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Who says you need white bread for sandwiches? Here are great, healthy recipes without any wheat, but with all the more vegetables!

1. Portobello sandwich

Mushroom’s big brother is great for making a healthy, filling, bread-free sandwich!

For this recipe, you will need

  • 2 nice portobello mushrooms
  • some oil for frying
  • 2 tomato slices
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 tablespoon finely diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon finely diced onion
  • some chopped coriander
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1 handful of baby spinach
  • Salt and pepper to taste

That is how it goes

  1. Prepare guacamole with the avocado, diced tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper.
  2. Remove the stem of the portobello mushrooms and gently remove the lamellae inside the cap.
  3. Fry the mushrooms in plenty of oil until well browned and drain on paper towels.
  4. Now build your sandwich. Start with a mushroom cap, place the two tomato slices on top, then the guacamole, and lastly the baby spinach.
  5. Finally, place the second mushroom cap on the sandwich. Hold together with a wooden stick. The mushroom sandwich can be varied and expanded according to your mood, for example with cheese, bacon, or chicken.

2. Eggplant sandwich

A great, baguette-shaped sandwich can be formed from eggplant cut lengthways. If you cut the slices a little thicker, they will still hold the sandwich together well after grilling.

  • building blocks
  • 1 large eggplant
  • good olive oil
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 ball of mozzarella
  • some basil leaves
  • Cream of balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper

That is how it goes

  1. Cut the aubergine lengthwise into slices about 2 cm thick and grill them without adding fat in a pan (a grill pan is best) or in the contact grill for a few minutes on each side.
  2. Slice the tomato, avocado, and cheese.
  3. Drizzle the grilled aubergine slices with a little olive oil, then layer the cheese, tomato, and avocado on top. Season with salt and pepper, top with a few basil leaves and some crema di balsamic before finishing with the aubergine topping. If you like, you can grill the finished sandwich for a moment.

3. Pointed pepper sandwich

Practical: The semi-circular shape of the pointed pepper also holds together crumbly sandwich toppings such as couscous, tuna, or quinoa.

This goes well in your pepper sandwich:

  • tuna
  • quinoa
  • bulgur
  • couscous
  • romaine lettuce
  • avocado
  • hummus

That is how it goes

  1. Halve the pointed peppers and remove the seeds and stems.
  2. Fill one half with ingredients of your choice and fold the sandwich.
  3. Place the pepper sandwich in the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.

4. Cucumber Sandwich

This little work of art made from cucumber, roast beef and lots of fresh vegetables could use a bit of spiciness, for example with a dollop of chili sauce.

The ingredients

  • 1 straight cucumber
  • roast beef
  • vegetables at will
  • maybe chili sauce
  • coriander

This is how it’s done

  1. Peel the cucumber, cut off the ends and cut out a piece about 1 cm long from the middle.
  2. Remove the seeds from the resulting cucumber halves using a spoon.
  3. If desired, drizzle some chili sauce into the resulting cavities, then top with the roast beef, lettuce, vegetables, and coriander. The light paleo sandwich is ready!

5. Apple burger with goat cheese

A baked apple is an old hat. Combine the fresh apple aroma with goat cheese! You will be enthusiastic.

The ingredients

  • 1 small, tart apple
  • 1 slice of goat’s cream cheese
  • Crema di balsamic as required

That’s how it’s done

  1. Remove the core of the apple and cut it in half.
  2. Briefly roast the cut sides of the apple in a (grill) pan or on the contact grill.
  3. Drizzle the cut surfaces with a little balsamic cream, put the goat cheese on top, and fold up the “burger” – bon appetit!

Many people dye their hair gray because it represents advanced age and a lot of stress. But when do you get gray hair and does stress really affect it?

At what age do you get gray hair?

On average, men in Europe start graying at the age of 30. Women only have to adjust to the gray hair color at an average age of 35.

Incidentally, people of African or Asian origin usually get gray hair much later, which studies show is due to their genes. But the genes also play an important role in every individual and can trigger gray hair sooner or later.

Where does gray hair come from?

