Tag

why

Browsing

Do you know that? No matter how hard you try: After a week at the latest, the basil you bought in the pot will lose its leaves. Many people suspect that the soil in the pots is loaded with microbes or fungi that will kill the seedling. But is that true?

It doesn’t matter whether you place it in the sun or in the shade, water it devotedly, or neglect it affectionately – after a week the basil plant you have bought is a case for the compost heap.

For the next Caprese salad, you have to go back to the supermarket and get a new potty. An effect that the supermarket operators shouldn’t mind – but what about the rumor that the shelf life of basil is intentionally limited?

A team of reporters from SWR commissioned an independent test laboratory to analyze soil samples from various pots bought in the supermarket. The result: No conspicuous values ​​that indicate targeted manipulation. But one thing is certain: the basil that we buy in the supermarket often has a long and often arduous journey behind it. The plant also takes with it the stay in the cold store, so that it quickly lets the leaves hang on the windowsill at home.

This keeps your basil fresh for a long time

More room

Carefully divide the basil plant into three parts and plant each in its own pot. This way, each plant gets more light and nutrients.

Lots of light

Basil is a plant native to the Mediterranean region. Therefore, she needs light and the sun to thrive. A place in the darkest corner of the kitchen (e.g. on the worktop) is therefore extremely unsuitable for the delicate plant.

The right amount of water

If the plant lets its leaves droop, it often simply has too little water. But falling into action and soaking the soil quickly turns out to be a mistake: when waterlogged, the plant is quickly attacked by gray mold. You can recognize this by the brownish-grey spots on the stems and leaves.

As a rule of thumb: water the pot with an amount of water that corresponds to about one-tenth of the pot’s volume every day. So your basil plant is optimally supplied with water without it starting to rot.

Harvest right

If only individual leaves are plucked off, your basil plant will soon look pretty torn. Therefore, always snip off a complete stalk directly above the leaf axis. This allows the side shoots to continue growing and the plant stays alive longer.

While we eat apples all year round, autumn time is clearly also pear time. The fruit is now in season and tastes great either on its own or as an ingredient in savory or sweet dishes. We give you 6 reasons why you should definitely eat pears now.

1. Pears are high in fiber

Pears are among the most fiber-rich fruits. A medium-sized fruit contains about 6 grams of fiber. We should consume around 25 to 30 grams of fiber every day. Eating a pear every day, therefore, makes an important contribution to achieving this goal. Dietary fiber is important for digestion and also keeps you full for longer.

2. Pears are rich in vitamins

Pears contain a lot of vitamins that you can use in the autumn and winter time. It is not uncommon for people to catch a cold or the flu during this time. Not only vitamins A and C and various B vitamins are contained in pears, but the fruit also scores with minerals such as sulfur, copper, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and phosphorus.

3. Pears are easy to digest

Pears contain only about one to three grams of fruit acid per liter, so they taste sweeter than apples and are therefore among the most easily digestible types of fruit. Due to their stomach-friendliness, they are particularly suitable for children and babies, but also for sick or elderly people.

4. Pears are low in fat

Although there are lower-calorie types of fruit, pears are very low in fat. The fruits bring it to just half a gram of fat per 100 grams.

5. Pears contain Potassium & Calcium

Apples are often compared to pears. When it comes to the calorie balance, apples perform better, because a medium-sized apple has about 68 calories, while a pear has about 73 calories, but the autumn fruit scores points in terms of minerals. In addition to the minerals mentioned above, pears also have plenty of potassium and calcium. They therefore particularly stimulate the metabolism and have a purifying and draining effect.

6. Pears are rich in boron

Pears also contain the important and mostly neglected mineral boron. This is relevant for the body to store calcium. Calcium is particularly important for bone formation.

It’s a well-known phenomenon: When traveling, passengers on the plane like to order tomato juice. But as soon as they have solid ground under their feet again, only very few people touch the red vegetable juice. The explanation for this is simple: a better taste!

Tomato juice on the plane

The fact that many travelers order tomato juice on the plane is simply because it tastes better! “On the ground, tomato juice smells slightly musty and tastes feeble,” explains Volker Scheible, product manager for in-flight services and lounges at Lufthansa.

