The Superfood Generation
How can you lose 11kg in 20 days without feeling hungry? Nutritionist Wolfgang Grabher recently introduced Vegisan, a detox diet with a revolutionary approach.
Detoxing is in, and it is not just celebrities promoting the idea of a toxin-free, low calorie diet. Gwyneth Paltrow swears by 21-day detox
programmes that replace breakfast and the evening meal with a shake. Anyone who has ever been on a diet knows that success achieved by
following a regime of smoothies and raw food is often short lived, and that the pounds usually pile back on the hips again within no time. Those times are finally over. Austrian nutritionist Wolfgang Grabher revolutionised a well-known concept when he was preparing for an Antarctic expedition. With Vegisan he recently introduced ‘bioceutica’, a monofood eaten in 25g portions every 90 minutes over the course of the day. The trick is to reduce energy intake in order to keep down blood sugar levels and the release of insulin while at the same time receiving all the nutrients required. The controlled intake of food keeps the release of blood sugars in balance and means that you don’t get hungry, you don’t feel bloated and even on fewer than 1,000 calories a day your body still performs at its best. DELUXE interviewed Herr Grabher about the possibilities offered by this new food.
Herr Grabher, you came up with the idea of Vegisan in 2010 when you were planning a trip to the Antarctic, which is still pending. ‘Bioceutica’ are not new, so what is revolutionary about your approach?
Bioceutica are a concentrate of so-called superfoods and up to now they have been used as a natural food supplement. Vegisan is the first ‘All-in-One-Superfood-Bioceutica’ in the world that contains all essential nutrients and so can be used as a 100% food substitute.
You have fed yourself exclusively on Vegisan and water for weeks while an implanted chip monitors how your body is functioning. What do you have to look out for?
In order to keep your blood sugars at a constant level, you have to be very disciplined and take the Vegisan every 90 minutes. It is also important to drink pure non-carbonated water.
You must have thought of other uses for Vegisan. In addition to the detox concept, does it also offer new approaches for sportsmen and women?
If we regulate the release of insulin by feeding ourselves with Vegisan, then the body has to feed itself off our fat reserves as soon as our energy stores are depleted. Normal diets do not provide the body with the L-carnitine
needed to transport the fat to the cells. The body produces L-carnitine from certain biomolecules which are found in a high concentration in Vegisan. When you are on a diet and have no L-carnitine, the body starts to burn protein. Diets are the number one destroyer of muscle. With Vegisan the
body breaks down fat rather than muscle.
In the long term you can control your weight with Vegisan by cutting out the evening meal. What do your recommend after detoxing?
We recommend introducing one Vegisan day per week. This is more effective than running a marathon. With Vegisan, you save about 2,500kcal per day. Running burns about 600 calories every 10km and you lose valuable electrolytes at the same time. Vegisan supplies natural bioactive electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium and calcium and when we exhale carbon dioxide, the stored calories go with it.
Vegisan’s ingredients do not contain any chemical preservatives. Currently, you are producing Vegisan on Lake Constance and shipping to order. Demand is clearly going to grow soon, how will you cope with this?
Vegisan is a so-called ‘clean food’ and contains absolutely no harmful substances such as allergens or chemicals. This takes the pressure off the liver and the digestive organs. Our philosophy is that we only manufacture to order. We hold no stock. But because of its low moisture content Vegisan can be kept for 2–3 months. Production is designed for an international strategy and we will be able to meet a growth of 25% on the previous month.
Does this nutritional concept have a possible application in third world countries? Its low transport costs and the full nutritional content provided by pure biomass make it sound as though you could use it to combat hunger.
Since February 2016 Vegisan AG has been transferring calories. For every Vegisan day we donate 1,000 calories to a country with little fertile arable land and low incomes. Vegisan is also the most sustainable form of nutrition that there is. We require just 800m2 of arable land instead of the 8,000m2 required for normal food. In addition we reduce waste by more than 90%. Vegisan is also vegan and is perfect for a meat-free day a week to cleanse the body.
Herr Grabher, thank you for talking to us.
Interview by Birgit Unger | Translation by Celia Moody for DELUXE Mallorca Magazine | www.deluxemallorca.com
