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Swedish coffee culture – the perfect fika is achieved with the French press

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said: “No pleasure is temporary, because the impression it leaves is lasting”. Everyone who has traveled to western Sweden appreciates the enjoyable coffee break that is taken daily in cozy cafes with delicious coffee and excellent cake. The fika tradition is unique in the world. You can also take a Swedish coffee break. The coffee for your fika works particularly well with the French press, because this allows the full aroma to unfold. Feel free to leave the filter coffee machine in the cupboard.

Fika – a special coffee break requires the French Press

Swedes call their coffee break, which includes eating delicious biscuits, cakes or fine Danish pastries, fika. The Swedish coffee break is taken together and is an excellent way to intensify contact with colleagues or to spend valuable time with friends.

The Swedish fika is very different from the customs of other countries, where you drink your coffee quickly while standing or walking. Swedes take time for each other, reduce stress by drinking coffee together, intensify contacts and treat themselves to delicious pastries and excellent cakes. The time together, the culinary delights and the delicious coffee from a filter coffee machine or a French press are what make the Fika what it is. Find out more about the differences between the preparation with the French press and the filter coffee machine.

Coffee for the fika – brew with the filter coffee machine or with the French press?

Most Swedes brew their morning coffee in a filter coffee machine. Swedes drink a lot of coffee, so capsule and pad machines are not common. The Swedes are nothing like the filter coffee machine.

The coffee that is drunk with the fika in the afternoon is prepared with the Swedish pot or the French press. Anyone who boils their favorite hot drink will be rewarded by the full-bodied aroma. Brewed coffee is characterized by a lot of body. The oils and fats contained in the coffee are not filtered out during filterless preparation. When it comes to coffee enjoyment, it makes a difference whether you use the filter coffee machine or the French press. Filter coffee machines and French presses only offer two methods of preparation for the fika, among many others.

Coffee is offered in Sweden in the two degrees of grind “Kok” (cooking coffee) and “Brygg” (brewed coffee). Swedish coffee packaging contains both the designation of the degree of grinding and a coffee pot or filter symbol. This tells you whether you should brew or boil the coffee. With the French Press you can boil coffee and with the filter coffee machine you can brew brewed coffee.

In the coffee perfect online shop you can buy high-quality bean and filter coffee for the Fika.

Swedish coffee tastes less acidic and stronger than our coffee. The beans are roasted darker in the north and the beans are selected for types that are less acidic. You will taste these two differences, regardless of whether you prefer to prepare your coffee with the filter coffee machine or the French press.

How you make the coffee for the fika depends on what type of guy you are:

Cook boiled “Kok” in a pot or French press

Traditionally, Swedish coffee “Kok” is boiled with water in a pot. The coffee powder falls to the bottom of the pot and the hot drink is carefully poured into a cup. The coffee powder settles in the cup. After enjoying the coffee you can read the coffee grounds.

This method of preparation is preferred by many Swedes for the fika, but in this country it is not for everyone because of the coffee grounds, which unfortunately are always drunk.

If you want to have the full coffee experience without coffee grounds in the cup, prepare your favorite hot drink with the French press. Very fresh coffee “Kok” without coffee grounds is child’s play with the French press. Pour hot water over the coffee in the French Press, let the coffee steep and use a metal sieve to press down the coffee grounds. In contrast to the filter coffee machine, the metal sieve in the French press does not filter, but preserves the fats and oils that are in the coffee. The coffee is characterized by an aromatic fullness. If you want the full aromatic taste, you should prepare the brewed coffee with the French Press. Brewing systems cannot compete with the French Press.

Cooked out prepare “Brygg” in the percolator or in the filter coffee machine

Coffee that has the “Brygg” grind can be prepared in the filter coffee machine or in the percolator. In the percolator, the boiling water is pushed up through a pipe and runs into a perforated steel container containing the coffee powder. From there it drips back down into the water as coffee. The percolator is very suitable if you only pour a few cups.

If you opt for the filter coffee machine, you should dose the coffee powder less than you are used to. The Swedish coffee is stronger and darker than the German. The filter coffee machine is very suitable if you want to prepare several cups. Unfortunately, the coffee powder loses some of its aroma when brewed in the filter coffee machine, since the fats remain in the filter. However, it is useful when several people are doing the fika together.

