Raw fasting with Peter Dreverhoff

Illnesses at a young age led Peter Dreverhoff to raw food in his search for a cure, and since the successes spoke for themselves, he has not only been an enthusiastic raw foodist for more than 30 years, but also its ambassador. For more than 10 years, Peter Dreverhoff has been offering raw fasting courses at the Keimling RohAkademie. In the one-week raw food seminar, participants have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the raw food lifestyle and all its facets. 100% raw food for 7 days. Despite the short time, participants will notice the amazing positive effects of the living diet. Of course, as with all fasting methods, you will notice some side effects in the first few days, which are called initial aggravation, fasting crisis or detoxification. Although the whole week is spent eating something, it can still be described as fasting because it still involves abstaining from cooked and heated food. This approach does not involve cutting back on calories, i.e. deliberately eating less, but rather eating your fill at the raw food buffet. Although there are no restrictions on the amount of food eaten, fasting effects can be observed. Participants feel better, lose excess weight or medication, e.g. for high blood pressure, can be reduced. The positive relieving effects of raw food, although food intake and quantity are not restricted, have led to the name raw fasting. The principle of raw fasting is based on abstaining from cooked food and addictive substances such as coffee or industrial sweets. There are 3 main meals, 2 of which are eaten at home and one meal during the daily hike, as exercise is an important pillar of raw fasting.

How does raw fasting work?

The morning buffet, usually around 10 a.m., consists mainly of fruit to provide the energy needed for the day in the form of fructose. Fruit, which is rich in oxidants and vitamins, is important to stimulate excretion. In order to provide the minerals required for effective deacidification, the evening meal focusses on fats and proteins in the form of avocados, nuts, seeds and sprouts in combination with vegetables. The buffet character is very important here: there are deliberately no pre-prepared plates with predetermined types of fruit or quantities, as is the case with some providers of fruit or raw food fasts, but rather a rich and varied buffet. This has two decisive advantages: 1. everyone can eat the optimal amount for them and 2. they can choose their favourite foods. This trains our instincts and brings us back into contact with our food. During the raw fasting course with Peter Dreverhoff, participants also learn how to maintain a raw diet without a rich raw food buffet in a stressful working and living environment, in the form of freshly squeezed juices made with special slow juicers, smoothies from a high-performance blender, but also dishes from a dehydrator, such as crackers. Raw fasting is a fasting method that can basically be adopted permanently at home due to its versatility and lack of restrictions. As this is of course not so easy for everyone to implement and, above all, to live by, the workshops with the juices and smoothies provide inspiration and help on how the proportion of raw food can be kept as high as possible in the long term and sustainably in order to benefit from the positive effects of raw food permanently and not just in phases.

At the buffet, fruit and vegetables are served as they occur in their natural form, there is a whole carrot instead of a carrot salad and a tomato instead of a salad; everyone can choose their favourite foods according to their instinct. This purist approach is very important for the fasting and elimination effects, as there is deliberately no processing and no salt or spices are added. It is a type of "clean eating", where the infamous "eating everything in a mess" is deliberately avoided, on the one hand for the fasting effect as mentioned above, but also to be able to enjoy and taste the individual foods on their own again, according to the motto "less is more".

Are there any special features of raw fasting that are not present in other types of fasting?

As the high proportion of fruit and vegetables contains a lot of fibre, there is no need for enemas with raw fasting. Fasting methods that rely on liquid food, such as juice or broth fasting, require a different approach to bowel cleansing. An enema is therefore only necessary and helpful for very few participants.

What is offered for elimination crises such as headaches or hunger pangs?

The most common reaction is a headache, usually caused by caffeine withdrawal, which is why we recommend reducing or completely eliminating coffee consumption before the appointment.

What does a typical raw fasting day look like?

The day does not start in the morning with a meal, but with a healing clay drink to collect the toxins in the body and help them to be eliminated. The day continues with morning gymnastics and walking to stimulate the circulation. At 10 a.m. there is a communal meal at the fruit-based buffet. This is followed by the daily hike in the countryside, which focuses on relaxation. There is a meal break during the hike. Before dinner, the workshops take place, in which you can, for example learn how to make crackers, how to make smoothies, which kitchen appliances are helpful and how to use them. After dinner, there will be some theory on the topics of health, nutrition and raw food. The evening ends with floor exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles. Of course, everyone can and should take part in the programme on offer according to their own health.

Exercise is an important element, with participants confirming that they are in better shape after a hike, as the movement stimulates cell work, which supports the elimination processes during fasting. The mini-trampolines are also used here to stimulate cell metabolism through swinging. The in-house sauna is used for sweating, relaxation and warmth. There are also alkaline body care treatments, so each participant has their own foot tub to take a foot bath before going to bed. This helps to eliminate the dissolved acids from the body.

On the last evening, the knowledge learnt in the workshops is put into practice to conjure up a three-course raw food menu. After a week without mixed food and without salt, this menu is a real explosion for the taste buds and a very nice end to a successful raw fasting week.

Eating mono-raw food should sensitise the body to how much I need, which foods I need, it's about experiencing raw food sensitively and listening to your own body and instincts.

What can you take home with you from raw fasting?

One way to keep the raw food content high in everyday life is to replace breakfast with raw food with freshly squeezed juice such as celery juice, a smoothie or a raw food muesli or by eating fruit on its own as during the raw food fast. This reduces three cooked meals to two, which is a huge success if practised over the long term. Another way to benefit from the positive effects of fasting is not to eat your first meal straight after getting up, but to delay it until you feel hungry - intermittent fasting.

The advantage is that the meal automatically tastes better, because we know that "hunger is the best cook". Alkaline body care in the form of foot baths or full baths can also be permanently incorporated into your everyday life as a relaxation element to eliminate acids, as these acids and toxins are not only produced by processed and cooked food, but also by stress or negative emotions. All the points mentioned have been practised and experienced in the raw fasting seminar, which increases the likelihood of adopting it as a positive building block in your life in order to benefit your health. Everyone should decide according to their state of health, constitution and life situation how high the proportion of raw food should be, 100% is of course the optimum, but since "eating and drinking" have strong social components and are linked to memories, it is not always possible and realisable. It's like everything in life: "What do I give up (my favourite cooked food) and what do I get in return (health, well-being)?

What should not be missing from Peter Dreverhoff's daily menu?

- Celery juice

Conclusion: The more lively and vital substance-rich food I incorporate into my life, the more my body will demand it.

More information on raw fasting with Peter Dreverhoff at the Rohakademie and dates:

rohakademie.de

Tip: As there are fewer dates than usual in 2023, please don't delay too long, but secure one of the coveted places in good time!