But during the flight, high up in the air, it’s different: “On board, the tomato juice appears harmoniously, tends to taste sweet and fruity and clearly like tomatoes.”

Scientifically proven

It has even been scientifically proven that tomato juice tastes better during the flight. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics discovered that the taste buds perceive the taste of tomato juice differently in an airplane at an altitude of around 10,000 meters. The reason for this is the different air pressure and the low humidity.

The fruity aroma of the tomatoes in the juice in particular comes out very well at dizzy heights. However, the drink must be seasoned properly, because salt is not tasted as strongly there.

Tomatoes are so healthy

Tomatoes exude their fruity aroma especially in summer when they have ripened in the sun. But it’s not just the scent that is beguiling – the ingredients of the red vegetables are also impressive. Tomatoes contain B vitamins, as well as a small amount of zinc and iron. Lycopene, the dye responsible for the red color, scores with its antioxidant effect.

Tomatoes are low in calories and therefore also ideal as a slimming vegetable for the menu. As a natural tomato juice without any additives, the drink is a good stomach filler because it fills you up.

A study has now determined why you should never eat raw dough and how dangerous it can be.

Raw dough causes nausea and stomach ache? – The flour may be the culprit

The risk of salmonella infection is well known, but this is not the case with E. coli from raw dough. According to an American study, flour can trigger a life-threatening intestinal infection. E. coli can cause severe diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. These bacteria get into grain, for example, via fertilizer or animal excrement.
The so-called E. coli bacteria (Escherichia coli)
According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), if floury dough and other dishes are baked at these high temperatures for at least two minutes, consumption is already safe.

With these tips, you can snack on dough without hesitation

Our tips:
If you bake with children, you cannot prevent one or two snacks. Therefore, it is best to bake a dough
If you use nut flour
Make sure your ingredients are organic
However, if you are pregnant or generally have a sensitive stomach, you should stick to the baked cookies.
If you want to snack on the dough without hesitation, then the “Cookie Dough” food trend is also suitable. This dough is without eggs and often also without flour. In addition, it does not contain any leavening agents. This cookie dough is deliberately intended for raw consumption and tastes just as good.

Beer should not be missing in your household. Whether for a snack, after work or at parties, people like to have a beer. But you can also use it in the household.

Everything shines: beer as a furniture polish

Maybe you see it now as a pure waste. But beer is not only suitable as a thirst quencher after work, it also works well as a furniture polish.

Do you perhaps have a beautiful old piece of wooden furniture in your apartment? An old wooden table? A chest of drawers? Then just polish it every now and then with some beer.

To do this, put just a small sip on a soft cotton lamp and gently rub it over the furniture. The good piece is already shining again. We can all make mistakes when cleaning and, for example, damage the surfaces of furniture rather than clean them carefully.

Coffee stains: The stain is quickly gone with beer

You can use beer to clean surfaces very well – coffee stains in particular can be removed very well with the help of beer.

After a few minutes, gently wipe over it with a sponge. For stubborn stains, repeat the process several times until the stain is gone. To neutralize the smell of beer, finally wipe with a little clear water – done.

Sufficient sleep is vital for the health of humans and animals. If you sleep badly, you will notice negative psychological and physical effects after a short time.

How important is sleep?

Sleeping is part of everyone’s everyday routine. Researchers now know with absolute certainty that good sleep is essential for survival. According to the Robert Koch Institute, getting enough sleep is particularly important for the healthy development of children and young people. The need for sleep decreases with age and can also differ between peers.

Sleep researchers recommend adults get at least 7.5 hours of sleep a day. Children, on the other hand, need significantly more, depending on their age. In the early years, 13 hours or more is common. After that, the number of hours gradually decreases over the years. As a teenager, you should get eight to eleven hours of sleep.

Children and adolescents who sleep little have an increased risk of obesity, which is attributed to the short sleep duration, which can lead to an increased appetite and thus to an increased energy intake. Furthermore, lack of sleep can be associated with a reduced body temperature, which reduces energy requirements. Finally, lack of sleep leads to fatigue, which negatively affects physical activity.

