffee comes from and you usually get high-quality coffee beans.

Risks and problems in conventional coffee cultivation

The cultivation, harvesting and processing of coffee is very labor intensive and expensive. The conventional trade in coffee has some problems:
80% of coffee is produced by small farmers who own less than 10 hectares of land. The small farming families have low harvest yields
About half of the coffee market is dominated by international roasting and trading companies. These determine the price, in which the coffee farmers have no say.
Increasing costs for cultivation and pests, which are increasingly occurring as a result of climate change, pose major problems for coffee farmers.
In addition, coffee is often grown in monocultures, which are treated with pesticides

Less is more – why coffee should be a (rare) luxury food

In view of the high level of coffee consumption, we would like to point out at this point that coffee production uses a lot of water. For the production of 1 cup of coffee 140 liters of water are used (the so-called virtual water). Very large quantities of coffee are traded worldwide, so that 6% of the virtual water traded globally is just coffee. Although coffee is grown in rainy tropical regions, climate change can increasingly lead to droughts, which means that the lack of water has to be compensated for by artificial irrigation. Coffee production is therefore very resource-intensive.

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Einkorn: What Makes This Ancient Grain so Special

Thousands of years ago, our ancestors valued einkorn for its nutritious properties. Find out here what special features the grain has and why it is so healthy.

What is einkorn?

Like emmer and spelt, einkorn is one of the ancient grains. It rightly bears this name, since einkorn was used as a food in Asia 7,000 to 10,000 years ago. From there it came to Europe and became an important food here for a long time. However, since it is not as productive as wheat, it was less and less cultivated until it was almost completely forgotten.

Now, however, the grain is making a comeback. It is not only its health benefits that put einkorn back in the limelight, but also its suitability for organic cultivation. Since it is very resistant to pests, there is no need to use chemicals to keep them away. In addition, einkorn is relatively undemanding and grows on rather poor soil without artificial fertilizers.

Today, einkorn is once again being cultivated in some European countries, such as Germany, Austria, Italy and Turkey. Incidentally, the ancient grain bears the name “Einkorn” because only a single grain grows from each spindle on its ears – in contrast to most other types of grain.

What makes einkorn so healthy?

Einkorn is considered a healthy alternative to wheat because it contains significantly more micronutrients. For example, it is rich in minerals and trace elements such as magnesium, copper, manganese, zinc and iron. It also contains many essential amino acids and, like all whole grain products, valuable fiber.

Einkorn is also easy to digest and can therefore be eaten as part of a light diet. For people with a wheat allergy, the grain may be a good alternative.

The ancient grain owes its slightly yellowish color to its high beta-carotene content. Einkorn is said to have the highest carotene content of all types of grain. On the one hand, beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body and as such fulfills vital functions. However, it also acts as an antioxidant against excessive levels of free radicals in the body.

What is einkorn used for?

Einkorn has a slightly nutty and sweet aroma. Many baked goods and pasta made from einkorn, such as bread, pasta or cakes, are now available, especially in organic shops and health food stores. However, you can also just buy it as flour and get creative in the kitchen yourself!

If your morning porridge is too boring for you, you can use einkorn semolina to make an equally delicious and nutritious breakfast porridge. You can also refine salads and Buddha bowls with sprouted einkorn.

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Kamut: What You Should Know About Khorasan Wheat

Long forgotten, the virtues of Kamut are now being rediscovered. The old type of grain is an ancestor of wheat, but is significantly healthier and more sustainable than wheat. We show why.

Kamut or Khorasan wheat – one and the same?

Khorasan wheat refers to an original type of wheat that was cultivated 6000 years ago. Along with emmer and einkorn, it is one of the oldest cultivated grains. There are many legends about the exact origin, but the old grain probably comes from Central Asia. Hence the name, because “Chorasan” was an earlier region in parts of today’s Iran and Afghanistan.

In contrast, Kamut is not a designation for the grain variety, but rather a protected product designation for organically grown Khorasan wheat. In the 1990s, US farmers from Montana began marketing the organic product under the ancient Egyptian word “kamut.”

Differences from modern wheat

Kamut is a natural hybrid of a wild form of wheat and durum wheat. Kamut grains are two to three times longer than conventionally farmed wheat. The golden-yellow grain has a mild, nutty taste.