Summary:

You can boil or brew the Swedish coffee for the fika.
The Swedish coffee varieties are called either “Kok” or “Brygg”.
For reheating, try the French Press. The aroma is not filtered out by the French press, but can be drawn into the hot drink, including the coffee fats and oils, and you can enjoy coffee without annoying coffee grounds in the cup. The French Press is far superior to the typical Swedish pot because the coffee stays in the press. The coffee is more aromatic in the French press than in the filter coffee machine.
The filter coffee machine is well suited to preparing many cups at the same time.
The coffee from the filter coffee machine offers a little less flavor than boiled coffee.
Brewing in the percolator offers excellent coffee enjoyment.
If you want a full aroma, the French press is the preferred choice.

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Ethiopia – country with an old coffee tradition

The East African country is not only one of the main producers of delicious coffee beans, but also cultivates its own special coffee culture. The typical Ethiopian coffee ceremony, the so-called jebena buna, is not for coffee drinkers in a hurry. Here you drink three cups of deep black coffee in a row within one session.

And the preparation of the coffee ceremony can also take a lot of time: the green beans are often washed extensively by the women before they are roasted over hot coals. The almost burnt, pitch-black beans are roughly ground by hand with a mortar and pestle before being placed in a clay pot, the jebena. The coffee is then mixed with water in the pot and placed on the fire until steam forms. The dark, sometimes bitter coffee is typically sweetened with sugar and usually served with popcorn in handleless cups.

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Pak Choi Salad with Apple: Recipe with lots of vegetables

You can process pak choi into a crunchy salad. Here you get the right recipe for the wholesome variety of cabbage, which has a light mustard aroma.

Crisp, a mild spiciness reminiscent of mustard and easily digestible: These characteristics make Pak Choi an ideal basis for salads.

Pak Choi, also known as Chinese cabbage, is a cabbage vegetable that is widespread in Asian cuisine. But you can also find Pak Choi more and more often in local vegetable displays. It not only tastes great fried, steamed or blanched, but also as a pak choi salad.

Due to the high fiber content, most people often do not tolerate raw brassicas well and suffer from stomach and intestinal problems after eating them. However, since pak choi has a little less fiber and is therefore more digestible than other cabbage, you can also eat it raw.

Pak Choi Salad: A recipe with lots of vegetables

Ingredients:

250 g pak choi
1 large carrot
1cucumber
6radishes
1big apple
2spring onions
0.5 bunch of chives
1 tsp sweet mustard
4 tbsp walnut oil
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Directions:

Clean and cut the pak choi into small pieces. You can find tips on how to do this under Preparing Pak Choi: How to make Chinese cabbage.
Wash the vegetables and the apple. Cut the carrot, cucumber and radishes into sticks and the apple into small pieces. Cut the spring onions and chives into fine rings. Toss the pak choi salad in a large bowl.
For the dressing, mix the mustard, walnut oil, and apple cider vinegar together. If necessary, add a little water if the dressing is too thick. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
Pour the dressing over the pak choi salad and mix well.

Additional tips for cooking

However, similar to chard, which is often confused with pak choi, the stalks of the vegetable can sometimes be a bit firm. You should therefore cut the pak choi for salads as small as possible.
Nutty components such as sesame oil or walnut oil in the dressing go well with the light mustard aroma of the crunchy sticks.
A fruity note balances the tart taste of the green leaves. Pomegranate seeds or pieces of apple, for example, are therefore suitable as toppings.
Make sure your ingredients are organic. Seals such as Bioland, Naturland or Demeter identify products that come from environmentally friendly cultivation. Among other things, you can be sure that they are free of chemical-synthetic pesticides.
If you shop seasonally and regionally, you can also save on CO2 emissions. This is particularly important with pak choi, as it often comes from Thailand.
If you don’t like it raw, you can also add fried pak choi to the salad.

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Make Chocolate Yourself: Snack with a Clear Conscience

You can easily make chocolate yourself instead of buying it. With just a few ingredients and a few simple steps, you can make the candy at home. You can vary them according to your taste.

