Life in the Fast Lane –

August 17, 2019 – This scary phenomenon even has a shiny new name: biohacking, a term that originated in Silicon Valley, a place where billionaires infuse themselves with the blood of healthy 20-somethings to increase their vitality; chill their bodies in cryo chambers; survive on meal replacement shakes like Huel and Soylent  and monitor their blood glucose levels 24-7 with subcutaneous implants. Outside magazine has basically become the biohacking bible, featuring biohacker extraordinaire Ben Greenfield in many of its issues, including one last October that focused on every inch and organ of his body. I must admit that I love Greenfield’s site, which includes articles with titles like “How to Look Good Naked and Live a Long Time” and “9 Herbal Remedies to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse.” 

Tech titans like Soylent founder Rob Rhinehart boast about how they no longer need kitchens. “This home manufacturing center has been by far the most liberating to eliminate,” he wrote on his blog. I can’t imagine anything sadder than not having a kitchen—sorry, I meant “a home manufacturing center”—and drinking a chemical compound every day instead of making a big bowl of spaghetti once in a while. Does he have a wife? Kids? A dog? A date, ever? Does he ever make a martini? Eat a bowl of granola? Doubtful. Here’s the crux: Because Silicon Valley is mostly a masculine enclave, they’ve learned to disguise dieting as a quest for increased efficiency, physical health, and intellectual clarity. Limiting your calories or water fasting is not used for weight loss but for performance enhancement, as a form of showing toughness and mental grit. They give fasting techie-sounding names: time-restricted eating, alternate-day fasting, compressed feeding schedules.

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