"My personal trainer used to call me the Tasmanian devil."

Unlike those times when one was happy just to have ENOUGH on the plate, today it’s not about

SURVIVING as much as it is about LONGEVITY. Not the quantity, but the quality. Based on the

belief of “singularity” and its scientific context, several years ago Riva-Melissa Tez decided to pursue the

CRON diet.

At the age of 23 Riva had already founded two companies, today, amongst other enterprises, she currently

teaches at the Design Akademie Berlin as an artificial intelligence specialist. 

An interview

about immortality, the balancing result of apple cider vinegar shots, and the placebo effect.

Read the interview after the jump. 

You are 23, but have already started two

businesses. You are currently working on a new

start-up. Tell me a little more about this.

During my years at school

 I was always very interested in philosophy. 

When I was 14 I began to seriously

debate religious pressures at school and would skip days to attend humanist lectures in London. Luckily my parents were quite chilled out, although at one point I was hosting a secret online atheist radio show from bedroom. I was always interested in classical thinkers- I will always love Plato, and also now in science-tech writers like Ray Kurzweil and Seth Lloyd.

After school I studied Philosophy at UCL.

 I always loved kids, even when I was quite young

 I was sure I wanted to work with them. During my studies I co-founded this wonderful little toy store called R.S. Currie and Co in Notting Hill.

 It was originally just a pop-up store but my ex-boyfriend and I turned it into a full business. 

We started hosting themed parties

 for children there in a secret area accessed by a hidden door at the back of the shop.  From cupcakes to massive decorations – we fulfilled every child’s dream. About a year and a half ago I moved to Berlin. Together with a friend we founded the forthcoming kids’ app “scrappd” last year.

What is scrappd about? What was the idea behind it?

Back when I was running the toyshop, 

kids would always come to me showing me stuff they had

 made. Because I was always interested in digital technologies (my dad is an electrical engineering professor) I was wondering if there was a way that kids could do this safely online. 

When I came to Berlin I taught myself to computer program and started building the website just for fun. It’s grown a lot now and obviously I am no longer the developer! It’s a sticker themed social network for kids.

We give them stickers and they can create stories 

with them and share their creations with their friends. 

A lot of kid’s websites actively shove brands at kids. 

We tried to find a middle ground. I learnt early on that as soon as you try to push children into educational things, they just won’t do it. 

So that was never my purpose. In this case, children are doing something really cool and learning whilst just playing and having fun. 

I’m also a lecturer at the Design Akademie Berlin and the UK representative of “eobiont” digital creative agency.

Which diet are you following?

I try and mix up the Paleolithic diet, which doesn‘t allow grains, sugar, dairy, and soy, with the CRON diet – calorie restriction optimum

nutrition.

What was your main motivation?

I started reading medical journals 

when I was about 14, because I was convinced 

there was something wrong with the food industry.

 I would read medical journals because I thought

 if I could equip myself with the right knowledge

 I could make my own decisions regarding my nutrition 

and health. I got so into it that I wrote my own

 medical paper because I was actually quite disturbed watching the majority of the world eat so much glucose and missing out on good fats.

The main thing is I really think people eat

 too many complex carbohydrates. Deliberately I haven’t eaten wheat or simple sugars for a long time. 

At R.S. Currie & Co. there was a sweets counter

 and the kids were always shocked 

that I never ate any. Then I went to San Francisco

 and met a lot of super smart people 

who had read about nutrition as well, 

and these were figures I really admired.

 Reassuringly, pretty much all of them 

ate like I did but they also taught me 

about CRON, because CRON is the added “tweak”

 to optimize the Paleo lifestyle. 

CRON means you have to

watch that you a) don’t eat too much and

 b) still get 100 percent or more of every single nutrient. 

It’s tough, especially at the beginning, but these people in San Francisco have been doing it for years and

 are now at optimum health.

I always laugh at the memory 

from university in London when someone told me

 that they  thought I was peculiar 

because I sat at the back of lectures 

drinking huge bottles of Alkaline water and eating almonds while everyone munched on sweets. 

My best friend Chester always sat next to me

 because he knew that those Marcona almonds

 were super delicious.

Why is Cron diet also called the longevity diet?

