You may find it interesting to know that breakfast cereal was once considered to be a remedy for Americans in the 1800s. The American diet was one packed with meat, caffeine, and liquor. Yes, we are talking about the 1800s and not the present day, although the current American diet is nearly identical!
Cereal was invented during the Civil War, a time when Americans were continuously suffering from gastrointestinal issues. By the way, a high percentage of Americans still suffer from gastrointestinal issues, primarily due to, you guessed it, unhealthy diets. Health reformers in the 1860s believed that this protein-filled diet was the cause of constipation and other gastrointestinal issues. Cereal came to the rescue.
Before cereal contained processed ingredients, added sugars, enriched ingredients, preservatives, and MSG, it was a food product that helped aid digestion. It was not necessarily appetizing, given that it was bran nuggets, which people couldn’t swallow unless they soaked them overnight. Was that the beginning of overnight oats??? We can’t say, but we like to think so.
Dr. James Caleb Jackson invented these bran nuggets, and he also operated what would now be considered a health resort. People went there to improve their health. One of the patrons included went on to start the Seventh Day Adventist religion and another patron, John Kellogg, ended up creating granola. He later collaborated with his brother to make the infamous corn flakes, which quickly gained popularity.
The health food that cereal once was started to change in the early 1900s. Companies began adding sugar to cereal in order to hook children on the product. Additional marketing used cartoon characters and inspirational figures on the cereal boxes to increase sales. In the present day, roughly half of the American population consumes cereal to start the day.
We can’t undo what has been done to cereal, but we can suggest healthier ways to begin the day. Rather than chipping away at your health by eating sugary cereals and hormone-filled, ultra-pasteurized dairy products, try the hearty breakfast options below. You’ll be surprised how good they taste and how great they are for you.
Maple, Fig, And Tahini Overnight Oats
It’s nice to wake up and have breakfast ready for you to eat. That’s what these overnight oats are for! It only takes about 5 minutes to prep them, and then you stick them in the fridge overnight to have a tasty and nutritious breakfast the next morning.
Click here to make the recipe.
A Healthy Take On A Breakfast Classic
Are you the type of person who tends to be in a rush every morning? You are not alone, but it doesn’t mean that you should sacrifice your breakfast time and grab something unhealthy. Make this recipe to sustain yourself until lunch.
Click here to make the recipe.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