Make chocolate yourself: recipe with 5 ingredients

You can buy all kinds of chocolate in the supermarket, but it tastes so much better when you make it yourself. You also know what ingredients are in it. For two bars of chocolate you need these ingredients:

100 grams of cocoa butter
100 g baking cocoa
1 packet of vanilla sugar
2 tbsp sugar
a pinch of salt

Alternative: Instead of industrial table sugar, you can also use cane sugar, honey or agave syrup. Sugar substitutes such as erythritol or xylitol are also suitable.

In addition to the ingredients, you will need these items:

a small pot,
a big pot
and a chocolate mold.

Tip: You can get cocoa butter in health food stores or health food stores, for example. Make sure that you buy both them and the cocoa in organic quality and from fair trade. When you buy organic food, you can be sure that important ecological standards are met. Cocoa is also one of the foods that you should rather buy fairly, since poor working conditions often prevail on conventional plantations.

Step-by-step instructions for making homemade chocolate

Follow the basic recipe below to make your own chocolate:

Fill the larger pot with water and place or hang the smaller one in it. Add the cocoa butter to the small saucepan and increase the heat. Melt the cocoa butter, stirring, until it is completely smooth and there are no lumps.
Stir in the cocoa, vanilla sugar and salt. Add the sugar or your chosen sugar substitute and stir until creamy.
Fill the chocolate into matching chocolate molds and let them cool in the fridge. Alternative: If you don’t have any chocolate molds or don’t want to get them, you can simply spread the warm chocolate mass on a piece of baking paper and let it dry.

Refine chocolate

If plain chocolate is too boring for you, you can refine it. You can find inspiration for it here:

dried fruits: cranberries, raspberries, raisins
Seeds: pumpkin, sunflower
Nuts: hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts
cornflakes
crumbled biscuits
gummy bear
chocolate lentils
chili flakes
grated coconut
Cinammon
Mini marshmallows

Add the ingredients of your choice to the chocolate once it’s creamy. Then you can let them cool as described above. You can combine different toppings for a special taste experience.

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Lose Weight with Cinnamon: That’s What the Cinnamon Diet is All About

Lose weight with cinnamon? That’s not so far-fetched, because there are many health-promoting substances in the Christmas spice. But there are also a few things to consider. Learn more about the cinnamon diet here.

When it comes to cinnamon, few people immediately think of losing weight, but rather of Christmas cookies. Cinnamon also gives curries, homemade spice mixtures or chai lattes a special taste. The spice is made from the bark of the cinnamon tree, which belongs to the laurel family. Only two types of cinnamon are important here in Germany: Cassia cinnamon and Ceylon cinnamon. You can find more information about the types of cinnamon here: Cinnamon: effects, ingredients and differences between the types.

Cinnamon is not only a delicious spice, but is also considered a medicinal plant. It contains many phytochemicals, can help to regulate blood sugar levels and is even said to be able to prevent cancer. Due to its ingredients, cinnamon can also help with weight loss.

How does cinnamon help you lose weight?

The cinnamon diet is touted in many lifestyle magazines. And not without good reason: In fact, there is evidence that cinnamon can help you lose weight – due to its ingredients and in connection with a balanced, healthy diet.

Cinnamon has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels. Several studies have demonstrated this effect. Taking cinnamon lowers insulin levels and instead of breaking down sugar in the blood, it breaks down body fat.
Another study suggests that ingesting cinnamon causes the stomach to empty more slowly. As a result, the feeling of fullness lasts longer after meals and you eat less.
Cinnamon is considered a warming spice. The heat development in the body consumes additional energy and accordingly cinnamon could help with weight loss.

What you should consider with the cinnamon diet

Even small amounts of cinnamon (about one gram per day) are enough to maintain the health-promoting effects. The Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE) recommends taking a maximum of two grams of cinnamon per day, as the spice contains a lot of the natural flavoring substance coumarin:

The lower-quality, cheaper cassia cinnamon in particular contains a lot of coumarin.
Some people are very sensitive to taking coumarin. Coumarin is also suspected of causing liver damage. The Federal Center for Risk Assessment (BfR) has therefore set a maximum amount of two grams of (cassia) cinnamon per day for adults (with a body weight of around 60 kilos). However, this is a guideline for daily, continuous intake.
If you do not consume cinnamon regularly, according to the BfR, it should be harmless to your health to exceed the amount of two grams. The common household cinnamon is also classified as generally harmless.
If you consume cinnamon regularly (e.g. with the cinnamon diet), the BfZE recommends buying higher-quality Ceylon cinnamon, as it has a lower coumarin content.
Pregnant women in particular are advised not to take too much cinnamon.
If you want to lose weight with cinnamon, we therefore recommend that you use Ceylon cinnamon – and not overdo it with the amounts of the spice.

