Sylvester Graham and his Dietary Movement

Sylvester Graham, a 19th-century evangelical minister, created a comprehensive diet and lifestyle system in response to what he deemed as the greatest health scourge facing Americans: sexual desire. He believed that excesses in recreational sex, gluttony, and materialism were leading to physical illness. Graham's vegetarianism-based movement aimed to address these concerns. He invented the graham cracker as part of his system to decrease sexual urges. Additionally, his movement was aligned with the temperance movement, advocating against alcohol consumption. Graham's ideas and dietary practices gained popularity, making him known as one of the fathers of American vegetarianism.