What was the genius Leonardo da Vinci’s diet to maintain health and longevity?

Painter of the enigmatic work Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci He is remembered as one of the most important artists in history. He is also an icon of the Renaissance and, although many do not know it, he had a very particular philosophy of life. Although the latter is not as commented, The Italian was following a diet and a particular lifestyle.

The research has reconstructed how Da Vinci lived and what his diet was, through his notebooks and personal writings. And the painter was always in search of balance and well-being.

This is how we discovered that The artist’s diet was based on fresh, natural foods, something he wrote down in his notebooks, as he cared a lot about the properties and benefits that food would have on his health, an unusual inclination at the time he lived.

What did Leonardo da Vinci eat?

As explained Walter Isaacson, in his book Leonardo da Vinci: the biography , The famous painter had a strong penchant for vegetarianism -even though he was not strictly vegetarian- and on a healthy and balanced diet.

He was concerned not only with the nutritional value of the foods he ate, but also with I wanted to understand how this affected their physical and mental health.

Leonardo da Vinci was always a nature lover, which is why he avoided eating meat. As explained by Infobae The painter did not believe that animals were sources of food because, compared to plants, they could feel pain.

Because of this ethical principle and the respect he feels towards nature and animals, he preferred to give more importance to a plant-based diet.

And not only that. The records showed that Da Vinci avoided wearing clothes made from materials derived from animals, such as leather or wool, so he preferred to wear clothes made from linen.

Da Vinci, in addition to his artistic talents, is said to have been a genius in cooking and engineering. He created utensils that are still used today, such as the napkin, which sought to replace the questioned custom of wiping hands on the backs of animals tied to tables.

Also created the three-pronged fork because he was a noodle lover and this tool made eating them easier, the garlic press And an automatic rotisserie. He even imagined once a corkscrew for left-handed people.

Leonardo da Vinci was a cook. He worked in different European courts where he prepared meals, organized banquets and surprised the nobility with exotic culinary dishes different from the traditional dishes of the time.

All the creativity he used in his paintings, he also put into his way of cooking. He was detail-oriented and concerned with every texture, flavor and presentation.

From an exhibition organized in Liège, a city in BelgiumLeonardo da Vinci had “simple” culinary tastes.

• One of his favorite dishes was Boiled spinach with an egg on top. Around it should be small portions of mozzarella cheese.
• Another food I ate often was: a boiled onion, on a slice of mozzarella and, on top, a black olive that he divided into four.
• He also loved the chestnut soup, prepared by crushing chestnuts and cooking them in water. Then they continued to boil them with oil, honey, salt and pepper.
• When I wanted to make a more daring dish, I could prepare three slices of raw carrots with anchovy sauce.

These are very simple dishes, but they have an excellent combination of flavors, in addition to being healthy. This is what Leonardo da Vinci was looking for in cooking: to enjoy and taste, but also to care about the nutrients he received in his body.

In fact, in his writings he often noted tips for improving digestion. For example, When I ate lentils, I recommended boiling them twice to avoid getting a heavy, gassy stomach.

He also once wrote that Drinking the water in which chickpeas are soaked could help purify the kidneys, or that cucumbers had to be peeled and their seeds removed before being eaten.

Historians point out thatChoosing a vegetarian diet when Leonardo da Vinci lived – in the 15th century – was a revolutionary decision and well ahead of its time. And it fits with current doctors’ recommendations for living a long and healthy life.

When we imagine a table from that era, we imagine pigs’ heads, bread, wine and beer. In fact, Meat was once an indicator of high birth, as only wealthy and noble families could afford to eat it.

In this sense, according to the artist’s writings, Da Vinci was never a greedy person. Rather than appear to eat meat, he preferred to care about his health and the effects of his diet on his body, which is why he chose to have a diet rich in fruits, legumes and vegetables.

Today, there is evidence that a similar diet has multiple benefits for well-being, such as reducing the risk of suffering from diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

Da Vinci also wrote about the importance of hydration and moderate alcohol consumption to take care of the body and brain.

For him, Food was supposed to connect the body to the mind, a very advanced thought of his time. : Every decision you made about your diet should have an impact on your health.

The artist died at the age of 67, well above the life expectancy of his time.