IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

What does the man who seeks immortality eat for breakfast? About 700 calories

If you want to live forever, you might want to start each day with a special breakfast. Here's what a famous futurist eats in the morning.
/ Source: TODAY

If you want to live forever, you might want to start each day with a special breakfast.

For Ray Kurzweil — futurist, inventor and director of engineering at Google — that means a morning meal of about 700 calories that he believes will help him stay healthy and on the path to extreme longevity.

Fresh berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries
Lauren Salkeld

“We’re going to be able to overcome disease and aging,” the author of “Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever,” recently told PBS. “We can actually seriously talk about a scenario where we will be able to extend our longevity indefinitely.”

Kurzweil’s breakfast, according to the Financial Times, includes:

  • fresh raspberries and blackberries (about 65 calories per cup)
  • smoked salmon (about 65 calories per two ounces)
  • smoked mackerel (about 110 calories per two ounces)
  • dark chocolate (about 150 calories per ounce)
  • unsweetened vanilla soy milk (about 110 calories per cup)
  • porridge/oatmeal (about 150-200 calories per cup, depending on the cooking method)
  • green tea (no calories)

Kurzweil seeks a diet full of “healthy carbs and healthy fats. So a healthy carb is a little bit of berries, oatmeal, vegetables,” he told the newspaper. "Cocoa is anti-inflammatory and it's very good for you," he said, referring to the pieces of dark chocolate.

Read more: 7 anti-aging foods you should be eating today

His quest for immortality once included swallowing 250 supplements a day, though he revealed that number is now down to 100, including 30 pills in the morning.

Kurzweil's food choices are fine, nutrient-dense and overall very healthy, said Madelyn Fernstrom, NBC News Health and Nutrition Editor. He seems to be focusing healthy carbs, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables; lean protein, like fish; and healthy fats, also found in fish.

Read more: Is it OK to eat fish every day?

Chocolate for breakfast is OK

Even his sugar intake is fine: He can enjoy chocolate in the morning because he's not swapping out unhealthy foods for a chocolate fix, Fernstrom said. It's not the same as eating a brownie for breakfast instead of oatmeal.

Read more: 4 healthy truths about wine, chocolate, sleep and sugar

There’s no problem with doubling up the calories in the morning and having that be your main meal of the day, Fernstrom added, noting that Kurzweil looks trim, so his lunch and dinner are likely much lighter.

“It’s all personal preference — eating a larger healthy breakfast alone does not automatically contribute to longevity. It’s one part of the puzzle. He enjoys what he’s doing, which is fine,” Fernstrom told TODAY.

“His plan works for him and that’s a good thing.”

But she took an issue with all the pills Kurzweil ingests. Taking so many supplements is not medically or scientifically sound, especially since they are not regulated and their dose, purity, or efficacy can’t be guaranteed, Fernstrom said.

The best advice is to take a daily multivitamin, she noted.

Follow A. Pawlowski on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.