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jack dorsey , the 42-year-old ceo of twitter and square, is biohacking’s poster boy. he claims to eat only one meal each workday, consisting of fish or meat, vegetables, and occasionally a small amount of berries, chocolate or wine. and he’s been experimenting with fasting all weekend long, drinking only water from friday to sunday. his drink of choice is the lemon, water and himalayan salt concoction he calls saltjuice.
other biohackers include lifestyle guru tim ferris, a keto believer who advocates cutting out carbohydrates that “ are or can be white ” and eating the same simple meals day after day; geoff woo , ceo of “human optimization” company hvmn, who kicks off his week by not eating for 36 hours; and keto fanboy david asprey , the ceo of the supplements company bulletproof, who calls biohacking “the art and science of becoming superhuman” and sells various blends of edible oils marketed as “brain-boosting, fat-burning, high-energy fuel.”
phil libin , the former ceo of evernote, regularly fasts for two to eight days straight, consuming only water and black tea and coffee. the list goes on.
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soy and fish but little dairy or fruit are eaten in japan , grains and vegetables alongside generous glugs of olive oil and wine are served in the mediterranean , while fish, fruit and coconut are staples in polynesia . all different, all healthy.
but fad diets that require massive amounts of time and energy to precisely calibrate what you eat, or incredible discipline to go without eating at all for days at a time, continue to be popular. and they have led to some speculation online about whether something might be going on psychologically with people who want to control their diet to such a degree and that “biohacking” is simply culturally acceptable window-dressing that conceals disordered eating.
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it’s not a crazy thought. a popular online keto “ cheat sheet ” lists 108 foods to avoid, including broad categories like deli meats, beans, grains, many milk products, starchy vegetables and most fruits. in practice, the eating habits of someone on this diet start to superficially resemble those of someone with arfid, or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. people with arfid, which is mostly associated with kids but also occurs in adults, have intense, often bizarre food aversions. they severely restrict what they eat and avoid certain foods.
dorsey says fasting makes him feel amazing — clear-headed and mentally focused. meanwhile, the brain’s reward system, which makes most of us feel happy when we eat yummy, high-calorie foods, is severely out of whack in people with eating disorders such as anorexia. according to the canadian mental health association , restricting food intake gives these patients a “false sense of being in control.”
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