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Creamy and yet fluffy – that’s how the perfect milk froth for a cappuccino or latte macchiato should be. Hobby baristas are currently trying their hand at creating their own works of art, such as hearts on their specialty coffees. But with which milk is the milk froth perfect? EAT SMARTER tells you.

The perfect milk froth

In order for the milk froth on cappuccino or latte macchiato to be perfect, the protein and fat content of the milk must be right. Both are responsible for enclosing the air bubbles that have been beaten in when whipping so that the popular foamy milk is created. “The protein makes the milk foam stable, the fat content ensures the creaminess,” explains nutrition expert Susanne Moritz to the Bavarian consumer center.

The right milk

If you love milk foam like in Italy, you should use whole milk – firm foam is achieved by using low-fat milk of at least 1.5 percent. As a rule of thumb, the higher the fat content, the creamier the foam will be.

The temperature also plays an important role when preparing milk froth: lukewarm or cold milk is best. However, if it is heated to over 60 degrees, the milk froth collapses and is no longer usable for a creamy coffee specialty.

Coffee is so healthy

Coffee in its pure form is calorie-free, has a diuretic effect, and slightly suppresses the appetite. It’s also rich in niacin and antioxidants that help the body neutralize free radicals and protect cells. However, most coffee drinkers love the drink because of its stimulating effect: caffeine has a performance-enhancing effect and stimulates brain activity.

Microfiber cloths are often used for cleaning. However, there are surfaces that you should not clean with a microfiber cloth.

Which surfaces are taboo for microfibre?

Due to the structure of the surface, microfiber cloths can scratch sensitive surfaces. These include, above all, spectacle lenses made of plastic. There are only slight scratches, which can become larger and larger over time and with frequent cleaning with microfibre and ultimately lead to damage and thus to blurred vision. Furthermore, microfiber cloths should be avoided for the following objects or surfaces:
high gloss finishes
Surfaces covered with clear varnish
oiled wooden surfaces
precious metal surfaces
In general, all soft plastic surfaces are also affected. In general, the abrasive effect of microfiber cloths will destroy the surface over time, resulting in ugly scratches. With oiled wooden surfaces, the protective layer of the wood is destroyed over time, which ultimately means that the surface no longer looks nice and the wood underneath can also be damaged by penetrating moisture. Surfaces made of precious metals such as silver or copper and mirrors are also not suitable for cleaning with microfibre cloths.

Are there alternatives to microfiber towels?

But what alternatives are there? Often the only thing that helps here is a look at the instructions for use or asking, for example, an optician or specialist retailer. There you will receive cleaning tips and will also be advised on the cleaning options.

There are special cloths that have been specially developed for cleaning glasses. Here you should also follow the instructions for use. You should not use it to remove stubborn dirt such as grease.

Glasses manufacturers recommend running lukewarm water and some washing-up liquid. As beautiful as microfiber towels are, there are a few things to consider in order not to end up doing more harm than good.

While the quinoa was relatively unknown some time ago, the pseudocereal is now enjoying increasing popularity. And quinoa can do more than just replace rice as a side dish. We have put together ten great recipes for you that focus on Inca rice – so you can always enjoy quinoa in a different and varied way.

1. For seafood fans

Crunchy prawns, pithy quinoa, and a creamy mixture of ricotta and quark – that’s all you need for a delicious, healthy, and quick meal. The pleasantly spicy note of chili rounds off the dish perfectly.

2. Crisp and fresh

Quinoa also cuts a fine figure as part of a colorful salad. Try our creation with avocado, oranges, pomegranate seeds, onions, rocket, and halloumi – a real power mix!

3. Cabbage rolls with a difference

Who says savoy leaves always have to be stuffed with meat? Even! Because even with quinoa, parmesan, almonds, and parsley, the green wraps simply taste great and are also particularly healthy. Enjoy your meal!

4. It’s what’s on the inside that counts

With this dish, too, no one is guaranteed to miss the minced meat in the filling – because quinoa simply goes perfectly with the crunchy peppers from the oven. Fresh coriander and an Indian-inspired spiced butter round off the taste.

5. Fixed

Would you like to treat yourself to a vegan meal from time to time? Then we recommend our delicious quinoa and vegetable pan. Best of all, the dish is ready in just 30 minutes.

6. Sweet and fruity

Anyone who only knows the savory version of quinoa should definitely try this sweet quark casserole with the pseudocereal! The oven feast is accompanied by a colorful fruit salad. For those who like it sweet in the morning, the gratin is an ideal breakfast.

7. From the pan

Everyone has probably eaten normal pancakes at some point. But do you already know the little cakes with quinoa in the batter? If not, you should change that quickly! The creamy vegetable and mushroom ragout makes the enjoyment perfect.