The ancient grain is grown in North America and southern Europe. Although old grain varieties such as Kamut deliver significantly lower yields than, for example, sophisticated modern wheat, Khorasan wheat is much more resistant to diseases and pests. However, if they are infested, conventional methods will not help. This is because pesticides do not work on this type of wheat. In spite of this, or precisely because of this, the cultivation is more sustainable than with today’s overbred varieties, which would hardly yield any yields without fertilizers and pesticides. The slower growth and the ineffective sprays are the reason why the wheat variety is uninteresting for conventional agriculture.

As a result, you will find almost exclusively organic Khorasan wheat in Germany – then under the name “Kamut”. Health food stores, organic or natural food stores are good addresses here. However, due to the lower yields, you have to expect higher prices than with conventional wheat.

Ingredients – What makes Kamut so healthy?

Ingredients and calorie content per 100 g:
Calories: 346g
Egg white: 14.8 g
Fat: 2.4g
Fiber: 8.9 g
Carbohydrates: 61.7 g
The high protein content immediately catches the eye. With 30-40% more protein than modern varieties, Kamut has excellent gluten properties. The ancient grain is therefore particularly suitable for elastic doughs.

The proportion of unsaturated fatty acids is also higher and the old grain can score with a variety of vitamins and minerals. According to NABU, Kamut contains significantly more zinc, phosphorus and up to 30% more magnesium than other types of whole grain. The most important vitamins are vitamin E, B1 and B2.

A particular advantage is the high content of selenium – a trace element which, in combination with certain vitamins, counteracts the formation of free radicals. It is also said to protect against cancer and strengthen the immune system. The daily selenium requirement is already covered with 200 g of kamut bread.

Is Kamut suitable for a gluten-free diet?

No! Kamut, like modern wheat, contains some gluten. People who suffer from celiac disease should therefore avoid the grain. Good gluten-free alternatives include millet, amaranth, quinoa or buckwheat.

However, the ancient grain is considered to be more digestible than conventional wheat. According to a study published on ScienceDirect, people with gluten sensitivity (not celiacs!) have significantly fewer symptoms after eating flour made from ancient grains.

use of kamut

In principle, you can use Kamut instead of wheat or spelt. The grain is available in the form of whole grains, flakes, couscous, semolina or flour. Unlike conventional wheat, Kamut does not differentiate between different types of flour, there is only a light and a whole grain variant.

Due to the high gluten content, this wheat variety is particularly suitable for elastic doughs, such as pasta or baked goods. The nutty note is also excellent in bread. The special form of the starch in Kamut also delays retrogradation in baked goods. That means they stay fresh longer.

Alternatively, you can simply cook the grains and serve them as a side dish.

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Gluten Free Diet: Benefits, Facts and What You Can Eat

If you want to eat gluten-free, you have to consider a few things. In this article you will learn all about the advantages and disadvantages of a gluten-free diet.

Gluten-free diet – when it makes sense

Gluten-free nutrition seems to have become something of a trend in recent years: More and more people prefer gluten-free products because they are supposedly healthier. But is that really true?

There are people who suffer from gluten intolerance, so-called celiac disease. Your stomach cannot process the gluten found in many grains. That’s why they get sick if they eat too much of it. If you suspect that you do not tolerate gluten well, you should check with a doctor. Without a diagnosis, you shouldn’t just completely avoid gluten-containing products.

Signs of gluten intolerance can include the following:
stomach pain
gas
diarrhea or constipation
headache
drowsiness and tiredness
You also have to distinguish between a real intolerance, i.e. celiac disease, the so-called gluten sensitivity and wheat allergy. These three variants are considered to be three different clinical pictures.

Gluten and the different forms of allergies

Gluten is a protein found in many grains. When it comes into contact with water, it becomes sticky – that’s why it’s also called “glue protein”. When baking, it binds the individual ingredients into a smooth dough.

Gluten is contained, for example, in:
Wheat
rye
Spelt
barley
Oats (not in all varieties)
Anyone with true celiac disease who eats gluten suffers an autoimmune reaction that attacks the lining of the gut. The immune system reacts to the gluten with too many antibodies, which damage the small intestine and even the whole body in the long run. Therefore, sufferers of true celiac disease should make absolutely sure that they do not eat any gluten.

In the case of a gluten sensitivity, the immune system is not attacked. The body only reacts negatively to the intake with the symptoms mentioned. Those affected have to find out for themselves what types of grains and what amounts of gluten their own bodies can tolerate.

