Fasten as a self-test and reset step: "just hold out for a bit" - How Germany's Fasting Culture Shifted From Faith to Wellness Trends
Fasting in Germany has evolved significantly over recent decades. Once tied to religious traditions like Ash Wednesday or Ramadan, it has now become a widespread secular practice. Many people today fast not for spiritual reasons but to enhance health, boost mindfulness, or resist consumer culture.
The shift is evident in the statistics. A Forsa survey found that 72% of German adults see value in abstaining for health, with alcohol, sweets, and meat being the top items they cut out. This trend is strongest among urban, educated, and financially secure individuals, according to Gunther Hirschfelder, a cultural scholar at the University of Regensburg. He describes fasting as a 'phenomenon of affluence,' driven by those with the time and resources to prioritise self-improvement.
For Max König, a 33-year-old industrial engineer from Gummersbach near Cologne, fasting began in his early twenties. He started by giving up alcohol, then gradually took on longer challenges. Now, he practices water fasting for at least five days and avoids meat, alcohol, and added sugars for nearly six weeks. The experience has left him with lasting benefits, including a deeper awareness of nutrition and a more mindful approach to eating.
Eva Barlösius, a sociologist at Leibniz University Hannover, explains that modern fasting is highly individual. People abstain from all kinds of things—food, smartphones, even driving—often to regain control over habits they feel have spiralled. She notes that fasting, by definition, is temporary, allowing people to adapt it to their personal goals.
Yet the trend isn't without risks. Hirschfelder warns that social media can turn fasting into a dangerous pursuit of an 'ideal' body, especially for young people. While 'Christian fasting' is now met with scepticism, Ramadan retains a more positive image due to its communal and spiritual focus.
The cultural shift is hard to miss. Practices like intermittent fasting (such as the 16:8 method) have surged in popularity, fuelled by viral trends and events like the upcoming 2026 exhibition 'Fasten – Wenn Weglassen Wunder wirkt' ('Fasting – When Letting Go Works Miracles'). What was once a religious duty has become a tool for self-optimisation, anti-consumerism, and personal growth.
Fasting in Germany no longer belongs only to faith communities. It has entered the mainstream as a flexible, health-focused practice embraced by younger, urban professionals. The trend reflects broader changes in how people view discipline, consumption, and well-being—though experts caution against its potential downsides in an age of social media pressure.
Read also:
- Executive from significant German automobile corporation advocates for a truthful assessment of transition toward electric vehicles
- Crisis in a neighboring nation: immediate cheese withdrawal at Rewe & Co, resulting in two fatalities.
- United Kingdom Christians Voice Opposition to Assisted Dying Legislation
- Democrats are subtly dismantling the Affordable Care Act. Here's the breakdown