8. Colorful and healthy

Whether as a vegan main meal at home or as lunch for the office: This quinoa and pepper salad is not only particularly tasty but also very healthy – thanks to lots of vegetables, fresh herbs, and pithy quinoa.

9. Mexican mix

Black beans, tomatoes, and spring onions go perfectly with the superfood quinoa. A delicious vinaigrette with lime juice and zest, chili powder, and coriander perfectly complements the taste of the dish.

10. Well filled

The zucchini halves baked in the oven with a creamy, pithy filling made of cream cheese, almonds, and quinoa and the fruity mango sauce with fresh mint form a successful taste contrast here.

What does a Hollywood star who thinks muscles are part of their business eat to stay fit and healthy? With this breakfast, Dwayne Johnson prepared for the shooting of “Black Adam”.

Healthy Breakfast: This is what Dwayne Johnson eats

The Hollywood star makes no secret of his diet. In an Instagram post, he revealed the ingredients for his protein-rich breakfast.

Flank Steak: The flank steak is a lean cut of beef. The protein it contains is important for muscle building.
Brown Rice: The rice variety is considered the healthiest. It is not peeled and polished. This means that minerals and trace elements are retained.
Albumen: Nutritionally, eggs are the “yolk of the egg.” Because they have the highest biological value of all foods. This indicates how effectively the body can convert protein from food into endogenous protein. To save calories and fat, you can do without the yolk and actually only eat “the white of the egg”. If you separate the eggs yourself and don’t want to throw anything away, the yolk can be used for baking.
Blueberries: The berries are low in fructose and calories. Secondary plant substances protect the body cells from harmful oxygen compounds, the so-called radicals. Fiber is good for the gut.

Rice smoothie instead of coffee

Most people drink coffee in the morning, not so Dwayne Johnson.

Instead, he eats a kind of “rice smoothie”: boiled brown rice mashed with water. By the way, Johnson only drinks very little water before the final shooting, according to the magazine. The actor also severely limits salt consumption.

Johnson apparently wants to prevent water retention so that the muscles are emphasized even more.

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.

The body decides who I fall in love with, not the heart. Love is born in the mind. Biology knows which criteria are decisive for falling in love.

This is what happens in our body when we fall in love

What is love? A poet will give a different answer to this question than a biologist. The sober answer from a scientific point of view can take away the romantic illusions of a magical love for many newly in love: Love is a feeling with a biochemical basis and a neurobiological pattern that simplify or even enable the start of a relationship. Above all, love serves a higher mating success. An increased heartbeat, moist skin and hands, cheeks with good blood flow – anyone who has ever been in love knows these symptoms only too well. But what exactly triggers the infatuation signs in our body?

Even if the heart can pound at the sight of the swarm, infatuation does not develop in the heart, but in the brain. There, the lymbic reward system is particularly active during this time, while the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for rational thinking, is particularly inactive. The body releases a lot of dopamine. Some people in love have higher serotonin levels. Both are happiness hormones that make the world look a lot nicer. Testosterone levels in women go up and men go down. Decisions are now made via different neural pathways than before.

It is not always possible to prove exactly why the individual values ​​are falling or rising. But one thing is clear: something is happening in the body! In their thinking, people in love are even similar to people with OCD. However, this only applies to the first phase. After about a year, the intoxication wears off, and bonding and security hormones such as oxytocin and vasopressin replace dopamine. Researchers speak of the so-called Coolidge effect. However, if the two partners are compatible, the exciting infatuation turns into love.

Who do we fall in love with?

We know countless people, with some we are friends, with others we can imagine more. What actually determines who we fall in love with? The first thought that probably comes to many people’s minds is a mixture of looks, character and interests. In fact, various scientific studies have shown that appearance is the first criterion when choosing a partner, especially for men. But that is not how it remains.

If you ask psychologists, the choice is mainly about similarities. Here, for example, age plays a role, but also a similar level of education and a common social milieu. On average, men are two to three years older than women in relationships. A similar milieu creates opportunities for encounters, many people get to know each other at work and at school. Common interests and similar characteristics evoke sympathy in people. But biology thinks differently: it is precisely differences that attract.

The more different two people’s genes are, the more attractive they find each other. This has one purpose above all: to protect the offspring from diseases. In general, from an evolutionary biological point of view, choosing a partner is about sexual reproduction. The genetic material should be combined in such a way that it results in the best conditions for potential children. This is where a surprising fact comes into play: smell is key. Everyone has an individual scent that we subconsciously perceive. This scent signals to the other person whether it is a potential reproductive partner or not.

Partners are like your own parents – is that true?