Lose weight with cinnamon – that’s how it works

The most important thing first: If you want to lose weight with cinnamon, you should only do so in combination with a balanced and healthy diet. You can use the 10 rules for a balanced diet as a guide. In addition, sufficient exercise and sport is just as important.

For the cinnamon diet, you only need to include the spice in your daily menu. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day is enough. Since the spice goes with many dishes and drinks, it is not difficult:

You can mix cinnamon, water, and honey to make a drink that aids in digestion and helps burn fat.
Cinnamon is also a great addition to your morning coffee. By the way: There are also great regional alternatives to coffee.
Whether porridge, fruit salad or smoothie: Most sweet dishes taste great with a pinch of cinnamon. Of course, the spice also goes well with cakes and biscuits.
Cinnamon also goes well with hearty dishes such as a delicious pumpkin curry.
By the way: We at Utopia advise you to question diets. Do you want to lose weight in order to conform to a certain socially propagated ideal of beauty? Then think again. It is important that you feel comfortable in your body.

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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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Recipes with Rice Paper: It’s so Versatile

Recipes with rice paper are usually easy, quick and healthy. Due to the neutral taste of rice paper, it can be used in many ways – we’ll show you how.

Rice paper is used in Asian cuisine to wrap a wide variety of ingredients. It consists of rice flour, tapioca starch, water and a little salt – so the rice paper is also gluten-free. The leaves become slightly transparent due to the tapioca starch. In dried form, they break very quickly.

Rice paper scores with its many uses. You can use rice paper in a classic way, for example for summer rolls. If you’re craving more unusual rice paper recipes, try vegan bacon with rice paper.

It’s supposed to be healthy, vegan and light – but you’ve had enough of summer rolls? Below we show you a recipe for Coucous Rice Paper Rolls.

You can get rice paper either in Asian shops or in selected supermarkets. You can also find rice paper in an organic version. For the remaining ingredients, you should also pay attention to certified organic seals. In this way you avoid residues of chemical-synthetic pesticides ending up in your rice paper dishes.

Recipe: Couscous Rice Paper Rolls

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons red lentils
7 ELCouscous
1 tsp paprika powder
1 pinch(s) curry powder
200 ml water
1 tablespoon linseed oil
1 small onion
1 small carrot
1 small red pointed pepper
1tomato
1 pinch(s) of salt
1 pinch(s) chilli flakes
8 pieces of rice paper
5 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Cook the red lentils according to package directions.
Put the couscous with the paprika and curry powder in a suitable saucepan. Add the water. Stir everything and let it simmer on low heat until the couscous is done. Add a little more water if needed.
Mix the couscous mixture with the cooked red lentils and add the linseed oil. Mix everything together.
Cut the onions and put them in a pan. Cut the remaining vegetables and add them along with the salt and chilli flakes. If the mixture is too dry and burns, add another tomato.
When the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the stove and stir in the couscous and lentil mixture. Set the mixture aside and let it cool down.
Prepare a bowl of lukewarm water. As soon as the mass has cooled down, you can soak the individual rice paper sheets in the water. When the paper is soft, take it out of the water.
Place the soaked rice paper sheets directly on a baking sheet. It is best to place parchment paper or a parchment paper substitute on the tray before placing the rice paper on top.
Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each soaked rice paper sheet. Then roll up the rice paper like a wrap.
Spread some olive oil on the rolls so that they are covered on all sides.
Bake the couscous rice paper rolls at 200 degrees top and bottom heat for about 30 to 40 minutes. Important: Turn the rolls occasionally so that they are crispy on all sides.

Couscous Rice Paper Rolls: Additional Tips

If you want to make the rice paper recipe above completely gluten-free, you can alternatively use rice or quinoa instead of couscous.
Of course you can also enjoy the couscous filling without rice paper – it tastes just as good.
A fresh green salad goes wonderfully with your couscous rice paper rolls.
Soy sauce is great for dipping your rolls.

