Eat to live or live to eat? That is the question.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) knew the answer, and you probably do too. When we “diet” it is often with the sense of deprivation, of going without. Some have physical conditions that require a unique approach to food.
Gus’s reason for following a strict gluten-free diet was to grow, to be as tall as his brothers.
Meg Wolff whom I met when we were classmates at Five Seasons Cooking School adopted a macrobiotic diet as a way of battling cancer.
My friend Susan, a painter and amateur musician, has chronic ringing in her ears. She can’t imagine adopting a suggested dairy-free diet. I encouraged her to think of it as “eating to sing.”
Whether we want to grow, fight disease, sing, or be more fit, we can think about our dietary decisions as a gift we give ourselves. Experiment – it may only take a week or two to find out you have more energy, your sense of smell is enhanced, or you can breath more easily. Eat to live; eat to be your best self.
Gluten Free Gus 
This is a beautiful way to approach diets. My two coeliac chicks also stay gluten free so that they can grow (my clothing budget has increased dramatically since they were diagnosed!) and my boy stays away from artificial colouring so that he can control himself – he is eating to be happy!
How I love this post! Thank you for your insight!
I am trying to get my cholesterol down but not succeeding well, partly because I have been living to eat, not vice versa. Thank you (and Ben Franklin) for this persuasive post!
Good luck! You have the power to do what you need to achieve with your (diet)!
or do both 🙂
Absolutely!
Reblogged this on Simple Style Finds and commented:
Very true, a great post, thanks Gus:)