Previously assumed: why do we sleep?

It is generally assumed that sleep is essential for the development and regeneration of nerve cells. Sleep is a necessary process for storing and processing information. It is therefore extremely important to get a good night’s sleep, since sufficient sleep acts like a reset button. The next morning you are fit and rested, so that you can at best go about your tasks fully focused and concentrated.

If you are constantly sleeping too little due to a stressful job, family or other daily burdens, you will find that you are much less concentrated and clumsy. You react slower or make wrong decisions because your brain can’t run at full speed all the time.

Researchers have put forward some hypotheses about why we need sleep:
The brain has a chance to train important neural connections that might otherwise deteriorate due to lack of activity.
Sleep gives the brain the ability to reorganize data to find problem solving, process newly learned information, and organize and archive memories.
Synapses that are no longer required are deleted and cleaned up. Therefore, we wake up feeling refreshed and more optimistic.
The cardiovascular system takes a break during sleep. With enough good sleep, blood pressure can be lowered in the long term.
Growth hormones are increasingly released during deep sleep. The body can repair or replace muscle, tissue, and aging or dead cells during sleep.

New sleep study: research team delivers surprising results

When we sleep at night, the body sleeps but not the mind. At night, the brain is mainly busy processing thoughts and experiences. It sorts out which thoughts are remembered and which are deleted or archived.

Tononi and Cirelli, biologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented the notion that humans and animals sleep to forget in a New York Times article. They found that synapses are partially cut while we sleep. This is how unimportant memories are lost. On the other hand, we remember more when the neurons in the brain have as many connections as possible. So when a thought or activity is used more often, the connection of the synapses in the brain becomes stronger and stronger. All connections that are only used once or rarely are pushed further and further into the background. We assume that we have this information even if the brain actually never forgets anything.

Now you might think that’s a bad thing, or that it would make us more forgetful. But on the contrary! When the brain automatically deletes all information that is unimportant or superfluous, it creates more capacity for new impressions and thoughts. So if you often have a full head, you should treat yourself to a large portion of sleep to be able to forget unimportant things.

Sleep to forget: Is this why we sleep?

The focus of sleeping is not forgetting, but maintaining our health. This includes the automatic deletion of information in the brain as well as the regeneration of the body. Getting enough sleep is good for your health.

Conversely, not getting enough sleep increases the risk of disease: The results of a recent sleep study by the University of Gothenburg indicate that people who sleep less than six hours a night have a 27 percent higher risk of atherosclerosis, which leads to clogged veins and such heart failure, stroke, or an aneurysm. The study also found that middle-aged men who sleep five hours or less a night are twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke twenty years later.

Conclusion: Too little sleep is comparable to the effects of smoking or diabetes. There are enough reasons to get enough sleep and rest on a regular basis to keep your body and mind healthy and active in the long term and to sort, process or delete the 60,000 thoughts we think every day.

Does the man have to urinate standing up? Or are there good reasons to sit down? A doctor has commented on this. Why peeing sitting down is definitely better.

Sitting or rather standing? What does the doctor say about this?

Unfortunately, as a man, when you sit down on the toilet, you still have to hear from some of your sex that you are a “sit pee”. And this is equated with “wimp” or worse. It hits some people when masculinity is questioned. There are many reasons to say goodbye to this supposed symbol associated with a man.

There seems to be agreement that there is disagreement. While some say that it would be healthier for a man to sit down, others vehemently disagree. To clear things up a bit, you first have to take a look at the male anatomy, more precisely at the inside of the man. The male prostate sits between the bladder and the pelvic floor and encloses the beginning of the urethra. With age, this can increase. It does not necessarily have to be a malignant disease.

A healthy, i.e. non-enlarged, prostate doesn’t seem to have much of an impact on residual urine retention in the bladder whether standing or sitting to urinate. But what happens when the prostate is no longer healthy? And this is where opinions differ. While some physicians are of the opinion that when urinating while sitting, especially with an enlarged prostate, too much residual urine remains in the urinary bladder and this can lead to serious problems due to possible accumulation of pathogens. A scientific study shows that a benign enlargement occurs prostate empty the bladder better when sitting, leaving less residual urine. This would prevent the risk of developing bladder stones or inflammation. But what is right now? Unfortunately, that’s not an easy question to answer. Two contradictory statements meet here. In summary, one can say that one simply does not know for sure.

