Devil in the Diet

Fat has been demonized for over a century—with disastrous consequences.

In the 1800s, Sylvester Graham scornfully wrote of fatty meats’ driving sexual desire. His cure: whole wheat.

Later in the century, John Harvey Kellogg, a Graham follower, espoused the same wisdom, adding that too much lard would cause bowel backup. His solution: vegetarianism.

This way of eating, both men argued, was also a way to avoid disease and prolong life.

But our disdain for dietary fat started much earlier than the 19th century—years before either man created his intentionally bland recipe for Graham crackers or Kellogg’s cornflakes.