Nikola Tesla, the brilliant inventor and futurist, is renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to science and technology. Beyond his inventions, Tesla's lifestyle, particularly his diet and habits, has garnered significant interest. Living to the age of 86, significantly longer than the average life expectancy of 62 years for men in the USA at the time of his death in 1943, Tesla attributed his longevity and vitality to his carefully chosen diet and lifestyle. He believed that diet, food, and drink significantly impact our health and longevity. Tesla's approach was rooted in the belief that most people suffer from physical ailments due to a poor diet, essentially "eating themselves to death" by consuming too much or inappropriate food.
Tesla's Dietary Principles
Tesla was very picky and careful about his food: he ate very little, but what he did eat had to be of the best quality. His dietary views were not a fad. He wrote often about how overindulgence poisoned the body and led to decline. He sought efficiency, purity, and clarity, convinced that too much richness in the body dulled the sharpness of the mind. Tesla's dietary habits reflected a focus on simplicity, moderation, and the avoidance of substances he considered harmful. He saw the body as an engine, one that must be fed with clean inputs to work at maximum efficiency.
Two Meals a Day: Embracing Intermittent Fasting
Tesla was an early adopter of what resembles modern intermittent fasting, consuming only two meals a day: breakfast and dinner. He considered lunch a "superfluous meal," arguing that it burdened the stomach with food that couldn't be quickly transformed into energy for work. He believed that lunch loads the stomach with food which it cannot transform quickly into energy for work. According to Tesla, it takes from three to four hours before we can digest our luncheon: three or four hours before the food takes effect. Hence, lunch does not increase our efficiency. He found that two meals a day improved his health, sharpened his appetite, and increased the sensitiveness of his palate. Tesla said he did not know what life was until he eliminated lunch.
A Typical Daily Menu
While details varied, a glimpse into Tesla's daily meals reveals his dietary preferences:
- Breakfast: Tesla began his day with simplicity. Unlike the heavy breakfasts of his era, which often included bacon, fried eggs, and coffee, he kept to a plate of boiled or lightly scrambled egg whites and a glass of milk. He believed milk was nature’s most complete food, containing everything needed for strength and vitality. The stripped-down breakfast was meant to be clean fuel for his workday. Tesla believed the yolks of eggs were too heavy, so he discarded them, focusing instead on the protein-rich whites.
- Dinner: His evenings featured warm, simple dishes, often centered on broth and vegetables. Celery broth was a favorite, paired with potatoes or another root vegetable. Tesla’s avoidance of rich sauces or heavily seasoned meats was not an accident. He felt that indulgence wasted the body’s energy on digestion instead of freeing it for higher work. According to one account, dinner might consist of celery or something similar, soup, a piece of meat or poultry, potatoes, and another vegetable, accompanied by a glass of light wine. For dessert, he might have a piece of cheese and always a big raw apple.
- Dessert: Tesla was not known for sweets, but he occasionally finished with a single apple. To him, fruit was the purest form of sugar, natural energy that refreshed rather than weighed down. The apple was symbolic of Tesla’s diet as a whole. It was simple, clean, and functional. It gave him what he needed and nothing more.
Emphasis on Food Quality
Tesla was very picky and careful about his food: he ate very little, but what he did eat had to be of the best quality. He believed that our diet, food, and drink significantly impact our health and longevity.
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Food Choices and Rationale
Tesla's dietary choices were driven by his conviction that certain foods promoted health and longevity, while others hindered it.
Limited Meat Consumption
Tesla was mostly vegetarian, eating meat only once or twice a year. He preferred fowl to beef and considered fish more digestible, rich in proteins and fats, and beneficial for the nervous system due to its phosphorus content. However, he acknowledged that both meat and fish provide quick energy and may be indispensable for certain workers under specific conditions, but shorten life by introducing more uric acid into the system than it can conveniently eliminate.
Avoidance of Acid-Producing Foods
Tesla avoided foods that he felt slowed the body’s processes, keeping his meals light and minimal. He saw the body as an engine, one that must be fed with clean inputs to work at maximum efficiency. Tesla believed acidic foods, legumes, and heavy meats clogged the system and produced toxins that accelerated aging. In his words, “Why overburden the bodies that serve us? I eat but two meals a day, and I avoid all acid-producing foods. Almost everyone eats too many peas and beans and other foods containing uric acid and other poisons. Tesla lived by this statement.
Tesla also eliminated all legumes from his diet, with the explanation they contained uric acid and other toxins. In fact, the real medical explanation is that it is indeed true that legumes are extremely rich in amino acids that produce uric acid in our body, and can lead to the onset of gout, in cases where there is a predisposition to this disease.
