Interview with Christian Dittrich-Opitz on smoothie cures and intermittent fasting

Christian-Dittrich Opitz provides information in the fasting guide from Keimling Naturkost about the benefits of a diet rich in vital nutrients and about smoothie cures.

As a child, Christian Opitz was diagnosed with a severe spinal disease (ankylosing spondylitis), and the doctors told him that he would have to live with this disability.

Special sporting exercises helped to bring about a certain improvement, but not a cure. Christian Opitz then began to study the subject of nutrition and discovered the books of Dr Max Otto Bruker, an advocate of wholefood nutrition.

His other area of interest was wild herbs. Changing his diet to a vegetarian raw diet with a high proportion of wild herbs brought about a complete cure. Today, at the age of 51, Christian Opitz has no diagnosis, is much more mobile and completely pain-free.

Exercise practices and nutrition have helped him and this has led to his professional activity for more than 30 years.

Christian Opitz is the author of three books, in which fasting and raw food play a special role.

The two reward systems

There are two reward mechanisms in the human system: the dopamine-controlled one, which is supported by adrenaline and testosterone. The function of dopamine is to make us look for things that we are currently lacking, for example food, when we are hungry.

In a food-sober state, we are very active and want to go for a walk, exercise, do our work, etc. Being active when sober is a reward in itself! This is because the greatest reward is not released when the goal is achieved, as one might assume, but when working towards the goal. According to the motto: "The journey is the reward", this is the most important part of the process. The release of dopamine is lowered when we are consistently full.

The other reward system is controlled by serotonin, which makes us satisfied with the things we have, e.g. food or our social environment such as our family.

In contrast to the dopamine system, which has to be actively achieved, it is a passive system, i.e. relaxed satisfaction with what we have achieved.

The challenge is to harmonise both systems in a balanced way.

Hunger activates the dopamine system and eating activates the serotonin system. However, if there is no healthy switch between the two systems, our brain registers that it can virtually shut down the dopamine side due to constant satiety, which means that the energy is not available for the everyday tasks that need to be mastered.

This forces our brain to find other dopamine stimulants, e.g. distraction in the form of social media, constant visual and mental stimuli, but also conflicts and arguments as well as constant and excessive self-talk. The attempt is therefore made to stimulate dopamine through these substitute activities, including, for example, excessive consumption of the stimulant coffee, which leads to what is known as the "dopamine release mechanism" being triggered in the brain. disappointment centre (the lateral habenula) becomes active.

The disappointment centre is activated when we do not stimulate our dopamine and serotonin in a natural and healthy way.

This leads to a negative basic vibration, a generalised frustration that is difficult to attribute or justify. The frustration also bears no relation to what we are experiencing or what life situation we find ourselves in. The big problem is that we lack the vigour to cope with everyday tasks and important things. Listlessness and rapid fatigue set in prematurely; on the other hand, relaxation is not possible because constant digital stimuli, such as checking the smartphone for new messages until late at night, stimulate us. Healthy daily rhythms are sufficient sleep at the right times, but above all alternating between eating and fasting.

In nature, there is no such thing as surplus food that is constantly available. Our modern way of life with constantly available food has caused many people to lose this rhythm of hunger and satiety. Epigenetically, this is easy to explain, as starvation was one of the most common causes of death in many parts of the world, including Europe. In 1859, for example, 20% of people in Ireland died of starvation; in the last decade of the 17th century, 1/4 of people in France died of starvation.

Today, it is 3 times more likely to die from obesity than from starvation. This periodic lack of food and the fact that people had to be active to obtain food is generally no longer the case today. Even if the situation regarding food is favourable today, our body has not yet adapted to it.

However, we are genetically programmed to become active when we are hungry and to relax when we are full.

Intermittent fasting can therefore be used to experience hunger as something pleasant and revitalising and not to give in immediately to the slightest feeling of hunger.

The doctor, psychologist and philosopher Viktor Frankl said: "When people always strive for pleasure immediately, they end up in frustration."

If you immediately give in to the urge to eat, you will become frustrated because you will constantly need more food and it won't taste as good because you are actually full.

Are headaches or bad moods a sign of hunger and should I give in immediately?

No rules should be set for growing children; children should eat when they are hungry, but should also not be allowed to eat when they are not hungry. The same applies to pregnant women. In healthy adults, depending on the body and constitution type, the desire for food is not always the reason; in some cases, certain exercises are sufficient to extend the fasting period in the case of nervous irritability or freezing.

You can also see the whole thing as training and will notice success in extending the fasting periods. If you have problems not eating for 16 hours, you should check whether there is an energetic imbalance and correct it.

Of course, the quality of the food also plays a fundamental role in intermittent fasting, especially if the food consumed is predominantly highly processed industrial food, as the cells starve because the corresponding vital substances are simply not available. High-quality foods, such as green smoothies, leave many people amazed at how little food can provide long-lasting satisfaction. The secret is: cellular satiety.

Green smoothies according to Victoria Boutenko

Christian Opitz lived near Victoria Boutenko and her family in Oregon in 2004. The Boutenko family had freed themselves from various illnesses by switching to a raw food diet and were well-known figures in the raw food scene in the USA. However, after a few years on a raw diet, Victoria Boutenko realised that some raw foodists had problems with their diet. This included not being full, but also digestive problems, excessive fat consumption in the form of nuts or avocados. And that green juices, although very rich in vital substances, were not always sufficient.

She started preparing green leaves in a blender because modern humans have forgotten how to chew their food properly and thoroughly, unlike our close relatives, the primates. Primates feed on 45-80% green leaves, but they have the advantage over us humans of a better chewing apparatus and also have salivary enzymes to break down cellulose better. The preparation of green leaves in a high-performance blender together with fruit and water has spread quickly and green smoothies have started their triumphal march around the world.