Why you should still sit there as a man

“I can aim.” “Nothing goes wrong with me.” The statements of the men who do their small business standing up sound something like this. But does it really have anything to do with accuracy? Rather less. Quite simply, the toilets that are installed in the bathrooms are not actually designed for standing up to urinate in

But that’s not all. Tests have shown that the spray mist spreads almost throughout the bathroom and is deposited on towels, the bathtub, the mirror and the toothbrush. And that’s anything but appetizing. Who would still like to brush their teeth with such a toothbrush? There are videos showing how the nebula spreads using fluorescence.

But the floor and walls are also at risk. Over time, the urine can form stains there, in the worst case so bad that they can no longer be removed. That means in the end that the bathroom needs to be renovated. In a rented apartment, this can very quickly lead to the loss of the deposit and more. But apart from that: If your loved one goes to the bathroom with bare feet and then has to wade through the man’s legacies, then you shouldn’t be surprised about a dispute. And honestly, dear men, you don’t break a tooth out of your crown when you sit down.

If a fire breaks out in the house, it is important to keep the room door closed. But why is this a protective measure in case of fire?

People sleep better in fresh air

There are many reasons for leaving the bedroom door ajar at night. The indoor air quality does not drop as quickly when the bedroom door is open. If the window is open at the same time, fresh air can flow through the room.

If the door is closed, however, the air in the bedroom is quickly used up overnight, which can result in headaches.

However, if there is a house or apartment fire, a closed door can save lives. Therefore, always sleep with the room door closed. The closed bedroom door provides better protection against smoke, smoke and gases.

Warnings about sleeping with the room door open

If the door to the bedroom is open in the event of a fire, flames and toxic smoke spread particularly quickly. The flames deprive the room of oxygen and the temperature rises within a very short time.
The fire itself spreads within minutes.

Just a few minutes to leave the house

Due to the highly flammable materials that are often used in the construction of houses and their furniture, there is little time to escape the flames in an emergency.

It is all the more important to prepare. Therefore, when buying furniture, pay attention to flame-retardant material. Smoke detectors* wake up the sleeping person, closed doors ensure a slight delay in the danger – every measure can be crucial to saving yourself and your family.

It stands or hangs in almost every household, the kitchen roll. Simply tear off, wipe and throw away after use. We show why this is bad for the environment and what alternatives there are.

Environmental problems and pollutants from paper production

Paper consumption is increasing worldwide. The industrialized nations in particular consume paper in large quantities. Most of it is sanitary paper: toilet paper, napkins, handkerchiefs and kitchen rolls. Every German uses around 19 kilos of hygienic paper a year (as of 2020). The Federal Environment Agency estimates that every fifth tree felled worldwide is turned into paper.

A large part of the paper fibers for our sanitary paper market come from abroad. For example from Brazil – partly from ecologically controversial plantations. Thousands of hectares of rainforest are cleared there for our kitchen rolls and replaced by plantations. We urgently need these forests to preserve biodiversity and for climate protection.

What can you do?

A first step: Use kitchen paper sparingly
Buy recycled products. Look out for the blue angel mark for the eco-friendly kitchen roll. This logo guarantees you that the product really is made from 100% recycled paper and without any harmful chemicals. According to consumer advice centers, the FSC or PEFC seals of quality are less recommended: They only partially guarantee waste paper in products and do not sufficiently take other environmental criteria (such as energy consumption or the use of chemicals) into account.

The ecological balance of recycled paper is definitely worthwhile: products made from waste paper save around 50% energy and 67% water during production compared to those made from fresh wood fibers. And of course they save wood. Recycled paper is definitely better for the environment. But you use a here too

Reuse instead of throwing away

Washable, reusable paper towels are now available. This is either made of fabric or bamboo. Bamboo is currently considered an environmentally friendly raw material. It grows back much faster than wood. But he has other transport routes, as he currently comes mainly from China. Beeswax towels are also offered as a kitchen roll substitute. If you use washable kitchen paper, you definitely produce less waste.