Once the body runs out of melanin, the hair loses its color. This is a completely normal aging process, which unfortunately cannot be stopped. However, there are other factors that cause hair to turn gray. This includes:
stress
Smoking
hormonal imbalances
Vitamin and nutrient deficiencies
These factors also lead to a lack of melanin, causing the hair to lose its color. Exactly why this is the case is currently being researched and is not yet entirely clear. So gray hair can have different origins, but at some point it always happens.

What role does stress play?

Some clinical studies have found that stress can lead to gray hair. This is because the hair roots react to stress hormones. The production of melanin, the hair dye, suffers as a result. As a result, fewer or no more color pigments are produced

However, the direct connection between gray hair and stress is disputed in science, to go through life more relaxed, but it also makes sense

Can the color be brought back?

In another study, conducted by Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, it was found that stress-related gray hair can actually be restored to its original state. However, the study is not really representative, as only 14 subjects took part. They kept a diary in which their own stress level was recorded. By reducing stress, some subjects also regained their hair color. So there is at least the assumption that stress affects hair color and that hair color can even be regained through a more relaxed life.

You can achieve more relaxation in everyday life primarily through mindfulness exercises and a conscious perception of your surroundings. With short, conscious moments in everyday life you can reduce the stress a lot and thus do something good for your hair.

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.

In order to avoid a so-called neural tube defect in the baby, you should take folic acid before and during pregnancy. You can find out when and how much in this article.

Vitamin B folic acid: when should you take the tablets?

With a balanced and varied diet, healthy adults usually do not need to take dietary supplements. An exception is folic acid – the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate.

The BfR recommends taking 400 grams of folic acid daily in the first trimester of pregnancy in addition to the usual diet, which should be as rich in folate as possible. Women who want to have children should also deal with the topic. Because according to a new flyer from the BfR

There is a reason for the point in time: the development of the central nervous system begins around three weeks after conception, with the so-called neural tube

Vitamin B: Which foods contain folate?

Noisy
Leafy greens like spinach and salads
tomatoes
legumes
nuts
oranges
sprouts
wheat germ
whole grain products
potatoes
liver
eggs
For a folate-rich diet, the DGE recommends eating at least three servings of vegetables a day. When preparing, you should make sure that you only wash and steam the vegetables briefly and without chopping them up. You shouldn’t boil it or keep it warm. It is also advisable to eat whole grain products, milk and milk products, and the occasional liver every day. However, the DGE advises avoiding liver in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Heating without heating? That can work. How to make yourself warm and comfortable, how to save money and energy.

1. Leave the oven open: If you’ve had a cake or casserole in the oven, be sure to leave the oven door open after baking. The oven may be off, but the residual heat lingers on for a long time. It spreads pleasantly in the kitchen and warms everything up well. Make sure the oven is actually off, otherwise it’ll be an expensive treat.

2. Tiled stove or fireplace: A natural source of heat that you don’t need a heater for. However, there are a few things to consider here. The Federal Environment Agency advises in particular to buy a stove with a high energy efficiency class and, above all, to only burn dry and untreated wood. Get good advice beforehand, because burned wood can also be harmful to your health. Because wood never burns completely, but releases pollutant emissions during combustion. In addition, dust gets into the air and more than 90 percent of it is fine dust.

3. Candles: Candle temperatures can reach 1400 degrees Celsius on the surface of the yellow flame. This heat warms the surrounding air. The warm air rises and is distributed throughout the room. You can use this method for a short time in small rooms and short corridors. It only increases the temperature by about two degrees. For this reason, this is absolutely not a permanent solution and above all you should always keep an eye on the burning candles.

4. Seal windows and doors: If you have leaky windows and doors, this can lead to a lot of heat loss and the drafts also make the rooms feel colder. To check the seals, pinch a piece of paper between the window frame and the sash. If the paper cannot be pulled out again when the window is closed, the window is tight at this point. So replace your seals, look for door slits on apartment doors and thus ensure more warmth in the rooms.

5. Radiant heater: This solution should only be used for a short time. Although a radiant heater heats up the surrounding air quickly, many models are expensive. Here, too, good advice is necessary due to sustainability.