In the case of a wheat allergy, the body only reacts allergically to the protein contained in wheat. Other gluten-containing grains can usually be consumed by those affected without hesitation.

The pros and cons of a gluten-free diet

If your doctor has diagnosed you with an intolerance, then it makes sense to avoid certain foods. If you change your diet, you will feel noticeably healthier after just a few weeks of eating gluten-free.

There are now many gluten-free alternatives in the supermarkets. These are labeled as gluten free. You can also find gluten-free alternatives in many restaurants.

If you don’t have an intolerance and just want to avoid gluten, you might want to reconsider your decision. There is no evidence that eating gluten is harmful to healthy people. Gluten-free nutrition is also hardly suitable for losing weight or as a diet.

In gluten-free products, the lack of gluten is often replaced by more fat and sugar. The food therefore often contains even more calories and fewer good nutrients. So eating gluten-free is not healthier per se.

Gluten-free food – you can enjoy it without hesitation

At first, it may feel like you can’t eat anything at all if you have to give up gluten. But that’s not the case! There are many delicious alternatives that you can use to replace gluten-containing foods.

If you like to bake yourself, you can simply use gluten-free flour in the future.

In principle, you can also prepare everything that you can bake with wheat flour as a gluten-free alternative. While these alternatives taste a little different and may have an unfamiliar texture, you’ll soon find that they’re still very tasty. If you like to eat bread, you can easily bake gluten-free bread yourself.

There are also many gluten-free alternatives for your breakfast. For example, you can eat gluten-free rolls, porridge made from gluten-free oats or scrambled eggs.

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Carrageenan: This is What The Gelling Agent is Made of

Carrageenan is one of the most common additives and is often used as a gelling agent and stabilizer. However, carrageenan is controversial due to health consequences: It is considered carcinogenic and is banned in baby food.

Carrageenan is popular with vegans and vegetarians: the gelling agent is based on red algae and contains no animal additives. However, it does not thicken as well as, for example, agar agar and can only be used with warm dishes. The carrageen powder does not dissolve cold and therefore does not thicken.

Carrageen: Not a purely natural ingredient

Carrageenan is one of the additives and, as a thickening agent, is often declared as E407 on food packaging. Carrageen is particularly common in cream, pudding, ice cream and other dairy products. Carrageenan can also be found in wine and beer, as the substance is often used as a filter agent.

Strictly speaking, carrageen consists of red algae, but the substance is no longer natural:
In order to extract carrageen from red algae, it has to be chemically extracted.
This is done using potassium chloride or solutions containing alcohol.
After that, the carrageenan must be filtered out and dried.
There are many different types of carrageenan: If carrageenan consists of large molecules, it is largely considered harmless. Small molecular carrageenan varieties are mostly banned because they are proven to be harmful to health. However, impurities of up to 5 percent are allowed, so you should better avoid carrageenan in food.

Carrageenan carcinogenic? health hazard

As early as 1982, a study using animal experiments showed that carrageenan is probably carcinogenic. A large number of other studies with rats and hamsters also came to this conclusion.
A 2017 study also found chronic bowel disease as a result of carrageenan in mice.
But there are also some studies in which carrageenan had no effect. How carrageenan works in humans has not (yet) been researched.
The World Health Organization (WHO) does not officially warn against carrageenan, but recommends a maximum dose of 75mg/kg body weight.

Vegan alternatives to carrageenan

We advise against carrageenan due to possible health risks. There are some good vegan alternatives to carrageenan:
Agar Agar
pectin
psyllium husks

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Eating Sweet Potatoes Raw: What Speaks For and What Speaks Against it

You can eat sweet potatoes raw, but not regular potatoes. But what about the unhealthy oxalic acid in sweet potatoes? Here’s how healthy raw sweet potatoes really are.

Eat sweet potatoes raw: That’s why they’re the better potatoes

It sounds paradoxical: while you should never eat potatoes raw, that’s no problem with sweet potatoes. But the reason is obvious: sweet potatoes are not potatoes at all. Instead, sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family and not to the nightshade family like the potato. So sweet potatoes are much more of a root. Compared to potatoes, sweet potatoes also contain no solanine. This is the toxic substance, which is why you should not eat potatoes raw.

