Category: Health history

Did you know that the original graham cracker was created not as a sweet treat, but as a bland dietary supplement? This surprising fact underpins the complex and puritanical philosophy behind what were Sylvester Graham's beliefs, a 19th-century Presbyterian minister who saw a direct link between diet, physical health, and moral purity.

The modern unit of a food calorie, or kilocalorie, was originally a unit of heat used for steam engines in the 19th century. The journey of this physics term into a household health metric reveals the surprising story of where did calorie counting come from and how it shaped dieting for over a century.

The modern paleo diet was launched into the mainstream by Dr. Loren Cordain, an exercise and health professor at Colorado State University, whose 2002 book became a global bestseller. This marked the pivotal moment when the concept moved from academic theory to a widely followed lifestyle and diet. However, its roots extend much further back, shaped by multiple researchers over decades.

In the 1970s, two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling popularized the idea that megadoses of vitamin C could prevent and treat the common cold. This was a radical departure from the established medical consensus, forcing the scientific community to engage with Pauling's bold and controversial assertions regarding what did Linus Pauling do with vitamin C.

The ketogenic diet, a popular weight-loss tool today, was originally created in the 1920s to manage pediatric epilepsy, not to burn fat. The answer to who is the father of keto lies in this early medical research, which paved the way for modern dietary therapy.

In 1968, the American Heart Association (AHA) advised Americans to limit dietary cholesterol to 300 mg per day, specifically targeting eggs as a major source. This influential recommendation is the primary reason why were eggs considered unhealthy and led to decades of widespread public misconception about one of nature's most nutrient-dense foods.

Between the 16th and 18th centuries, scurvy was a maritime plague, killing millions of sailors on long voyages. Today, it's virtually unknown to the average person, sparking curiosity as to why doesn't anyone get scurvy anymore, a testament to dramatic nutritional progress.

Invented in 1829 by Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham, the original graham cracker was a bland, unsweetened health food, a stark contrast to the sugary snack we know today. Far from a modern diet trend, the original 'Graham System' was a strict vegetarian regimen with a surprising purpose. So, what is the graham cracker diet, and how did it evolve?

Whey has a recorded history spanning over 7,000 years, beginning as an often-discarded byproduct of cheese-making in ancient Poland before its value became known. Early civilizations eventually realized its therapeutic potential, raising the question: what was whey used for historically before becoming a modern health staple?

In 1912, Polish-American biochemist Casimir Funk coined the term “vitamine,” setting the stage for the modern nutritional supplement industry. The invention of supplements, however, is not the work of a single person but a story of scientific milestones that culminated in today's multi-billion dollar market.