Ben Franklin: Founding father and health trailblazer

No, it wasn't a typo – Ben Franklin was indeed a health and diet trailblazer.

Benjamin Franklin at Age 45

Franklin, America’s most influential founding father, gained fame and honor for his achievements as an author, entrepreneur, inventor, scientist, political activist, statesman, and diplomat. Yes, the list of his accomplishments is long, and we're about to make it longer...

The accomplishments of his celebrated and colorful life were so monumental that most people don't know that his extensive advice on diet may have been his greatest contribution to history.

Contrary to popular myth, Franklin was not overweight. Evidence suggests that he was actually trim and fit up until  his 70s. According to biographer, Walter Isaacson, Franklin was physically striking and quite muscular, open-faced, and almost 6 foot tall. A portrait believed to be the earliest likeness of Franklin was painted by Boston artist, Robert Feke, when Franklin was in his mid-40s. The portrait depicts him as tall, trim, and rosy-cheeked. At the time, Franklin was a successful entrepreneur and was portrayed as a prosperous Philadelphia businessman.

The most famous paintings of Franklin, though, were created by Joseph Siffred Duplessis in the late 1700s when Franklin was living in France. At the time Franklin sat for these portraits, he was in his 70s and had put on weight due to the heavy French cuisine and decreased physical activity. The artist painted what he saw, which is the chubby man we’re all familiar with. Although Franklin had a
generous waistline in his golden years, he was remarkably trim and healthy throughout his life, even by today’s standards.

Franklin developed a revolutionary new way of eating after he discovered the secrets to a healthy diet. In an age when the life expectancy of an adult was only 42 years, Franklin not only outlived the average colonist by double – he enjoyed good health throughout the majority of his life.

The Benjamin Franklin Diet book reveals his findings as he searched for the answer to the one question that plagues everyone: What am I supposed to eat? He created the Six Principles of Diet, which author Kelly Wright outlines in easy to understand terms for our modern society. These key precepts have been extracted from his writings, and they provide the framework for a safe and delicious approach to shedding unwanted pounds—and keeping them off for good.

Six Principles of Diet:

1. Eat to live, don’t live to eat.

2. Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.

3. Eat and drink no more than the body needs.

4. Eating grain brings health and vigor.

5. Remain consistent with the portions and type of food you eat.

6. There are no gains without pains.

The Ben Franklin Diet was developed using Franklin’s principles, which unlock the secrets to losing weight. Following the advice outlined in this book can put you on  your way to permanent weight loss and good health. Combining this advice on diet with flavorful colonial cooking make Franklin’s dietary principles easy and delicious to implement.

To read more about this unusual diet, go to http://thebenjaminfranklindiet.com and www.basichealthpub.com