Or simply use long-lasting cotton towels. You can wash them and use them several times

And if you’re using discarded kitchen towels or old t-shirts, you don’t have to buy anything. This is of course also cost-saving. With such upcycling you are trendy and do something for the environment.

Even kings used astrological forecasts to determine the timing of projects and their effects. Nowadays, astrology is often smiled at and not taken seriously. Is the horoscope just a matter of belief?

What can astrology do?

The term astrology comes from the Greek and means “astronomy of the stars”. Astrology is the science or art of describing people and events of the past, present and future by interpreting celestial charts (horoscopes) created for this purpose according to specific methods. Planets and their positions, in connection with the original principles (zodiac signs) have different effects on us and on the earth at different distances. Just as the moon affects the tides, we humans are also affected by the planets.

Astrology is not meant to be a limitation, but an expansion of knowledge about oneself. It is the integration of rhythms and cycles, because this tool for self-exploration allows us to delve deeper into our own self. It is also assumed that, contrary to scientific opinion, the positions of the planets indicate the development of world events and individuals.

In your individual horoscope (birth chart), which was determined by your birthday, place of birth and hour of birth, a detailed picture of your personality emerges and reveals an insight into your personality structure. Astrology is often confused with astronomy. Astronomy deals with the nature, distance and speed of the planets or Milky Ways.

Your horoscope is the x-ray of your soul

Imagine you go to the doctor and have your entire body x-rayed. The doctor can then explain to you exactly where your weak points are, which body parts are in top shape and which bones are broken. Now transfer this procedure to your psyche and to your being. Because a horoscope with the twelve basic principles is nothing more than an x-ray of your inner core. With all your strengths, weaknesses, tensions, and supportive aspects, there’s a lot to be gleaned from your birth chart.

In astrology, one speaks of tendencies, imprints and tendencies, since they are largely psychological. Many critics of astrology say that the statements in various magazines are too general. Of course – how are you supposed to break down the enormous scope of this topic into one sentence. There’s more to it than telling a Taurus he’s stubborn and environmentally conscious. Your horoscope reading can cover the following topics, for example:
New beginnings and reorientation
Assistance in crisis situations
love and partnership
parent-child relationship
talents and aptitudes
support in decisions
Find your vocation and soul path
deepening of self-awareness
life pattern
Find suitable time slots for starting a business, changing jobs, contracts, weddings, long trips, etc.

What do you look for in the horoscope?

The classic: I’m interested in my zodiac sign, read the description and can’t identify with it at all. Then at most the ascendant and the position of the moon are included. If you can’t start with that either, astrology has died for many. But it’s so much more than that! If you have ever seen a horoscope drawing, you know that it is depicted as a circle. You are in the middle of your horoscope. Your zodiac sign makes up five to ten percent of you, if at all. First you look at the brightest lights.

The sun (zodiac sign) is the heartbeat of your horoscope, the essential part of your personality and your active awareness of the day.
The moon represents the passive night consciousness, your soulful feminine side, which also represents the maternal principle.
Your ascendant is like a second skin in the way we relate
Then you go into the planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. In which zodiac sign do they work? And finally the house system: Each of the 12 houses

Astrology then and now

The development of western astrology began as early as the 14th century BC. It used to be common practice for every king or ruler to have an astrologer by their side. This could be used to foresee plagues, years of good fortune or, quite simply, full harvests. From the 3rd – 6th century B.C. The astrological zodiac developed with its twelve zodiac signs, planets and houses

By the end of the 18th century the influence of psychology was growing
Astrology is gaining more attention as more and more people get involved in spiritual topics like astrology. There is so much potential slumbering in you that can be made visible through the horoscope. It would be a shame if you didn’t take advantage of that. Or as C.G. Jung said: “An uninterpreted horoscope is like an unread letter!” Each of us carries all the signs of the zodiac. At the right time in the right place, we want to be able to serve everyone in a free-flowing manner.