6. Warm clothes: A classic that brings a lot. Many heat unnecessarily much, although somewhat warmer clothing would be sufficient. If you don’t necessarily have to walk around the apartment in a T-shirt in autumn and spring, you can save on the heating with a cardigan, a scarf or even warm slippers. Do you work in the home office? Then make yourself really warm here. Lay out a blanket and prepare a warm spelled pillow for your legs. Keep your feet warm and drink a stimulating ginger tea from time to time. You will see that you can do without heating for a long time, especially in the transition months.

7. Fan heater: the absolute emergency solution. If there is no other way and the heating has failed, fan heaters warm up incredibly quickly, but not very ecologically. The small models are not expensive, but due to their enormous energy consumption they are anything but sustainable. The power guzzlers should therefore definitely be operated with green electricity.

8. This last point is more of an indirect tip. Heat sustainably and specifically, then you generally save more heating costs! Use adjustable thermostats, ventilate properly and regularly and ensure good thermal insulation. If you use these tips, follow the instructions for heating and get well informed, you will definitely not freeze.

Low-carb nutrition – i.e. a diet with no or only a few carbohydrates – is no longer an insider tip. But which ingredients can be used to replace bread, pasta, and the like in everyday life? The siblings Alex and Anne from “Eating Without Carbohydrates” is also dealing with this question. In an interview, they tell us more about their favorite recipes, how their blog came about and why a low-carbohydrate diet doesn’t automatically mean giving up.

How did the idea for “food without carbohydrates” come about?

Alex: The whole idea was a mixture of a bet with my sister and my nutritional situation at the time. I created several Facebook fan pages with my sister. To put it simply, “Eating without carbohydrates” had several hundred fans practically overnight…and without any posted content – ​​so it was clear to me that I urgently needed a website with recipes. Fortunately, I’m a media designer and was able to implement it directly in a night session.

Why do you eat low carb?

Alex: For me personally, low-carb is the perfect balance for my training days. Because on these days, carbohydrates are not only allowed to me but also an integral part of my diet. Understanding what happens in the body with the right amounts of nutrients is just plain fun. Anne is more vegan/vegetarian-oriented.

What can we expect from “eating without carbohydrates”?

Anne: We geared the recipes and the whole concept behind “food without carbohydrates” to the long-term goal of a healthy diet. This means that carbohydrates are of course also allowed here. The name is not to be taken literally. However, we do not limit the amount to a few grams per day (as with many other low-carb diets), but are a bit more generous. What we want to convey: is low-carb with “eating without carbohydrates” is not a diet, but a long-term and balanced form of nutrition.

So low-carb and indulgence don’t have to be a contradiction in terms?

Anne: No, absolutely not. Especially if you still have some leeway with the carbohydrates. The thought that enjoyment is neglected here is actually more than wrong.

What (positive/negative) memories do you have of your first attempts at cooking?

Alex: Especially in the area of ​​”low-carb baking” it took a while. A lot went wrong here at the beginning. The worst but also the funniest memory is an exploded mug cake from the microwave.

So I would recommend the baking area to advanced low-carb fans. Precisely because a lot of conventional foods (such as flour and sugar) have to be replaced here, this is not so easy. Just because another product (and there are many) has the suffix “-flour” does not mean that it can also be used 1:1 like normal flour. Otherwise, it would be very useful. It doesn’t matter whether it’s almond flour, coconut flour, or guar gum…each behaves differently in terms of water retention and quantity.

In most low-carb dishes with very common ingredients, however, the ingredients do not differ from other “normal” recipes. So there are no difficulties with the preparation here – provided you can cook a bit.

How did you learn to cook in the first place or was it in your genes?

Anne: We actually always cooked together with the family when we were children. For us, it was just time together in the kitchen and then eating. So I would say that we learned cooking skills from grandma, grandpa, and our parents. Incidentally, these do not go beyond any normal limits. If you are interested in it and have fun with it, that’s actually all you need.

