One of the perks of extreme wealth is being called "eccentric" when you are bat guano crazy.
Enter 87-year-old real estate mogul, and the majority shareholder of fruit giant Dole, David Murdock - who turned his private obsession of strict eating into an institution.
He hopes his preoccupation will cut him a deal with father time and help him hit the century-and-a-quarter mark.
The robust octogenarian has funded a research campus in Kannapolis, N.C., on which he has spent $500 million to study his certainty that plants hold the promise of optimal health and maximal life span.
Murdock's health obsession was brought to light recently when he awoke one morning in a state of disbelief and borderline panic... He had a sore throat. Says Murdoch;
I never have anything go wrong... Never have a backache. Never have a headache. Never have anything else.... I went back in my mind: What am I not eating enough of?
It's not fruits and vegetables - he crams as many as 20 of them into the smoothies he drinks two to three times a day. Probably not protein - he eats plenty of seafood, egg whites, beans and nuts to compensate for his avoidance of dairy, red meat and poultry, which are consigned to a list of forbidden foods that also includes alcohol, sugar and salt.
To be able to boast of such impeccable health at any adult age is impressive, but to have never experienced the aforementioned at the age of 87 is nothing short of remarkable.
Murdock's obsession was borne out of tragedy when his third wife, Gabriele, was stricken with advanced ovarian cancer. A diagnosis that would take her life.
Murdock became a man on fire, doing tireless research on nutrition, as he was convinced his wife's demise was lifestyle-related, and that he could have prevented it had they adopted this way of eating sooner.
Murdock's personal passion extends into his business as well. At Dole's headquarters in Westlake Village, CA, employees eat in a subsidized cafeteria, where salad is plentiful and chicken nuggets unthinkable. And, they have free access to a company gym where personal training, also subsidized, is $30 an hour.
A long life is something most people desire (even if it means many of us will have to see bell bottoms in style for a third time). But a) how long can one extend their lives through a strict, healthy lifestyle, and b) are those extra years worth that kind of deprivation?As for Murdock, he comes across as a man who became obsessed when stricken by tragedy. In all likelihood Murdock will not reach his goal of 125 years.
One thing's for sure, though, genetics certainly hold the trump card when it comes to longevity, although I believe we have some say as to how long we live. Adding years to your life through a healthy lifestyle is no guarantee, but adding LIFE to your YEARS is.
Image Credit: Forbes
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