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How to Lift Your Spirits with Mood Food

What we eat has a significant impact on our mood. Foods in which this effect is particularly evident are considered “mood food”. In this article, you will find out what these are and how they increase well-being.

What is mood food?

Foods that can influence a person’s mood are called “mood foods”. Some hormones are responsible for and influence our feelings and moods. In order to produce hormones such as serotonin, dopamine or oxytocin, the body needs special building blocks. Foods that contain a particularly large number of such substances can therefore function as mood food.

If the brain is not supplied with enough nutrients, this becomes noticeable through mood swings, lack of concentration or even depressive moods. Many foods contain nutrients that our brain needs for all its functions. Magnesium, thiamine, vitamin B6 and folic acid are particularly important for a well-functioning nervous system. Viewed in this way, basically all healthy, nutrient-rich foods can be mood foods.

Good to know: You will often find the term “soul food” synonymous with mood food. That means something like “food for the soul”. This term originally comes from the Afro-American culture in the USA, when slavery still existed there. At that time, food often consisted of cheap foodstuffs that were prepared with fat, salt and sugar to make tasty and high-calorie dishes. Food should bring comfort to the soul. Regardless of this original meaning, soul food is now used differently and partly as a synonym for mood food – for food that lifts the mood.

Serotonin as the most common active ingredient behind mood food

One of the most important substances associated with mood food is said to be serotonin. It is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone: as a messenger substance, it transmits information between nerve cells. Serotonin acts in the central nervous system, blood, cardiovascular system and digestive tract. For example, it ensures smooth digestion by increasing intestinal peristalsis. Serotonin is also important for healthy sleep and a good memory. So it has a variety of tasks.

Serotonin is colloquially known as the happiness hormone. In a way, that’s true, but the term is a bit misleading. The hormone does not make you feel euphoric or overly happy, but it creates a general sense of well-being and makes you happier.

For the synthesis of serotonin and to benefit from its effects, the body needs the following substances:

The amino acid tryptophan – it is mainly contained in soybeans, dairy products, Brazil nuts, plums or bananas.
Carbohydrates – They are important for tryptophan transport and absorption in the brain.
Magnesium – you can find the mineral in cocoa, broccoli, wheat bran and sunflower seeds, for example.
In order for Mood Food to work, you have to get everything you need with the food you eat. Tryptophan has difficulty getting through the so-called “blood-brain barrier” on its own. At this point, several amino acids compete for uptake in the brain. Carbohydrates make it easier for tryptophan to access it: Carbohydrates increase insulin in the body, which in turn increases the uptake of amino acids into the cells.

Overall, an ideal mood food is primarily a combination of carbohydrate-rich foods and foods that contain a lot of tryptophan. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D influence the effects of serotonin in the brain.

Which foods are mood foods?

Dark chocolate

Very popular and rich in tryptophan: the mood food chocolate, preferably vegan. Sugar is present as an accompanying carbohydrate. Cacao also contains caffeine and theobromine, a caffeine-like substance. Both have a stimulating effect and lighten the mood. The higher the cocoa content in the chocolate, the better.

Milk chocolate contains a lot of sugar in relation to cocoa. This can also cause a mood high, but more because of the increased blood sugar level. In the long run, this is not healthy and poses health risks. Don’t eat too much dark chocolate either. It is best to choose fair trade chocolate from organic farming.

Nuts and seeds

Nuts contain a lot of magnesium, are rich in B vitamins and contain trypotphan, which is important for the formation of serotonin. They are a great mood food for stress: the magnesium promotes communication between the nerve cells. A deficiency manifests itself in nervousness and concentration problems. B vitamins are particularly important for strengthened nerves.

Whole grain bread

It contains tryptophan, complex carbohydrates and is rich in important minerals such as iron and magnesium. All in all an effective mood food and a simple nutritional basis.