The Importance of Milk, Vegetables, and Fruit
Tesla was a strong proponent of milk, considering it a near-perfect food. He also emphasized the importance of vegetables and fruits in his diet. Vegetables are indispensable to any diet, although they contain only six or seven grains of protein per ounce. They do not build and they supply little energy, but they regulate the bowels and counteract uric acid. They also supply the body with the vitamins and essential mineral salts. Moreover, they are convenient carriers for fat. I am fond of a fine, cooked mixture of onions and chopped celery prepared with a great deal of butter. This combination is easily digested. Fruit, too, is an essential part of any well-regulated diet. It is indispensable, partly because of its bulk which aids the digestion, and partly because of its alkaline reaction. It is a well-known fact that even citrous fruits, which have an acid reaction at first, change to alkaline in the processes of digestion. The alkaline are the natural enemies of the acids. Sugar in small amounts is not objectionable.
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Abstinence from Stimulants
Tesla gave up all the stimulants he once enjoyed, including cigars, coffee, and alcohol. He was strongly addicted to coffee, with the result that my heart was subjected to a dangerous over-strain. It took me eleven years to vanquish my craving for this pernicious drink. The cure cost me a good deal of money. For eleven years I had the finest coffee prepared for me at my table every day, and never touched a drop. Its presence aroused my powers of resistance. If it had not been there I would have suffered from the craving.
However, he believed alcohol was beneficial to him, saying “I had previously expected to live 150 years. Alcohol has helped me a great deal in my life. It has made possible for me to escape from a strain which otherwise might have proved fatal. The man who is not an inventor cannot realize how powerfully the entire system may be affected by the discovery of a new truth. When I first saw my own invention, the induction motor, at work, my heart nearly gave out. Fortunately, a bottle of brandy was near at hand of which I partook.
Tesla was also a great lover of wine, not just any wine, but wines sent to the USA by his relatives from his native Croatia. He declared that he did not like other wines. Several letters have been preserved in which he asked his uncle to send him wines from Varazdin, a town in Croatia where his uncle Pajo Mandic served as a colonel in the Austro-Hungarian army. It is believed that he was introduced to the seductive wines of Varazdin in 1892 when he visited his uncle in Varazdin. This love of wine reflects the broader picture of Tesla's life and interests. Although dedicated to his scientific research and inventions, Tesla also had a deep respect for life's cultural and esthetic aspects, including art, music, and, of course, food and drink.
Beyond Diet: Exercise, Rest, and Lifestyle
Tesla's commitment to health extended beyond diet. He recognized the importance of exercise, rest, and other lifestyle factors in maintaining his vitality.
Daily Walks
“The most stimulating activity, to my mind, is walking. I walk never less than ten miles a day. Tesla walked 16 to 19 kilometers a day, and he also reduced stress with baths which have been commonly employed in Eastern civilisation for centuries. Modern science has demonstrated that the more steps one takes per day, the lower their risk of dying from all-causes and cardiovascular diseases.
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Hydrotherapy and "Waterless Baths"
Aside from walking, Tesla also exercised while taking a bath, which improved his agility and flexibility. Tesla believed that one day everyone would have a dry bath in their homes. “I believe in what may be called a waterless bath, by which I mean charging of the body to a very high electric potential. It is a bath of fire that rebuilds, rejuvenates, cleans, and exhilarates.
Sleep Habits
Tesla also only slept two hours per day but in an arcane manner. “When I sleep, I sleep profoundly. To sleep deeply, profoundly, is an art like deep breathing that must be learned. It is one of the secrets of the East. I think that I have discovered the secret. Tesla said that a man who performs hard physical labor needs seven to eight hours of rest to recuperate, not necessarily eight hours of sleep. I myself sleep only two hours out of twenty-four. This does not mean that I may not assume a recumbent position, but my mind continues to work out its problems. I have often, during such apparent periods of rest, worked out my most difficult problems.
Sexual Restraint
Some sects of ancient peoples, such as the Taoists, believed they could achieve immortality by practicing various levels of sexual restraint. “I have found that the thinker is confronted with the problem of perpetuating either the species or the mind. It is almost impossible, at least in certain realms of high endeavor, to do both.
Tesla's Longevity Goal and Final Years
Originally he said his goal was to live to 150, but later changed it to 135. Tesla expressed a desire to live to a very old age, initially aiming for 150 years and later adjusting his goal to 135 years. He attributed his longevity to his disciplined lifestyle and diet.
Unfortunately, Nikola Tesla was hit by a cab in New York in 1937. This incident occurred in the later years of his life. It resulted in serious injuries, including broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
On 7 January 1943, at the age of 86, Tesla died in his hotel room of coronary thrombosis.
Modern Perspectives on Tesla's Diet
Dr. Veroslava Stanković, nutritionist and professor at the College of Health Vocational Studies in Zemun, offers a modern perspective on Tesla's dietary choices. She notes that Tesla "listened" to his body and its needs, recognizing that his intellectual work required immediate sources of energy despite not being excessively physically tired.
Dr. Stanković also points out some potential drawbacks to Tesla's diet, such as the elimination of fish and meat, which are important sources of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, iron, and vitamin B12. She emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet that includes foods from all major food groups.