Getting late for work or school? Youโll probably reach for a bag of cornflakes for quick breakfast food. While there is no doubt that the invention of cornflakes completely altered the way people thought about breakfast, have you ever wondered why cornflakes were invented?
The real reason this popular cereal was invented might surprise you, as cornflakes have always been a staple breakfast for most of us. But the cereal was developed to reduce the sex drive in young adults!
Corn flakes are produced by toasting flakes, initially prepared with wheat. John Harvey Kellogg developed it, an American doctor in 1894, created a bland diet for the patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, where he worked with his brother.
Corn flakes are often served cold with milk and occasionally sugar. The simple flakes have been flavored with salt, sugar, and malt ever since they were first produced, and numerous subsequent versions, including extra ingredients, like sugar-frosted flakes and honey & nut corn flakes, have been produced.
At the Trafford Park factory in Manchester, England, the biggest cereal factory in the world, cornflakes are made in huge quantities.
Due to the lack of sugar and additional flavors and the fact that Kelloggโs cornflakes were extremely tough and frequently caused tooth cracks, very few people nowadays would consume them.
How Were Cornflakes Invented?
In 1874โ1875, while studying medicine in New York City, Kellogg came to believe that there was a widespread demand for ready-cooked foods, or at the very least, ready-to-eat cereals. He used this concept at the Sanitarium to create Granola, which was constructed of an oatmeal, maize meal, and wheat meal mixture that was formed into cakes with water and heated to a temperature that dextrinized the starch to make it more easily digested. It was pulverized into granular form to make the food easy to eat with milk, cream, or fruit juices.
Corn flakes were invented by accident when Will Keith Kellogg and Kellogg allowed some cooked wheat to sit while they took care of some urgent business at the sanitarium. When they returned, they discovered that the wheat had gone bad, but because they were on a tight budget, they chose to continue processing it by putting it through rollers to get lengthy sheets of the dough. They were shocked to discover flakes, which they then served to their patients after toasting.
The patients loved the breakfast cereal; however, Will Kellogg wanted to add sugar to boost the cerealโs popularity. Since John Harvey Kellogg disapproved of this, Will Kellogg founded his own business, the Kellogg Company, to make cornflakes for a larger market, and this led to the Kelloggโs cornflakes we all know and love today.
He added a unique offer, the Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Booklet, in 1909 in an effort to boost sales. This booklet was made available to anyone who purchased two boxes of cereal.
For 22 years, this premium remained constant. At the same time, Kellogg started experimenting with various grain cereals to broaden its product offering. His following big breakthrough, Rice Krispies, debuted in stores in 1928.
Who Was Dr. John Harvey Kellogg?
According to some reports, Mr. Kellogg was a decent man who helped sick people from low-income families who couldnโt afford to go to hospitals. The Seventh-day Adventist Church established a world-renowned health resort where they were treated instead. The Church then proposed and encouraged the inclusion of cornflakes as a component of an excessive diet.
Additionally, he devoted the latter 30 years of his life to eugenics, the method that try to improve the genetic makeup of the human race by removing individuals and groups deemed inferior. He was also against racial mixing and believed in sterilizing those with mental impairments.
He was also a fierce advocate of abstinence. He believed sex was bad for a personโs bodily, mental, and spiritual well-being. He practiced sexual abstinence in addition to adhering to a strict vegetarian diet and avoiding meat, alcohol, and caffeine.
In his book Plain Facts for Old and Young: Embracing the Natural History and Hygiene of Organic Life, he wrote about what he perceived to be the harmful effects of masturbating in that book. He considered it a crime and credited the act for adverse effects, including mood swings, poor posture, palpitations, stiff joints, acne, balding, and a desire for spicy food.
As editor of Health Reformer from 1874 until his passing in 1943, Kellogg oversaw the journalโs name change from Health Reformer to Good Health. In addition, he wrote 50 books on various topics related to healthy living, including vegetarianism, regular exercise, access to sunlight and fresh air, 8 to 10 glasses of water each day, and abstaining from tobacco, alcohol, tea, and coffee.