Thanks to their very high density of vital substances, many people have noticed that the optimal cellular saturation can significantly reduce hunger pangs as well as the desire for sweet or fatty foods. Victoria Boutenko conducted a study to prove the potent positive health effects of green smoothies. People who follow the "Standard American Diet" (not very healthy) were given a large green smoothie every morning, without any further requirements or recommendations to change their diet or lifestyle. The amazing effect was that the participants in this study automatically and intuitively changed their diet for the better and drastically reduced their consumption of sweets, junk food and coffee.

The basic idea is very simple: green leaves are made more easily digestible by blending them in a high-performance blender!

As a large proportion of the minerals and trace elements in green leafy vegetables are incorporated into the cellulose fibre, chewing alone does not result in sufficient crushing. Green smoothies are very dense in nutrients and are very easy to digest, so they put virtually no strain on our digestive system.

What are the typical ingredients of a green smoothie?

It is very important to prepare the green smoothie fresh, green leaves, ideally also wild herbs, but also with microgreens (Keimlinge). Microgreens can either be grown on a tray or in a sprout jar. Sprouts from red cabbage, broccoli, sunflower seeds or peas, for example. Then, of course, fruit for flavour, such as lemons for acidity and dates for a healthy sweetness. Preferably not seedless fruits, as they contain less energy and micro-nutrients due to hybridisation. You can also add chilli or ginger.

What should I bear in mind when preparing a green smoothie and what should I avoid?

It is important not to overload green smoothies, i.e. not to add oil or nuts. It is a myth that you need fat to absorb certain vitamins. Please also avoid starchy foods so as not to impair the easy digestibility, as this is precisely the special feature of green smoothies. Green smoothies also have the positive effect of stimulating the production of stomach acid, which is particularly beneficial for people with low stomach acid production.

Stomach acid deficiency is a widespread phenomenon. A person in their mid-fifties has only 1/4 of the stomach acid of a person in their mid-twenties! Stomach cancer is more likely to occur when stomach acid production is low than when it is too high, which also explains why it is a disease of old age. A lack of stomach acid should be taken seriously, as food is digested more poorly, fewer nutrients are absorbed and it can also lead to food intolerances. To ensure that green smoothies optimally stimulate stomach acid production, they should therefore be prepared according to this purity principle:

- green leaves

- fruit

- water

- possibly spices

How should you use green smoothies in everyday life?

Christian Optitz only eats breakfast around midday in order to use the morning for food sobriety. The green smoothie is ideal as a first meal in the morning or, for advanced fasting people, also very good at lunchtime. As a transition from fasting to eating, something very easy to digest is ideal, and this is where the green smoothie scores highly.

Smoothie cure as an alternative fasting method

Ideally, you can also do a smoothie cure in spring, because at this time of year the fresh wild herbs sprout, spring is the perfect time for all classic fasting cures anyway, but also for liver cleansing. The bitter substances contained in green smoothies in particular are ideal for cleansing the liver. Young dandelion leaves, for example, are particularly rich in these bitter substances. Instead of a classic fasting cure, you can also have a large green smoothie twice a day and use the time to get to know wild herbs more intensively.

What are the advantages of a smoothie cure compared to a classic fasting cure?

The advantage of the "green smoothie cure" over classic fasting is that there are fewer detoxification reactions and you can continue to be active as normal because energy is supplied throughout, but is very easy to digest. You can decide how long you want to fast for - 1 week, 10 days or 2 weeks. Another advantage of the smoothie cure is that no preparation of the intestine is necessary, e.g. a bowel movement, because the green smoothie provides soluble and insoluble fibre, so that the intestinal movement / peristalsis is maintained.

In a classic fasting cure with vegetable juices and teas, autophagy, i.e. the self-cleansing process of the cell triggered by fasting, is stronger than in a smoothie cure. This is because the smoothie diet also provides sufficient protein. In real fasting, the lack of protein is one of the great advantages, because most people already have overfull protein stores and their metabolic products, which are responsible for many diseases of civilisation (see the work of Prof. Wendt.

Another advantage of a smoothie cure is that it is better for people who have problems with normal fasting due to strong detoxification symptoms and who quickly suffer from a lack of energy or nervous conditions.

Both classic fasting and the smoothie cure are wonderful methods, the ideal would be to fast for one week and plan a smoothie cure for the second week as a transition to a normal diet.

What do I need to prepare the green smoothies?

To prepare green smoothies, you need a powerful blender, a so-called high-performance blender. Victoria Boutenko, like many other green smoothie enthusiasts, uses the Vitamix. The top model is the Vitamix A3500, which is available for a short time in a set with small to-go containers and can be used not only for green smoothies but also for pestos or dressings. If you want to try it out first, you can also start with the Personal Blender, a small and handy mini blender that also has practical drinking containers.

Tips from Christian Opitz

Don't just treat your health technically, but don't just follow the pleasure principle either!

You first have to earn a healthy appetite; balance is fundamental here. Inform yourself, eat in a relaxed atmosphere, aesthetically arranged, everything has an influence on digestion and utilisation. Don't eat in front of the computer or TV or with your mobile phone in your hand.

Living vitality food, green smoothies and fasting can be used very well to optimally nourish the body and keep it beautiful and healthy. Discipline is required at the beginning of the change in diet, but at some point it becomes something as natural and normal as a nice walk in the woods.

Info about Christian Dittrich Opitz:

https://christian-dittrich-opitz.de/

More about the recipes:

https://www.keimling.de/blog/lieblings-smoothie-von-christian-dittrich-opitz/