Steve Jobs Followed An Extreme Diet Consisting Of Certain Fruits And Vegetables And Fasting For Days — When Diagnosed With Pancreatic Cancer, He Declined Treatment Not Wanting To Be 'Violated In That Way' But Later Regretted The Decision

Steve Jobs, the legendary co-founder of Apple Inc., was known not just for his technological innovations but also for his distinctive lifestyle and diet choices, which were influenced by his philosophies and beliefs.

Jobs maintained a strict diet throughout his life, characterized by periods of fasting, during which he would not eat for days — sometimes up to a week, according to his biography. When breaking these fasts, he would consume simple leafy vegetables and water. His dietary preferences extended to his wedding cake after his marriage to Laurene Powell in 1991, which was strictly vegan, made without eggs or milk and reportedly found inedible by many guests.

His dietary fixations were described as coming in fanatic waves. He was fastidious about what he ate and would sometimes spit out food upon learning it contained an ingredient he did not approve of, like butter. These habits reflect a broader life philosophy he held, where asceticism and minimalism were believed to heighten subsequent sensations and experiences.

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Despite being a vegetarian, Jobs allowed for some exceptions. For example, he enjoyed unagi sushi (cooked eel), which he considered acceptable in his vegetarian diet. This flexibility in his otherwise strict diet regime was a rare occurrence.

Walter Isaacson, Jobs's biographer, provides deeper insights into Jobs's approach to health, particularly during his battle with pancreatic cancer. Jobs initially resisted conventional medical treatment, saying, "I didn't want my body to be opened … I didn't want to be violated in that way." He believed in the power of his diet and "magical thinking" to heal himself. "I think that he kind of felt that if you ignore something, if you don't want something to exist, you can have magical thinking. And it had worked for him in the past," Isaacson wrote.

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Jobs's dietary practices were not just a matter of food preference but were part of a broader life philosophy. He believed in the virtues of asceticism and minimalism, thinking they could heighten subsequent sensations and pleasures. This philosophy was reflected in his habit of eating the same food, like carrots or apples, for weeks before abruptly stopping or switching to another food or fasting. Jobs's interest in natural and organic foods was also evident in his life choices, such as his wife working part-time at the juice company Odwalla Inc. and later starting her own company Terravera, which produced and delivered organic meals.

However, Jobs's reliance on his intuition and dietary preferences over conventional medical advice had serious implications for his health. His delay in undergoing surgery, as recommended by doctors, was a decision he later regretted. Isaacson told CBS News, "We talked about this a lot. He wanted to talk about it, how he regretted it. … I think he felt he should have been operated on sooner."

Jobs's story, as narrated by Isaacson, reveals a man who was a technological genius and passionately followed his beliefs, even when it came to his health. This approach had both positive and negative consequences, underscoring the complexity of his character and the choices he made in his life.

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