TN50#35, Breakfast, 30 August 2021
Hi Team,
Happy Monday and welcome to The Next 50 #35.
First things first, I initially stumbled onto this story in the book, Metabolical, by Robert H. Lusting, MD, MSL. This is a great book.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”
Have you ever wondered where this little gem came from? No? Me neither then I read about it and it is too good not to share.
In the early 20th century Lenna Cooper is quoted in Good Health, magazine, “In many ways, the breakfast is the most important meal of the day, because it is the meal that gets the day started.” I agree with Cooper that the meal that starts your day is important I just think that most of us don’t need to eat that first meal until mid-day. The editor of Good Health was none other than Dr. John Harvey Kellogg.
In her 1913 cookbook, The New Cookery, Cooper recommends a low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet consisting of 10% Protein, 30% Fat and 60% Carbohydrates. I know what some of you are thinking and yes, I agree, that is a lot of broccoli. Others maybe caught the name of the editor above and know this diet wasn’t all about broccoli. You see, Cooper initially learned everything she knew about nutrition from Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the cereal-guy Kellogg, the Frosted Mini Wheats, Froot Loops, Rice Krispies Kellogg. It’s much easier to eat 60% carbohydrates when corn flakes are on the menu! Have you looked at the label on the cereal in your pantry?
Even more interesting is how Dr. John Harvey Kellogg developed his ideas on nutrition based on the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church.
So the players in this story, who invented breakfast cereal, probably thinking they were right, promoted the heck out of a high carb, low protein diet and if you look at the resumes of Cooper and Kellogg this played well in the US at the highest levels. Fast forward 100+ years and see where we have come with industrialized food. For some of us, the story is better but for most in the US the story is worse. If you want to dig a bit deeper, I recommend you audible Dr. Lusting’s book, Metabolical.
As always, I would love it if you shared your thoughts on this entry and please share this with anyone who might find it useful.
Have a good one, Alex
2022 Murph Count: 12
