Interview with Urs Hochstrasser - Rohvolution Berlin, 22/03/2015

Verena: Hello , we're at the Rohvolution in Berlin today. I'm standing here with Urs Hochstrasser.

Urs, you used to have your own restaurant, ate meat normally, smoked, drank alcohol - you name it. Then you found your way into raw food 25 years ago. You now run your own raw food centre in Switzerland with your partner Rita. It's fair to say that raw food - especially gourmet raw food - is close to your heart.
You could have said yes, when you found your way into raw food, this is my path, I'm doing it for myself. But you said, no, I want to pass on my knowledge and enthusiasm to other people. Why?

Urs Hochstrasser: Yes , I'm not alone in this world, it's a kind of soul contract that the knowledge you have is also worth sharing. And my aim was not just to find an optimal form of nutrition for myself, but for humanity.
And the more people find this form of nutrition, of course, the better I feel. I'm of the opinion that you can't be happy on your own. You need a bunch of people around you.

Verena: Now you have your own stand at the fair. Yesterday people were already overrunning your stand. How important is it for you to be present here and promote raw food?

Urs Hochstrasser: I wouldn't use the word "promote" as such, but we prefer to do raw food as advertising. It is of course the case that many people who find their way to raw food need motivation and just a bit of something new and a bit of a boost. And that's what we're here for, of course.
It's important to us that we can be of service to people somewhere and there's a lot going on here, there are a lot of people. But it's also nice to see that, compared to when we started with raw food, so many people have joined us today. That makes us happy, it's a wonderful thing!

Verena: Nice , nice. In your article for the current trade fair magazine - I'll read it briefly - you wrote: "It's worth getting the best out of your personality". So, for you, raw food is a holistic concept. What does it all involve for you?

Urs Hochstrasser: Yes , we don't actually live for raw food, but raw food lives for us. In and of itself, we have found a form of nutrition that allows us to connect with our higher self, if we can put it that way, and to fully utilise the possibilities that we have as human beings. Raw food is a wonderful part of this.
I always compare it like this: you can also run a 1000 metre race in heavy mountain boots. But you can also do it with light running shoes. I think the lightweight running shoes are much more elegant than the heavy hiking boots. But at the end of the day, the aim is to get over these 1000 metres as quickly, as elegantly and as joyfully as possible. And that's how it is here in life too, that you have an opportunity to realise your magnificence as a human being. Ultimately, it's about being able to share the joy and happiness and freedom and magnificence with each other. I think that's what life is all about.

Verena: The people who are coming to the raw revolution are already interested in raw food and are enthusiastic. What would you say to people who say that raw food is a sacrifice for me, it's not a pleasure and I just want pizza, cake, pie, ice cream, chocolate - all of that in my life.

Urs Hochstrasser: Yes , well, if someone naturally says I want to or I don't want to, then that's their decision, that's what they want. Then the big discussion is over for me, because I'm not overriding another person's free will. So he has to be willing to do that and invite me to help him. If someone doesn't want to, they don't want to, that's it!
But if someone says, yes, I would like to, but then of course you can find options. I mean, we also have these raw food pizzas and raw food lasagne. Some of them are really tasty.
However, you have to be a bit careful not to make the mistake of saying that this is raw food spaghetti and then - even if it tastes good - it tastes different to cooked food.
Because cooked food, and Italian cuisine in particular - not just other cuisines, of course - has a lot to do with the addictive factor. And if someone naturally wants to satisfy their addiction, then they don't want raw food.
And if we then come up with a name and people think, ha, spaghetti, yes, now I have the consistency of spaghetti, then they will be disappointed, we don't want that. But still, we have so many options today, we have so many great ingredients that you can make a great raw diet and not really go without.
You can't get away from any addiction without discipline. You can't get rid of a favourite habit without discipline. Instead, you have to look to the future and see the news, the benefits, the greatness of what is still there. Looking back is always dangerous. Then you can't see what's coming, right? (laughs)

Verena : You also give instructions for normal raw food, simple raw food and gourmet raw food in your seminars and courses. However, many people who are interested say, no, that's too time-consuming for me, I can't integrate it into my everyday life. Do you have any tips for beginners?

Urs Hochstrasser: Yes , well, of course there are ways to prepare something really quickly. I'm thinking of soups, I'm thinking of shakes, I'm thinking of smoothies. I mean, nowadays you can prepare a full meal in a flash, you can take it with you. It's worth setting yourself up properly and then making a decision.
What do you mean, I don't have time? If someone doesn't have time for a diet, then raw food is a very good option. There are no cooking times involved. We realised that raw food takes much less time. And you still have a better meal than if you do anything else. And if you have to queue at a fast food outlet, it takes longer, right? (laughs)

Verena: You 've been eating a raw food diet for 25 years. In that time, the raw food diet has changed and developed quite a bit. How do you think it will continue to develop?

Urs Hochstrasser: Unfortunately, I 'm not a fortune teller and I don't know the future exactly. But the way I see it, the trend and realisation will develop in the same way as the vegan movement today. It will fully take hold.
Although it's possible that the gap will widen a little here too. People are also turning to raw food, not just for health reasons, but actually because of their awareness. We have more and more conscious people, as well as people who haven't quite found consciousness yet. We have to live with that, we will live with that. And everyone has to see where they are.
I do think that we have now reached a stage where this will actually develop. When I see how many people have joined in this short space of time - it's gigantic. And of course I really hope that it continues like this.

Verena: So, you're looking into an exciting future, we're all looking into an exciting future. How do you see your role in it and what do you have planned for the future?

Urs Hochstrasser: I think my role in the future will also be to emphasise the benefits of raw food a little more and also the benefits that you have as a person, as a creative being, if you eat an optimal diet, if you eat a living diet, so that you can bring this a little closer to people.
I also believe that I will work a little on the finer points of raw food. It's not just about raw food now, like we used to have in the catering industry, where we simply have some artful food that we want to make into raw food. Ultimately, it has to serve a purpose.
We all want to be able to fulfil our potential. And so it makes sense for us to know the finer points. and I think we all need motivation and I see myself embedded in that.

Verena: So, you'll be staying with us. Thank you very much, that was a nice closing. Thank you for taking the time. Now you need to continue preparing your stand. Yes, that was the interview with Urs Hochstrasser and I'll say goodbye!