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

Anne: No, and that’s exactly what our concept is: It’s by far not “as strict” as comparable diets or programs. Of course, discipline is also part of it on many days and you have to clench your teeth from time to time, but after these situations, you feel all the better. And if you don’t make it, that’s part of it as well. Unfortunately, the quality of life should not be included.

With the support of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and SELEGGT, the Rewe Group has now succeeded in presenting a market-ready method for sex determination in the hatching egg, which aims to end chick shredding in Germany. You can now buy respect eggs!

The Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Julia Klöckner, and SELEGGT Managing Director Dr. On November 8, 2018, in Berlin, Ludger Breloh and the deputy CEO of the REWE Group Jan Kunath presented the market-ready method for sex determination in the hatching egg. The SELECT process is a huge success in the fight against chick killing. You can find out exactly what the so-called respect eggs are all about here.

Consumers expect more commitment to animal welfare

In Germany alone, 45 million male chicks are shredded every year – their rearing is uneconomical because male chicks do not put on enough meat when fattened.

For this reason, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) has been funding methods for sex determination of chicks directly in the hatching egg for years with a total of around five million euros. The aim of the procedure is that male chicks are not hatched and are killed immediately after hatching. Thanks to the SELECT process, there will be no need to shred chicks in the near future.

More and more people are speaking out against the killing of animals and factory farming – large retail chains are now trying to react to consumers, taking responsibility and playing an important pioneering role. buy respect eggs now
Customers can now buy the first free-range respect eggs in 223 Rewe and Penny stores (only in Berlin for the time being). The respect eggs “without killing chicks” have a seal on the packaging and each individual egg is marked with a “respect” stamp. By the end of 2019, these eggs will be available for sale in all German Rewe supermarkets and in the group’s own Penny stores.

The increase in the price of eggs is hardly noticeable to consumers. The 6-pack of respeggt eggs should only cost 10 cents more than a free-range pack of the same size.

Both the responsible Rewe manager and the SELEGGT managing director are in favor of wanting completely abolishing chicken shredding in Germany. To make this possible, they want to make the process available to the entire industry as a cost-neutral service as soon as it is mature.

Germany is thus the first to introduce a method that can end the killing of chicks in hatcheries. From 2020, the first hatcheries will be offered the patented process for use. Whether this will then also be mandatory for hatcheries or can only be used on a voluntary basis is still unclear and will probably cause further discussion in the future.

Select method: This is how the sex in the hatching egg is determined

The method is based on endocrinological sex determination in the hatching egg. The nine-day incubated egg is first checked for fertilization. Once it is fertilized, lasers are used to create a pinhole in the incubator and a small amount of allantoic fluid is removed.

This procedure has no negative effects on the incubation egg since the inside is not touched. The sex of the chicks can be determined by the allantoic fluid. The accuracy of the determination would be around 98 percent with this method.

The male incubator eggs are processed into high-quality feed and the females go back into the incubator. The small hole that was created closes itself again. On the 21st day of incubation, the female chicks hatch.

It doesn’t matter whether the cooking oil is running low in the supermarket, you don’t have any more at home or you simply want to do without oil: With the help of a few tips, frying can be done without any oil at all.

This is how you succeed in frying without oil

If you don’t have any oil at home, you can’t find any in the supermarket or you just want to do without it, the question arises: How do you fry without oil? There are different possibilities. With some methods, however, you have to reckon with the disadvantage that the aroma can change slightly because the fat is no longer used as a flavor carrier.

So that nothing burns, it is first of all important to use the right pan. Coated pans are usually made in such a way that the food in them does not burn over low to medium heat; even if you don’t use oil.

Alternatively, you can also use mineral water for frying. It is important that you choose water with as much carbonation as possible and replace the oil in a ratio of 1:1. Proceed as if you were using oil: Before you put the food to be fried in the pan, heat the water slightly. Once the water has evaporated, you can add another small sip.

More methods of frying without oil

Another way to fry without oil, but without skipping the fat, is to use butter or margarine. To avoid burning the butter or margarine, you should only heat it over a low heat. In order to also pay attention to environmental aspects, it is advisable to use a plant-based margarine with plant material from regional cultivation. In comparison, butter has a very energy-intensive production process behind it and comes off worse in the ecological balance.