A mixture of appearance, character and interests – so it’s not quite that simple after all. But while smell is an essential factor in who we fall in love with, looks play a different role. 80 percent choose partners who look a bit like their parents. Is it true that we fall in love with people who resemble our parents?

There’s something to it. At least that’s what the results of a Hungarian study say. For the study, the researchers measured face sections of several people per family. When comparing the measurements, it became apparent that daughters tend to favor men whose central facial area resembles that of their father. For sons, the lower part of the mother’s face was significant. In total, the faces of 312 people were measured.

The researchers attribute this fact to the socialization process of the children. And in principle, familiar faces are more sympathetic to people than strangers. Couple therapists know that resemblance isn’t just limited to looks. The same often applies to character traits and behavioral characteristics. In addition, the actual influence of this factor also depends on how good or bad the parent-child relationship is.

With the 5.5 centimeter rule, every woman is said to find her perfect hairstyle. In this way you can calculate in a matter of seconds whether you have long hair or whether you prefer short hairstyles.

What hair length suits you?

Never make wrong decisions again – that’s what the technology of the hair care product line John Frieda promises. Using your face measurements, the 2 inch rule will determine what hair length suits you.

All you need is a pen and a ruler. How it works:

Stand in front of a mirror.
Now take a pencil and place it horizontally under the chin so that it reaches at least to the height of the ear.
Now you need the ruler: place it at right angles to the pencil. It should touch the earlobe.
Finally, measure the distance between the earlobe and the pen.

What is all this for? Now the aforementioned 5.5 centimeters come into play. If the distance you measured in the last step is less than 5.5 cm, you should wear a short haircut. If it’s more than 5.5 cm, you probably look better with longer hair

The plant-based diet is becoming more and more popular, and more and more people are eating vegan. For many, this diet is not just a food trend, for Shabnam from “The Hungry Warrior” for example, it was a health decision. In an interview, she tells EAT SMARTER how she integrates plant-based nutrition into her everyday life and what effects it has on her health.

What can we expect from “The Hungry Warrior”?

Instagram isn’t just about recipes – it’s primarily about being visually appealing. It’s a kind of artistic expression for me. I eat plant-based and all my recipes are vegan and contain no animal products. On my blog I then talk about myself, my illness, my plant-based diet, and my life. I also give tips on how to deal with the disease or nutritional problems. I would like to achieve that people get more courage to listen to their own bodies and deal more consciously with the topic of nutrition. They should enjoy eating and cooking.

You were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. How did the day change your life?

At that time I was still living in the USA. But when I got the diagnosis in 2007, I returned to Germany. At first, I was of course shocked and didn’t know how to deal with the disease. Conventional medicine relied only on medication and stress reduction, nutrition played no role. The doctors always said, “You can eat whatever you want”. However, I had to learn that for me this means listening to my body.

So I had to learn what I can tolerate and therefore really want to eat. Then I switched my diet to a plant-based diet. The diagnosis has fundamentally changed my life and I also see the positive side of what has resulted from it.

I’m doing pretty well with it now. But my body lets me feel it again and again when I’m under too much stress. Then I have to take a quick break. The plant-based diet means I have much less stomach pain. A cup of coffee with milk is used to give you a boost. But of course, there are still foods that I don’t tolerate very well, which I try to avoid.

How did the idea for “The Hungry Warrior” come about?

The idea came to me at the end of 2016 when I was quite ill and looking for a hobby that I could do from home. Due to my illness, I had to stay at home for about a year without working or exercising. So I needed something where I could express my creativity. I’ve always loved cooking and my boyfriend had a camera that he rarely used. That’s why I connected the two things together and it worked relatively quickly and well.

What memories do you have of your first attempts at cooking?

I believe that cooking is in my genes because everyone here cooks well: my mother and my three sisters. I wasn’t allowed to run around in the kitchen much because it made my mother nervous. But I watched it because it always interested me.

I cooked for my parents for the first time when I was eight or nine. I made meatballs. It was something very simple and I don’t even remember if I seasoned it that much. But I can still remember forming the meatballs with my hands and then frying them in oil.

I used to love to cook for my friends after school. My best friend used to come up to me and watch me cook. She can’t cook at all, but she can eat well.

How would you briefly describe your nutritional philosophy?

I want people to listen to their bodies more. There should be no taboo topics like the “gut”. I eat plant-based, for me, this is the right diet. But everyone should value their own body and be willing to try different recipes and diets.

What are the biggest difficulties of the plant-based diet?

It is definitely difficult to eat out. You have to find out well beforehand where you can go and it is best to be prepared when you go: take nuts, dried fruit or fruit with you. Especially at the beginning, it is difficult to persevere and not give up.

