Graham bread was invented by Sylvester Graham in 1829 for his vegetarian diet. The Graham bread was high in fiber, made with non-sifted whole-wheat flour.
Graham created a bread free from the chemical additives that were common in white bread at that time such as alum and chlorine. He argued that these chemical additives were unwholesome in that they increased the sex drive, which would in turn deplete the body.
While Graham's specific theories on the dangers of "venereal excess" have no scientific footing, he was correct in his broader stance against additives as both alum and chlorine are now known to be toxic. The use of additives by bakeries was a common practice during the Industrial Revolution to make bread whiter in color and more commercially appealing. Refined bread was a status symbol of the middle class because of its "purity and refinement" in its color and was purchased, rather than home-made.
Famous quotes containing the words graham and/or bread:
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—James Graham Marquess of Montrose (1612–1650)
“Our bread need not ever be sour or hard to digest. What Nature is to the mind she is also to the body. As she feeds my imagination, she will feed my body; for what she says she means, and is ready to do. She is not simply beautiful to the poet’s eye. Not only the rainbow and sunset are beautiful, but to be fed and clothed, sheltered and warmed aright, are equally beautiful and inspiring. There is not necessarily any gross and ugly fact which may not be eradicated from the life of man.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)