Eating the Right Way
Ancient Stoics were concerned with a variety of topics and just one of those interests was the topic of food, or more specifically, the right way of eating. Stoics were firm believers in limiting the type of food people should eat and how they should consume it. But why did they have so much interest in a seemingly minor topic? To answer that question, we will look at one of the most notable figures to comment on food: the Roman Stoic philosopher and teacher Musonius Rufus.
Musonius firmly believed that the type and amount of food we eat, in addition to controlling our appetite, was the basis for realizing self-discipline. In our modern society, a link is often made between having discipline and learning to eat with moderation or controlling what we eat altogether. If you eat a lot of sweets, for example, Musonius would urge you to not eat sweets every day, but to curtail having sweets to once a week. Moreover, he would say, rather than having two large pieces of cake, eat one medium sized piece instead. Finally, Musonious would encourage you to diversify your food palate in order to have a more balanced diet, so you have a healthy portion of protein and vegetables in your system.
That was precisely Musonious’ philosophy on eating. As a Stoic, the reason he was so preoccupied with the topic of food is because eating right allows you to live right. By focusing on what you eat and how much you eat, you will live a better lifestyle; afterall, a healthier body paves the way to a healthier mind. In fact, studies show that people who eat healthier generally live longer and are able to expand that discipline into other areas of their life. But it’s not only about what you eat; it’s how you eat.
To be truly healthy, you not only have to eat healthier food, but you also have to eat in moderation. In fact, eating moderately five times a day is healthier than eating in excess three times a day. Eating too fast can also be bad for your stomach health, so taking the time to properly chew your food can help with digestion. It’s important to find the right balance, as people who eat too much or too little tend to live shorter lives than those who eat in moderation. Eating too much or too little is similar to driving, as driving too fast or too slow are both dangerous. Eating moderately is like driving at the speed limit – it is safe, healthy, and logical.
Eating Efficiently
It is a common, and false, belief that all Stoics are vegetarians; however, it is true that the ancient Stoics were not great consumers of meat. Although they were not ardent advocates for vegetarianism, they did encourage people to eat more plant foods and grains in place of meat. In addition, Stoics are also believers in efficiency when it comes to eating.
Stoics believe that humans waste a lot of valuable time preparing meals, so they came up with an alternative way to prepare food. This alternative method focuses on simplifying the cooking process by reducing preparation time. Instead of spending hours in the kitchen, they encourage us to eat simple, yet nutritious meals. The simpler the food, the less complex the cooking. For example, Musonius advised people to eat products like milk, cheese and honeycomb. Using this philosophy, Stoics save themselves time each day to accomplish more important things, while the rest of us waste our time cooking unnecessarily complex foods.
The Emperor’s Wise Eating Companions
During the reign of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, one of the “Five Good Emperors”, he encouraged his citizens to practice eating with discipline. This was also encouraged by a group of Stoic philosophers and wisemen, which the Emperor was part of. During their heyday in Imperial Rome, Stoics believed in a simple notion: eat less, but eat to suffice the body. This Stoic philosophy was influenced to a degree by their Cynic forebears, although Stoics are less extreme than their Cynic predecessors when it comes to reducing their consumption of food.
Similarly to today, food was a major topic of conversation in Imperial Rome, and Stoics would often exchange ideas and stories on eating. For example, Marcus Cornelius Fronto (a family friend and rhetoric tutor of Emperor Marcus Aurelius) wrote a letter to his friend and master describing a luncheon that he enjoyed: “Then we went to luncheon. What do you think I ate? A wee bit of bread, though I saw others devouring beans, onions and herrings full of roe”. In this letter, Fronto pokes fun at the eating habits of others, while complimenting himself on his discipline. In other words, Fronto suggests to the Emperor that he ate like a civilized person, while the others ate like pigs.
Eating Like a Spartan
Although, the Stoics were not as strict on their eating habits as the Cynics were, they were still quite disciplined in their own rights. In fact the Stoics, like their Cynic ancestors, were heavily influenced by the Spartan idea of agoge (training). The Stoics were inspired by this Spartan notion and used it to practice moderation and discipline when consuming food. But why would Stoics look to the Spartans for inspiration on their eating habits?
Well, the answer is simple, yet insightful. Those familiar with ancient Greek history will know or at least be aware that Spartans are considered the ultimate disciplined soldiers. In fact, many armies have looked to the Spartan army for inspiration when it comes to disciplined strategies and tactics. Why do we mention military strategy when discussing food? You see, what you eat can be considered a form of policy (do you eat meat, chicken or fish?); how much you eat in one meal can be considered strategy (do you eat large, medium or small sized meals?); and how you eat can be considered tactics (do you eat too fast, too slow or at the right pace?).
For the reasons just mentioned, the military discipline of a Spartan soldier is akin to the eating discipline of a Stoic. Who would have thought the ironclad Spartans influenced philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome in the proper consumption of food? Moreover, who would think an ancient philosophy could influence our own eating habits in the modern day? It’s clear that we have a lot to learn from Stoic philosophy when it comes to eating right.