There is this intellectual movement, that unfortunately mainly focuses in the US,

 pushed by the American author, inventor, 

and director of engineering at Google: Ray Kurzweil. He is probably the most famous face behind

 the Singularity movement. It’s mainly about the progress of technology, but there is also a discussion that the advances in computational power and medicine will

 allow us to be become immortal – if we just live 

long enough to get there. I’m not sure about the whole immortality thing, but I like the idea of being healthy for as long as possible.

A lot of people I met doing the CRON diet

 in San Francisco base their studies on

 medical research in longevity in animals and humans.

 A lot of the guys are in their 50s 

and want to optimize their life span and avoid grave

 diseases so they can see as much of

 forthcoming technological developments 

as possible. I don’t know many diets that try to ensure that you have 100 percent of every nutrient. They call this the Longevity diet- the aim is very good health, whereas the goal of most diets is just to lose weight.

Are there any supplements you

take on a daily base?

Yes. I take multivitamins, magnesium, zinc and Omega 3-6-9 supplements. Omegas are really good for your bones and your brain. I also need extra vitamin

B daily to keep my energy up so

I can still run after work. I

wasn‘t able to do this earlier, I’d get sluggish in the afternoons.

Which foods are your personal

“deadly sins”?

With CRON you’re not supposed to have

much alcohol because of its lack of nutritional

value. Though the odd glass of Pinot Noir

is recommended because of the Resveratrol,

an antioxidant in that particular grape. I saw a lot of Pinot Noir in Silicon Valley.

But if and when I drink alcohol, I’ll always

wake up and need a coffee in the morning. I have mine

with unsweetened almond milk and sweeten

it with cinnamon. If I have two in one day,

I know I’m not doing very well. Caffeine is very acidic

for your system.

What is your favorite meal?

I am absolutely obsessed with aubergines

and eggs. My boyfriend cooks me eggs every

morning, which is always my favorite meal

of the day. Never underestimate an egg. He

pays attention to ingredients too, so it’s always

amazing. He’s quite famous for his eggs

amongst our friends. Sometimes for me it’s

even eggs and aubergines. If I have a choice

in the evening I’d like a nice steak and some

salad.

Honestly - Is there something you

secretly miss?

A lot of friends ask me if I miss bread. I really

don’t. Sometimes I eat nut bread that I get

from the Paleo restaurant in Neukölln, Berlin

called Sauvage. I am envious of some people’s

cocktails though. I drink “zero-dosage”

champagne or a vodka-soda and the person

next to me has this big green thing with a

sparkler and it just looks so ridiculous that I

am sad it is not in my hand.

I’ve never really experienced cocktails.

And although I really don’t mind being the freaky

eater, I don’t want to be the party pooper taking

vinegar shots. That’s more a social thing. I probably drink more than those super strict people.

What do you do when you travel or

you’re invited to a dinner event?

I travel a lot and I always carry my supplements with me.

When I know there is a

planned dinner I just check the restaurant or the menu out beforehand. It’s not that hard.

I can always eat vegetables and meat. For example

a burger without the bread and some

extra salad, that works everywhere. If they’re

serving pizza or pasta I’ll just have a snack

beforehand.

What did the diet change for you

personally in regards to physical

and psychological perspectives?

Studying CRON and learning about nutrition

was attractive for me scientifically.

 I can see why it’s the techie lifestyle

 of choice.  Perhaps it is also why I have so much

 energy  and am able to wake up very early in the morning and bounce out of bed.

I’d rather read the newspaper in bed early morning then go to a nightclub. On a good day I can run 20km then cycle to the office 

and work for 6 hours before cycling back. 

Therefore I have to eat more

than the “average CRON intake” would be.

My personal trainer at the gym

 used to call me the Tezmanian devil. I like to listen to death metal and lift weights. I’m currently training for a marathon. It relaxes me to push my limits.

I enjoy being extremely tired at night.

Sometimes I push myself so hard that I get sick- so sometimes in wanting too much good, 

you cause the exact

opposite of your desired effect.

When it comes to diets and health

people often discuss the placebo

effect. Do you really think it’s

just what you consume or also the

psychological aspect that explains

why you feel so good since

starting the diet?

If you have a positive outlook on your diet

you will naturally think better of yourself.

Maybe someone should replace all my pills with placebos

and see if I notice. But honestly

I don’t really care if it’s my body or my

brain. If I feel good with what I do and if I’m

able to do all the things I want to do, then I’m happy.

Photography: Marcus GaabText & Interview: Zsuzsanna Toth