What Is the Real Truth?
Many say this is a myth, as Kellogg never specifically referred to cornflakes as an โanti-masturbatory morning meal.โ Although Kellogg did promote clean living, sexual abstinence, and bland eating as one of several strategies to deter masturbation, he never explicitly mentioned cornflakes.
Howard Markel, a professor of the history of medicine at the University of Michigan and the author of a book on the Kellogg family, claims that the original inspiration for the development of cornflakes arose from the requirement to develop a breakfast cereal that could combat indigestion as in the late 19th century, America saw a rise in indigestion as a health issue.
As Americans overindulged in breakfast, it caused a nationwide indigestion epidemic and a need for lighter fare, which fueled the emergence of cereal as Americaโs first healthy food. Markel also stated that itโs understandable why Dr. Kellogg saw a need for tasty, grain-based food with the added simplicity of making it.
There have been numerous Kelloggโs Cornflakes mascots. The most well-known one is a green rooster, the name Cornelius โCornyโ Rooster, who has served as the mascot since his introduction.
His tagline in the early advertisements was Wake up, up to Kelloggโs Cornflakes. Dallas McKennon and Andy Devine voiced him. He eventually stopped speaking and just crooned. Family friend Nansi Richards, a Welsh harpist and supporter of the Welsh language, had the idea of utilizing a stylized rooster. Ceiliog, a Welsh term that sounds close to Kelloggโs name and is pronounced kayleeog or, in certain dialects, kaylog, means โrooster.โ
Kelloggโs In Later Years
The corporation started diversifying in 1969. That yearโs acquisition of Salada Foods expanded its product line by adding tea and pastries. In 1970, it bought soup, sauce, and another food manufacturer Fearn International; in 1976, Mrs. Smithโs Pie Company; and in 1977, Pure Packed Foods, a producer of nondairy frozen foods.
Ready-to-eat cereals, convenience and snack foods like granola bars, cookies, and cracker productsโmany of which Kellogg acquired through its acquisition of Keebler Foods in 2001โand frozen breakfast foods were the categories into which Kellogg had refocused its product lines by the start of the twenty-first century.
Most nutritionists, obesity specialists, and doctors today contend that the easy digestibility the Kelloggs worked so hard on is not necessarily good. It turns out that eating processed cereals causes a sharp rise in blood sugar levels, which is followed by an increase in the hormone insulin, which allows cells to utilize glucose.
A โcrashโ in blood sugar, a loss of energy, and a ravenous appetite for an early lunch are all brought on by the insulin rush a few hours later. Oatmeal and other whole grain dishes with high fiber content are digested more slowly. People who eat them claim to feel satisfied for longer periods of time and, as a result, have far better appetite control than those who eat processed morning cereals.
Corn flakes today have a lot of sugar, which can be unhealthy if consumed in large numbers. They donโt have a lot of fiber either, although this can be made up for if you eat them with fruit.
They have a lot of iron needed to make hemoglobin and myoglobin, then transport oxygen to the cells through the blood. Since processing destroys vitamins, several brands of cornflakes are fortified with vitamins and minerals.
Cornflakes In Todayโs World
Many different recipes call for cornflakes, and crushed cornflakes can even be used in place of bread crumbs.
Australiaโs favorite party food is honey delights. To make them, combine cornflakes with honey, butter, and sugar, and bake the mixture in muffin liners or patty pans. Making chocolate cornflake cakes, also known as chocolate nests, with cornflakes, dark chocolate, butter, and golden syrup is a variation that is very well-liked in the UK.
Usually prepared at Easter for or by children and topped with Mini Eggs Afghan biscuits, a chocolate biscuit baked with cornflakes and covered with chocolate icing, is a popular confection in New Zealand.
Although the Kelloggs misunderstood cornflakesโ physics, they rose to fame as breakfast heroes. They were crucial in shaping the crunchy-delicious breakfast many of us had this morning, fueled by 19th-century Americaโs dependence on religious authority.
Last Updated on by Sathi
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