Base Fasting Self-Experiment – Health Reset In The Allgäu

Base fasting can also be like this: lots of flavor, little sacrifice: Our author and her partner embarked on a week of fasting in the Allgäu region. An experience report…

Base fasting is a real challenge for me…It is often said that less is more. This may certainly be true for many areas of life. From the heel height of shoes to fresh snow in April. But when it comes to food? Until now, I’ve always enjoyed my meals down to the last crumb or blob of sauce. But in proportion to the always empty plates, my belly got fuller over the years and my jeans were tighter.

In the late summer of 2024, I decided to put an end to overeating. After all, I wanted to feel good in my body again and no longer feel bloated like a balloon animal. That requires discipline and motivation. As I was lacking both at the time and the weather was glorious, I didn’t see any need to fly to Bali for an expensive Ayurveda cure or to just make do with soups and juices on the classic Buchinger fasting cure. Instead, I decided for base fasting. Intead of an airplane I took a comfortable train ride from Munich to the Allgäu. A postcard picture with lush green meadows and happily mooing cows. I wanted to be in such a good mood again! So off I went …

Day 1: Salad instead of sweets
I check into the Rosenalp Health Resort & Spa for my alkaline or base fasting adventure. The adults-only hotel run by the Schädler-Burkhart family is located in picturesque Oberstaufen, surrounded by beautiful nature. The municipality with around 8,000 inhabitants is even an officially recognized climatic health resort. It became famous in the 1940s thanks to the Schroth Cure developed by Czech natural healer Johann Schroth. The Resort Rosenalp offers this alongside programs such as therapeutic fasting and base fasting according to the Wacker method. I opt for the latter. It means being served three balanced, purely vegetarian meals a day with purely alkaline foods for a week.

What do I find problematic about base fasting? Well, sweets, alcohol, bread, cheese and pasta are not included! A bit of a shock for me as a fan of Italian cuisine. Would I be able to cope with not inhaling a plate of spaghetti bolognese (with lots of Parmesan!) every two or three days, spooning up tiramisu for dessert and drinking a glass of Chianti with it? That’s what I ask one of the nutritionists at Rosenalp on the evening of my arrival, who accompanies the various cures with informative talks and Q&A sessions.

Base fasting: Wok vegetable instead of Italian pasta

“Basically, our body metabolizes food in two ways: alkaline and acidic,” explains the nutritionist. The “acid formers” include my beloved pasta, alcohol, animal products such as cheese and meat and all forms of sugar. Such foods can promote diseases such as rheumatism, cause inflammation and lead to cardiovascular problems. Alkaline products, on the other hand, such as salads, nuts, potatoes, fruit and vegetables, are healthy for the body. Ideally, a meal should therefore consist of at least 80 percent alkaline components. “Each of our fasting cures aims to raise awareness of what a balanced diet means,” says the expert. Slightly frustrated, I mumble an “all right, thanks” when it’s time to move on to the first evening meal.

I have a coconut curry soup and then wok vegetables with sprouts. It tastes really good and I’m full after the two courses. But something is missing. I look longingly into the dining room next door, where non-fasting resort guests are served a wholesome multi-course meal – including dessert!

“Tomorrow will be easier,” my husband, who is fasting with me, comforts me and we stroll towards our room, where the only unpleasant part of the cure awaits us: a bowel cleansing. It is designed to relieve the digestive tract and can be done in different ways. I decide to drink bitter Glauber’s salt diluted with water. My husband reaches for a fermented plum, which also has a laxative effect. Well, good night then!

Day 2: Wellness with a mountain panorama
We wake up the next morning with our tummies still grumbling slightly. We both slept a little fitfully, but the prospect of breakfast lifts our spirits. And indeed: the sprouted muesli is delicious! I even have to leave some of it because I’m so full. But also because we’re about to slip into our bathing suits and explore the Rosenalp wellness area. It extends over 2,000 square meters and offers a 25-meter-long pool with outdoor access as well as a fantastic sauna area including a Kneipp pool, ice pool and infrared cabin. Wonderful!

With the Allgäu landscape always in view thanks to the many large windows, we swim and sauna for all we’re worth. There’s not too much time for that today, as we have lunch from 12 noon – and despite the alkaline muesli, I’m already feeling a little hungry. The lunch of fennel and orange salad and potato rösti (yummy!) fortifies us for the next item on the program: a breathing class.

Varied activity program

For 60 minutes, trainer Melania shows us how to relearn and perfect natural abdominal breathing with the help of a variety of exercises. Exciting! The Rosenalp activity program has something to suit every fitness level and preference. Whether Latin aerobics, TRX training, yoga and Pilates, Qi Gong, aqua aerobics or progressive muscle relaxation. Less well-known sports such as Saham – gentle mobility exercises for joint flexibility – are also on offer.

After a short power nap in our room, it’s time for our alkaline dinner. We enjoy fried leeks with sesame potatoes and tomato dip in silence, chewing every bite carefully. The latter tastes so good that we ask the Rosenalp chef Helmut Beng for the recipe. Once again, we notice how warmly all the staff at the resort treat their guests. Always ready to listen, always helpful, great!

Day 3: Counting steps instead of calories
After breakfast (almond pancakes with apple compote) and lunch (antipasti followed by roasted cauliflower with potatoes and saffron-herb dip), we are drawn out into the fresh air today due to the sunny weather. Together with resort mountain guide Irmgard, we walk along a beautiful circular route from Oberstaufen via Willis back to Rosenalp. The three-hour tour offers spectacular panoramic views as far as Austria and Switzerland.

Inspired by the beautiful impressions and proud of our almost 14,000 steps, we reflect on the day over dinner – watercress soup and potato and leek strudel. This time, however, we find ourselves raving about a tender fillet of beef (my husband) and a large plate of pasta (me).

Day 4: Tips for supermarket shopping
After breakfast, it’s off to the shops. Theoretically at least. A Rosenalp nutritionist has set up a large table in one of the resort’s meeting rooms with empty cans, bags and cardboard boxes and systematically guides our fasting group through the various product worlds – from milk and cheese items to convenience food and frozen goods. We can ask questions and receive practical tips on healthier alternatives for our next visit to Rewe, Edeka & Co.

With a lot of new knowledge in our heads, we take the bus towards the Hündle cable car in the afternoon. Once at the top, at an altitude of almost 1,150 meters, we decide to take a 45-minute tour including a selfie break at the summit cross. Maybe it’s the thinner air up there, but I certainly feel a lot lighter than before the cure, and my jeans don’t pinch as much. After all!

Day 5 – 7: Activity meets relaxation
My husband and I have now developed a fixed morning ritual at Rosenalp: First swim a few lengths in the pool and then lie down in the infrared cabin. We spend the rest of the days of our base fasting week alternating between activity and relaxation in a similar way.

On the one hand, we enjoy wonderful wellness treatments such as an alkaline bath and a sisal brush massage. We also visit Oberstaufen’s beautifully landscaped park, play several rounds of mini golf there and go on an e-bike tour to the nearby Eibele waterfalls. The picture gallery on our cell phone grows in proportion to our motivation to pay more attention to balance in everyday life after our stay. Less is more? Yes, that really is true for many areas of life …

Photos @Mike Badstuebner (8)