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Inventor, Philosopher, and all around genius. Mr. Franklin became a vegetarian around the age of 16. There is some contention as to whether or not Franklin later dropped vegetarianism. Judging from the passages I have read it is likely that he generally only ate fish, if any meat at all.

Mr. Franklin also preached moderation in diet. One of his 13 virtues was 'Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.' It's tough to say whether he followed this advice or not -- but if not he certainly blamed his lack of moderation for a recurring illness. From Ron Kurtus in an article on the Thirteen Virtues:

Although Franklin tried to follow the virtues himself, he sometimes strayed from his good intentions. For example, in his Almanack, Poor Richard (Franklin) gave this advice:

"Be temperate in wine, in eating, girls, and cloth, or the Gout will seize you and plague you both."

Meanwhile, Franklin relished his food, womanized and sometimes dressed to impress people. His food and wine-drinking habits led him to be plagued with the gout for much of his life. But still, the positive intentions were there.