To fry at higher temperatures without oil, you can use parchment paper. It makes sense to cut the baking paper to the size of the pan and only then fry the vegetables or something similar in it. However, since the baking paper can only be used a few times before it crumbles, it is more sustainable from an ecological point of view to use permanent roasting foils. These can be washed off and can be an ideal replacement for a pan coating.

It is up to you which method you use. You can also try different methods and then decide which one works best for you.

It’s Sunday, I didn’t go shopping, and the kids are screaming for pizza. No yeast and no quark in the house, but it is still possible to make a delicious pizza without yeast and quark.

Ingredients for 3 people

For 1 baking tray, you need 300g flour, 1 sachet of baking powder, approx. 75 ml olive or sunflower oil, 1 tsp salt, and some milk.

Preparation

Mix the flour, the packet of baking powder, the salt, and the oil, preferably with a hand mixer, until you get a crumbly mass, then keep adding a little milk until the dough binds. Sometimes it happens that the dough is a bit sticky, then you can add a little more oil.

Spread the dough out on a pre-greased baking sheet or parchment paper, spread with tomato sauce (mix the tomato passata with Italian herbs or pizza seasoning + a little salt), and top with the desired or existing ingredients. Then spread cheese over the ingredients, for a particularly good taste you can also spread some mozzarella.

Put the tray with the pizza in the preheated oven (200° top/bottom heat or 180° convection) and let it bake for about 30 minutes.

Useful additional knowledge

The baking powder makes the dough a little thicker and fluffier, but you can prevent this by using a little less baking powder.

Bike to work, count steps and try to jog as often as you can. The goal: to lose weight. But the personal compulsion to constantly burn calories affects mental health. Apart from weight loss, sport has so many other positive effects.

Weight reduction in sports: That’s why it shouldn’t be the goal

Anyone who constantly puts themselves under pressure when losing weight or associates weight reduction with negative thought patterns such as “I’ll never make it” or “It’s all taking too long” can trigger certain stress reactions that are particularly counterproductive for weight loss success. This is partly due to the stress hormone cortisol, which inhibits fat loss and muscle growth, according to personal trainer Sandra Mennel

Another reason not to just focus on losing weight while exercising is weight gain from muscle building. Anyone who does a lot of sport inevitably builds muscle. Without a doubt, a defined body looks better and slimmer. But many people quickly panic and lose motivation when they see the scale saying anything other than the weight loss they want. However, it is often forgotten that muscle is heavier than fat tissue, which is why the scale shows more than hoped for.

The increase due to water retention corresponds to another problem for beginners. If you haven’t exercised properly for years, your muscles will become sore very quickly. This can even affect weight, since the body stores more water when muscles are sore. It is precisely this water retention that leads to the fact that one or two kilograms more can be welcomed on the scales.

Good arguments for sport that have nothing to do with losing weight

Much more than losing weight, the positive aspects should come to the fore in sport. In most cases, we just feel mentally better after a sports session. This is because physical activity releases endorphins, which in turn have a relaxing effect on both the body and mind. That’s why you can not only switch off with a sports unit, but also reduce stress. But only if you don’t stress about losing weight.

Furthermore, studies such as the joint study by Oregon State University and Bellarmine University have shown that regular exercise significantly improves the quality of sleep. During the study period, 3081 adults between the ages of 18 and 85 were interviewed. Those who exercised at least two and a half hours a week were able to increase the number of light and deep sleep phases.

Finally, regular exercise leads to a generally improved state of health. In various studies, scientists have found that regular exercise helps to minimize the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even some types of cancer. In addition, the professor of sports science, Dr. Henning Budde, in a “mega-analysis”, that sport has positive effects on depression and even works as well as drug therapies.

Conclusion: With serenity you can lose weight better

If you really want to lose weight, you should approach the topic calmly and not toil in the gym. Sports beginners in particular should not be unsettled by the imbalance on the scales. Those who are prone to chronic stress can specifically include relaxation phases in their sports units. Nevertheless, you should always expect small setbacks, because failures are completely normal when losing weight and are part of it.