Do you have to be strict with yourself to eat like you?

No! Instead, you should take things easy. If you like eating meat, that’s totally fine. I don’t want to forbid anything, but rather inspire people to try new things. Over time, awareness changes automatically, so that you pay more attention to quality and automatically reduce the amount of meat.

What ingredients can’t you do without in a plant-based kitchen?

To nuts! You can do everything with it, savory dishes, salads, even a nut Bolognese, as well as cakes and nut milk. They are high in good fats, protein, and minerals. I always use herbs. For me, a hearty base consists of onions, olive oil, garlic, and herbs. Spices are also important so that there is always a real taste explosion. In addition, legumes are very versatile – I don’t tolerate them very well, so I don’t have them that often.

Do you use natural sugar alternatives? Which are your favorites?

I haven’t used white, refined sugar for years. I actually don’t like it at all anymore. I use coconut blossom sugar or maple syrup as a sugar alternative. But I also use agave syrup, date syrup, and dates to sweeten – whether for cakes, smoothies, shakes or porridge.

Protein is a great filler and source of energy – especially in the morning when you want to be productive in the office. This cottage cheese breakfast is not only perfect for the first meal of the day because of its good nutritional value: It is also quick to prepare and can be easily stowed in a jar and taken to work. We’ll give you the recipe here!

High in protein and ready in no time

Gone are the days of stopping off at the bakery in the morning before work to stock up on the first meal of the day: This quick cottage cheese breakfast can be stirred together in the morning or prepared the day before.

Stored overnight in the fridge in a jar with a screw top, the cottage cheese breakfast can be easily stowed in your bag and taken to the office the next morning – your co-workers will be amazed!

Thanks to the low-fat and protein-rich cottage cheese, you will stay full for a long time and avoid cravings in the first place. Apples and oatmeal provide complex carbohydrates, valuable vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which ensure an intact immune system and keep digestion going.

Cottage cheese breakfast with crunch

The ingredients:

  • 5 tbsp oatmeal
  • 2 tbsp almonds (chopped)
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 200 grams of cottage cheese
  • 150g Greek yogurt
  • 1 apple
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 ginger (thumb size, grated)
  • ½ tsp cardamom (ground)
  • ½ tsp cinnamon

The preparation:

  1. In a small pan without oil, toast the oats and almonds with a pinch of salt until fragrant, stirring occasionally.
  2. Mix together the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt and divide between two plates. Remove the core of the apple and cut the apple into narrow sticks.
  3. Spread apple slivers over breakfast cottage cheese along with oatmeal crunch, grated ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon and eat right away.

Summer, sun, sunshine – and ice cream! This vegan ice cream simply tastes like summer: fresh mint, crunchy chocolate, and creamy fine ice cream. We can’t get enough of this green avocado ice cream. And you don’t even need an ice cream maker. It’s so easy to make your own avocado ice cream.

Make your own avocado mint ice cream

You’ve certainly never eaten ice cream like this: fresh mint gives the creamy-green avocado ice cream a particularly refreshing note – and really helps to cool off on hot days. The crunchy pieces of chocolate give a certain crunch effect. And on top of that, it’s also vegan ice cream!

To make the avocado ice cream yourself, you only need a few ingredients: coconut milk, avocados, mint, chocolate, and possibly some agave syrup. Although avocados have a relatively high number of calories and a high-fat content, healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids predominate.

Mint and lemon provide vitamin C and at the same time provide a fresh kick. The whole thing is also done in no time at all: you only need 15 minutes until the ice is in the cooler – but then you have to wait. But anticipation is often the best joy!

We fell in love with the creamy avocado ice cream – just try it out and enjoy the fresh licking fun on hot days.

The recipe for the avocado mint ice cream with chocolate

For 6 servings

  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 3 ripe avocados
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • Agave syrup (optional)
  • fresh mint (or mint extract)
  • 100 g chocolate drop (or to taste)
  • Besides that
  • cling film

Preparation steps

  1. Open the coconut milk and scoop out the solid part at the top – don’t shake the can first – and pour it into a large bowl! Using a hand mixer, beat the solid coconut milk until fluffy, and then pour into a cake or casserole dish.
  2. Split the avocados, pit and scoop out the flesh, and place in a food processor. Blend together with the lemon juice, agave syrup, and mint leaves until smooth and creamy.
  3. Put the avocado mixture on the fluffy coconut cream, sprinkle the chocolate chips over it, and mix the mixture carefully but evenly.
  4. The surface of the mass should be relatively smooth. Now place cling film on top and press lightly so that there is no air between the film and the ice cream mass. Place the ice cream in the freezer for at least two hours.
  5. Let it thaw and enjoy.