Other foods that are high in tryptophan include:

soybeans
cashew nuts
peanuts
lenses
oatmeal
curd

Spicy foods

The capsaicin contained in chillies and hot peppers provides the strong, burning sensation in the mouth when eating. Our body reacts to this feeling with a pain reaction: it releases endorphins, another happiness hormone. They have an analgesic, stress-relieving and euphoric effect. Pepper contains piperine, ginger contains gingerol. Both have a similar effect to capsaicin.

Omega-3 fatty acids in food

Mood food also includes foods with essential omega-3 fatty acids. Oily sea fish, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, walnuts and walnut oil contain particularly large amounts of them. The consumption of fish is generally ecologically very problematic.

Saffron

The expensive and exotic spice has been well researched in terms of its positive health effects and can even be used as a medicine. It has been scientifically proven that saffron can help against depression due to the crocetine it contains. If you want to cook with saffron, save it for special occasions. It is very expensive and not regional.

Probiotic Foods

A lot of research is currently being done on how the gut and the psyche are connected and some things have not yet been definitively investigated. But many results indicate that a healthy intestinal flora is also noticeable in a generally better mood. The RND reports in an article from November 2021 that serotonin is largely produced in our intestines and that intestinal bacteria can promote production.

A recent Belgian study found that the composition of the microbiome in depressed people typically differed from that in healthy people. They lacked certain types of gut bacteria. Probiotics and prebiotic foods help to rebuild and strengthen the intestinal flora.

Healthy and sustainable food as mood food

The best mood food is still a balanced and healthy diet. If you feel comfortable in your body and it is provided with everything it needs, then this also affects your mood. An interesting example from research shows how much a healthy diet influences mental health: A 2017 Australian-New Zealand study followed depressed test subjects for three months. In the group that ate healthier, almost a third of the people were no longer depressed. In the control group it was only eight percent.

Knowing about the foods mentioned above is an opportunity: we can, to a certain extent, determine how we feel and support ourselves with food choices in stressful and difficult times. The influence of food on our mood is great, but of course not the only decisive part. You should always be aware of that. There are many factors that come into play for a healthy and happy life.

Also note that many mood foods are less suitable for everyday nutrition from a sustainable point of view. Exotic foods should not be seen as commonplace. Of course you can also eat chocolate or cashew nuts, but you should pay attention to the amount and origin. The same applies to products of animal origin: not in excess, preferably regionally and from organic farming. When your food is responsibly sourced and made without suffering, you can enjoy it with a clear conscience.

Recipe: Vegan Good Mood Breakfast

The following recipe is a simple vegan example of how you can combine mood foods and integrate them into your everyday life. The ingredients used contain everything your body needs to produce serotonin, keep your nerves strong and support a healthy intestinal flora: tryptophan, magnesium, carbohydrates, omega-3 fatty acids from walnuts and probiotic bacteria from soy yoghurt. A cup of fresh ginger tea, for example, goes well with this.

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 handful of walnuts
20 dark vegan chocolate
50 grams of rolled oats
150 ml soy yoghurt

Directions:

Slice the banana and chop the walnuts into small pieces.
Grate the dark chocolate with a suitable kitchen tool or chop it up with a kitchen knife.
Put the oatmeal and soy yoghurt in a bowl along with the chopped ingredients and enjoy your breakfast.

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Vegan Substitute Products: You Can Make Them Yourself with These Recipes

Vegan substitute products can expand the plant-based kitchen and facilitate the switch to a vegan diet. With these recipes you can make soy milk, tofu, vegan cheese and more yourself.

The range of vegan substitute products is getting bigger and bigger – from classics such as plant-based milk alternatives and vegan cream to schnitzels that do not contain any meat or other animal products. Some of these substitutes have become so popular that they’ve found their way into vegetarian and flexitarian kitchens.

The vegan substitute products are no longer only available in health food stores and health food stores, but also in all supermarkets. You can also make the plant-based alternatives yourself at home: in many cases you only need a few ingredients. We will introduce you to various recipes for vegan substitute products.

Vegan substitute products: it’s worth making your own

Many people find vegan cuisine to be more creative and varied than conventional cuisine with milk, cheese and meat. The reason for this is, among other things, the large variety of vegan substitute products, thanks to which you do not have to do without your usual dishes. For example, you can replace cow’s milk with one of the many plant-based alternatives, such as soy, oat or almond milk. There are also good alternatives for yoghurt, cheese and various meat products.