Sweet potatoes contain many healthy ingredients. While some are broken down during cooking and baking, when consumed raw you can benefit from:
Carotenoids and anthocyanins (antioxidants)
Potassium (helps against stress, among other things)
Minerals such as calcium, zinc and iron
Vitamin A (good for the eyes)
Vitamin C (strengthens the immune system)
Vitamin E (protects against free radicals)
lots of carbohydrates with a high fiber content, which keeps you full for longer.
Basically, you can eat sweet potatoes raw and benefit from the many good ingredients. However, it contains oxalic acid, which can be harmful to humans.

Oxalic Acid in Sweet Potatoes – What Does It Mean?

Sweet potatoes contain quite a lot of oxalic acid. This damages the kidneys, but can be broken down by boiling or long soaking. At the same time, oxalic acid inhibits the absorption of magnesium, calcium and iron. For this reason, you should be careful not to consume excessive amounts of foods high in oxalic acid. So you can eat sweet potatoes raw, but in moderation and not by the kilo.

The combination is also important: For example, calcium promotes oxalic acid absorption. So when you combine calcium-rich foods like broccoli with sweet potatoes, the oxalic acid will be balanced. You can also combine kale, soy strips or sesame seeds.

According to the Bavarian consumer advice center, it is not a problem to eat sweet potatoes raw from time to time: “Unlike table potatoes, sweet potatoes can also be served raw as finger food or in a salad,” says nutrition expert Silke Noll from the consumer advice center.

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Curry Powder: What it Consists of and How it Works

Curry powder is very popular around the world and can be used in many ways – from Asian wok dishes to currywurst. We tell you what you need to know about the yellow powder.

Curry powder: ingredients and their effects

Curry powder is a mixture of up to 20 different spices. Depending on the composition, the powder varies in taste from sweet and mild to fiery and hot.

Some ingredients can be found in almost every curry powder. These ensure the unmistakable taste and can also offer a variety of health benefits:
Turmeric gives the powder its characteristic color. The tuber regulates digestion and also has anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects.
Coriander has an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and blood circulation-enhancing effect and prevents digestive problems such as flatulence and a feeling of fullness.
Cumin strengthens the immune system and supports digestion.
Cardamom contains essential oils that have a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract and prevent flatulence.
Black pepper boosts fat burning. The contained piperine also has an antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant effect.
Ginger also has an antibacterial effect and inhibits the multiplication of viruses. It can also contribute to a healthy intestinal flora and stimulates digestion.
Fenugreek naturally lowers blood sugar.
Chilli stimulates blood circulation and thus promotes digestion.
Mustard seeds support the activity of the excretory organs
Cloves help with a number of digestive problems, such as gastritis or constipation.
So you see: Many of the ingredients in the curry powder support digestion and also have an antibacterial effect. So it’s worth using the spices more often in the kitchen, not just for the taste.

The origin of curry powder

Contrary to what is often mistakenly assumed, curry powder does not come from India. The name derives from the Tamil word “kari”, which means sauce. However, the powder itself was invented by the English during the colonial period. The spice mixture should make it easier to give dishes the typical Indian taste.

In India itself, curry powder is unknown. In Indian cuisine, the spices are mainly used freshly ground. In addition, spice mixtures such as garam masala are used.

Curry herb has similarities in taste, but otherwise has nothing to do with the spice mixture that we are familiar with.

What you should consider when buying curry powder

Because of the different effects of the individual components, the following applies in principle to curry powder: the more colorful the spice mixture, the better.

However, especially in cheap versions from the supermarket, in addition to pesticide residues, there are often fillers such as:
Strength
sugar
Salt
dextrose
When buying, you should therefore pay attention to the composition of the curry powder and choose a mixture that does not contain these fillers and other additives such as preservatives. In general, we always advise you to use organic quality spices.

Storage: Once opened, curry powder loses its flavor quite quickly. We therefore recommend that you do not buy large quantities and that you store the spice in an airtight container, protected from light.

Alternatively, you can also make your own curry mixture yourself. Similar to curry paste, you simply grind the individual spices with a mortar just before you use them. This makes the mixture taste more intense and you can put it together to suit your taste.

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Macronutrients: What They are and How to Get Them Right

Macronutrients from food provide us with energy. We will explain to you which substances are involved, how best to take them and how they work.

What are macronutrients?

