What’s Really in Your Breakfast Bowl?

Last week at our Orange Hatter meeting, we dug into Chapters 2 and 3 of Fiat Food by

Matthew Lydian

and

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.

Let me just say—what we learned about the history of cornflakes completely blew our minds.

Did you know that the Kellogg cereal many of us grew up associating with a "healthy breakfast" was originally designed as a purposefully bland food meant to curb carnal desires? I know, it sounds crazy.

Here’s the story:

John Harvey Kellogg, a devout Seventh-Day Adventist, and others within the movement believed that red meat was the root cause of carnal desires, including the urge to masturbate.

Their solution? A vegetarian, tasteless diet to suppress these urges.

The extent of their beliefs included horrific measures, like the mutilation of children's bodies and caging their sexual organs.

Over decades, the Adventists infiltrated government systems and schools under the guise of "diet and nutrition education," fundamentally shaping U.S. food policies to reflect their vision of an anti-masturbatorial vegetarian utopia.

This whole thing isn’t just a bizarre piece of history—it’s a huge lesson in the power of influence and especially in the power of money.

None of us knew the cereal lining grocery store shelves was born of religious zealotry aimed at controlling human desires.

It’s a jaw-dropping example of how marketing and money can rewrite the narrative of a product and reshape public perception on a massive scale.

Think about it: with a smart marketing campaign, an entire nation was convinced to embrace a food product with a purpose most of us would never have imagined.

So, what else don’t we know about the food we eat?

If you’re curious, let’s keep the conversation going.

Join the Orange Hatter Reading Club by visiting http://orangehatter.com/reading-club.

This Wednesday night at 8:30 PM EST, we’ll be diving into the next chapters.

Join us as we keep asking questions and learning together.

#FiatFood #OrangeHatter

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Discussion

That's a pretty big claim Saif and Lydian have made. I presume he must cite some solid sources? I'd heard the SDA church had a history of influence in the food industry but some of the above sounds pretty extreme.

Yes, he does cite his sources in the book.

You should read Dr. Robert Lustig

Thank you, I'll check it out.

I’m a Seventh Day Adventist. I don’t pretend our church and community are perfect, but these claims seem silly. I suspect there are some partial truths in there, but I doubt it’s an accurate portrayal of reality.

Mutilation? That would be awful. I’d guess how that got in the book is there was some story somewhere that someone was mutilated, maybe by a crazy person who was Adventist, but there’s no way that was a common practice.

And we’ve never been “powerful” or rich enough to shape national politics. We wouldn’t want to if we could. Political engagement isn’t part of who we are.

There is one exception though. We’re strong advocates and defenders of religious freedom.

All that said, I don’t speak for the church or any other people. Likewise, nobody speaks for me.

Happy Sabbath!

Thanks for your comment, Isaac—I appreciate you taking the time to engage!

In my post, I was referencing Fiat Food by Matthew Lysiak, who explores this topic and cites his sources. While I can’t personally verify every historical detail, I found his perspective thought-provoking and worth considering.

At the end of the day, that’s what Orange Hatter discussions are about—recognizing that so-called “authorities” don’t always have our best interests at heart. Many of us have seen people we care about suffer greatly, even after following EXACTLY what the “experts” recommended.

That’s why we aim to think critically, ask questions, and navigate conflicting opinions when it comes to health and well-being—especially for our families.

To me, history is a frame of reference, a tool for reflection.

It helps us step back, consider the bigger picture, and determine the best path forward in our own lives.

Also, the Adventist church has always had a strong health message. The Bible says our bodies are a temple, and we’ve tried to live that way, however imperfectly.

Vegetarianism has been a big part of our practices. I grew up Adventist and vegetarian, but started eating meat when I was a teenager.

These days probably 40% of Adventists are vegetarian. Many of them think it’s a healthier way to live. You and I might disagree, and that’s fine, but in general they do try to practice healthy living.

Loma Linda, CA is a “blue zone” because of all the Adventists there. Why do they live so long? Is it because of health practices? Community? Spirituality? Something else? I’d guess a bit of everything.

Just because cornflakes were created by someone for some reason doesn’t make them lack nutrition. You’re assuming that the motive determines their nutritional value. In fact corn is a pretty nutritious staple (more-so than rice or wheat).

His reasoning also forgot to consider that maybe it was satiety that increased these feelings, and therefore the particular macronutrient wouldn’t matter…