Above all, the plant-based substitutes make it much easier to switch to a vegan diet. So you don’t have to do without the usual dishes such as pizza, gratinated casserole or rice pudding.

Most people buy pre-packaged vegan substitutes at the store. You can often make the plant-based alternatives yourself with little effort. This has several advantages:

Costs: Doing it yourself is usually much cheaper than buying it. A liter of homemade organic oat milk only costs around 20 to 30 cents. You pay at least 90 cents for it in a shop, which is easily three to four times as much.
Ingredients: Purchased vegan substitute products sometimes contain additives such as emulsifiers, preservatives or flavorings. By making the vegan foods yourself, you have full control over the ingredients.
Health: The “Albert Schweitzer Foundation for our environment” examined 250 meat alternatives in a study. Compared to animal products, these fared significantly better in terms of health and the environment. Nevertheless, the researchers criticized the mostly excessive salt content and unfavorable fatty acid profiles of the products. You can make homemade substitute products healthier – for example with less salt and linseed oil or rapeseed oil instead of sunflower oil.
Less waste: By making vegan substitute products yourself, you create less waste. You can buy the basic ingredients such as soybeans, oatmeal or walnuts in larger quantities and don’t have to buy new packaging every time. This means that homemade substitute products are also more environmentally friendly.

Make vegan milk substitutes yourself

Milk is not only popular in coffee, but also as an ingredient for many dishes such as rice pudding, pudding or béchamel sauce. Vegan cuisine knows more than just one milk alternative and has something to offer for every taste.

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Vegan Chop Suey: Recipe with Lots of Vegetables

Chop suey is also vegan and a delicious classic of Chinese cuisine. We’ll show you how to prepare the dish without any animal products.

The best way to prepare vegan chop suey is in a wok. Alternatively, you can replace this with a large pot. The chop suey sauce gets its spiciness and intense aroma primarily from the thickened soy sauce. Ginger, garlic and the hot paste Sambal Oelek are also used in our recipe.

Since the vegan chop suey consists almost entirely of vegetables, you need the most time for cutting during preparation. So if you don’t have the time, you can prepare the vegetables the day before. The mixing, cooking and seasoning of the ingredients is then relatively quick.

Make sure the vegetables are organic if possible. This is not only better for the environment, but also for you. No harmful chemical-synthetic pesticides are used in organic farming.

For your chop suey you also need vegetable broth. You can prepare these yourself.

Vegan Chop Suey: An easy recipe

Ingredients:

3onions
4 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
2Chicory
2peppers
2carrots
2 clove(s) garlic
200 g green beans
10 ginger
120 mlsoy sauce
400 ml vegetable broth
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
3 tablespoons starch
400 gbean sprouts

Directions:

First cut the onions into small pieces. Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a wok and fry the onion together with the tomato paste.
Then wash the chicory, cut it into small pieces and fry it in a separate pan with 2 tablespoons of oil.
Now cut the peppers and carrots into small pieces and chop the garlic into fine pieces.
Add the garlic and chicory to the sautéed onions.
Then fry the carrots, peppers and beans in the pan with the remaining sesame oil. Put everything in the wok or large pot.
Mix the cornstarch with some water in a small bowl. Now cut the ginger into small pieces and add it to the chop suey together with the soy sauce, the vegetable stock, the sambal oelek and the cornstarch.
Let the whole thing simmer for a moment and then add the bean sprouts. Chop suey tastes particularly delicious with fried noodles or rice.

This is a particularly good way to make vegan chop suey

If you want to prepare the vegan chop suey with noodles, you can find the typical Asian fried noodles in the supermarket. However, these are often prepared with egg.

You can also vary the ingredients according to the season and regional availability.

For example, you can replace chicory with white cabbage when the cabbage is in season.
Depending on your taste, you can also use other vegetables for your chop suey. For example, broccoli or leeks go very well with it.
In the Utopia seasonal calendar you can check when is the best time for which vegetables: Seasonal calendar for vegetables and fruit: Think Global, Eat Local!
Classic chop suey usually comes with chicken, shrimp, or pork. Just as delicious, much more environmentally friendly and cruelty-free, the chop suey works with tofu, soy strips, kidney beans or mushrooms instead.

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