Many modern scholars have found the asceticism expressed in Plato unacceptable; it does not sound like the advice of a reasonable man in the Cartesian tradition.
Thomas McEvilleyIt is ... possible to read Plato as if he were only discussing reason and not mystical intuition in his writings but ... in that case he seems naively over-impressed by rather ordinary thought processes.
Thomas McEvilleyTo Plato the desire for excessive and special foods ... is a hindrance to the soul's attainment of intelligence.
Thomas McEvilley