Israeli Billionaire Alon Gonen Transforms His Body Into a Health Experiment to Promote Natural Living
Alon Gonen, a 49-year-old Israeli entrepreneur and billionaire who co-founded the fintech company Plus500, has shifted his focus from business to personal health optimization. After experiencing unexplained stomach pain in 2018 and receiving no clear medical diagnosis, Gonen began researching ancestral eating patterns and lifestyle habits. He concluded that modern diets and lifestyles clash with human biology, leading to health issues. His approach emphasizes eating fewer meals within a limited time window, avoiding processed foods, and separating carbohydrates from proteins and fats, inspired by how hunter-gatherers ate thousands of years ago.
Gonen adopted a lifestyle that includes two meals a day, early dinners, and early bedtimes, along with physical activity like walking, running, and swimming. He also invested in a farm to ensure natural, hormone-free meat and planted a plantain orchard with a neighbor to secure a steady supply of this staple. He avoids added salt and focuses on natural sources of nutrients. Gonen also incorporates supplements such as iodine, CoQ10, zinc, omega-3, vitamin D, and B vitamins, based on personal blood tests.
To validate his regimen, Gonen uses continuous glucose monitoring and regular blood tests, treating his body as a personal laboratory. He shares his findings and lifestyle tips through social media videos, attracting hundreds of thousands of followers. While his methods contrast with those of well-known biohacker Bryan Johnson, who pursues extreme longevity, Gonen prioritizes feeling good in the present rather than extending life at all costs.
Nutrition experts caution that some of Gonen's practices, like separating macronutrients and continuous glucose monitoring for healthy individuals, lack strong scientific support. However, they agree that reducing processed foods and limiting snacking can benefit metabolic health. Gonen advises gradual lifestyle changes rather than radical shifts, encouraging people to learn from ancestral habits and listen to their bodies.
Gonen’s journey from tech billionaire to health advocate highlights a growing interest in natural living and personalized wellness, blending scientific tools with evolutionary insights to improve quality of life today.