The nutrients that humans can consume through food are divided into micro and macro nutrients. The body needs these nutrients to grow and stay healthy.

The macronutrients are the substances that the body absolutely needs for its energy supply. You should therefore make sure that you always consume enough macronutrients. The macronutrients include:
carbohydrates and fiber,
Fats (lipids) and
Proteins (proteins).
Sometimes alcohol is also counted among the macronutrients because the body can also use it to generate energy. However, this does not mean the alcohol that you consume through alcoholic beverages, but the alcohol that is part of some important fatty acids.

Carbohydrates – the body’s most important source of energy

Carbohydrates provide your body with the most energy. They also serve as scaffolding substances for the carbon skeletons needed for amino acids. According to the DGE (German Society for Nutrition e.V.), about half of the nutrient intake should consist of carbohydrates. With an average energy requirement of 2000 calories, this corresponds to around 250-360 grams of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are divided into three major groups:
Simple sugars such as glucose
Disaccharides such as lactose
Polysaccharides, such as starch and fiber
Simple sugars are absorbed directly by the body and the blood sugar level rises quickly. Multi-chain carbohydrates (multiple sugars), on the other hand, first have to be broken down again because the body can only use simple sugars directly. This is why polysaccharides in particular serve to provide the body with long-term energy.

The right dosage of carbohydrates

You should primarily consume polychain carbohydrates, i.e. multiple sugars, with your food. The World Health Organization recommends that no more than 10% of carbohydrate intake should be made up of simple sugars.

When too much simple sugar is ingested in the diet, the body cannot process it all at once and stores it in the liver and muscles. If the supply of glucose is too high, it is metabolized into fat.

However, if you eat too few carbohydrates through your diet, it can happen that your body converts protein to carbohydrates instead and then not enough protein is available for the body. You should therefore always ensure a balanced diet.

The best carbohydrate suppliers

Depending on the type of carbohydrates, you can use different foods:
Simple sugars: You can consume simple sugars in the form of fructose and glucose, for example through fruit. A simple sugar in milk sugar, galactose, is found primarily in milk and milk products. From an ecological point of view, you should make sure to shop locally and seasonally. You can also pay attention to organic quality, especially with fruit and milk.
Double sugar: You can find double sugar in common household sugar and all products containing it, as well as e.g. beet sugar in the form of sucrose. It also includes lactose from dairy products and maltose from beer.
Polysaccharides: One of the most important carbohydrates is polychain starch. Examples of starchy foods are cereals, potatoes, vegetables and legumes. These foods also contain a lot of important fiber. Dietary fiber is particularly important for digestion. Meat with a high muscle content also contains polysaccharides in the form of glycogen. When shopping, please make sure that you use sustainable and organic products whenever possible.
The following foods are recommended for the right carbohydrate supply:
fruit and vegetables
Grain
potatoes
legumes
Dairy products

Fats – the all-rounders

Fats serve as a source of energy for your body because they contain the most energy per gram (approx. 9 calories per gram). In addition, fats have a protective function for organs, support the absorption of fat-soluble substances such as vitamins and are a flavor carrier. In addition, fats store energy in the form of fat deposits and serve as a building material for the body’s cells.

According to the DGE, around 25-30% of the energy intake should come from fats. This corresponds to an intake of approx. 65 grams of fat per day with an energy intake of 2000 calories per day.

There are different types of fat that can also be absorbed and processed differently by the body.

Fats include:
animal and vegetable fats
Fats with saturated and unsaturated fatty acids

The different fatty acids

Saturated fats are mainly found in animal foods such as butter and cheese. Your body can produce saturated fatty acids itself, so they don’t have to be ingested in large amounts through food.
Monounsaturated fatty acids are mainly contained in vegetable oils. They can also be produced by your body itself and ensure that the blood lipid level is kept constant.
Polysaturated fatty acids or essential fatty acids cannot be produced by your body itself and must therefore be supplied through food. The omega-3 fatty acids and the omega-6 fatty acids play a particularly important role. The essential fats are largely responsible for the function of your organism. They are found in oils, nuts and leafy vegetables, as well as in meat, butter or egg yolks.
Trans fats are a by-product of fat hardening and are found in margarine, shortenings and products containing them, such as chips, convenience foods or cookies. According to the German Society for Fat Science e.V., an excessive intake of such trans fatty acids increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

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