Discourses on a Sober and Temperate Life

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Lewis Cornaro, also called Alvise or Luigi, was an Italian nobleman who lived during the 15th and 16th centuries. Discourses on a Sober and Temperate Life collects his four key writings on the importance of diet in sustaining health and long life. In it, he describes his youth of indulgent living, which lead to a great decline in his health and near death in middle age. Acting on doctors' advice, he then completely changed his habits, strictly limiting both eating and drinking. He explains how this change saved his life, gave him the strength to fight off illnesses, overcome physical injuries, and live a vibrant and fulfilling life into his eighties. (He claims to have reached his mid-nineties or more, but scholarship suggests this is exaggeration.) In addition to limiting food and drink intake, he emphasizes the importance of determining which particular foods and drinks best suit each individual. He argues that anyone can follow this strategy, citing examples of historical figures who have done. He advocates for the wisdom and pleasures of old age, asserting that life only improves with time and that to be old should be a goal, not something to fear. Indeed, he even argues that healthy living eliminates the fear of death, and facilitates a gentle and painless passing on to the next world.