Sylvester Graham, d. 1851

SYLVESTER GRAHAM Dietary Reformer b. 1794, West Suffield, CT d. 1851 Graham was an advocate of the vegetarian lifestyle. His physiological theory, "The Science of Human Life," proposed that a vegetarian diet would combat the desire for alcohol and other activities Graham considered to be unhealthy, such as sex. Beginning in the 1830s, Graham rallied against bakery bread because it contained preservatives and additives. He advocated that his followers back their own bread instead. He developed a finely ground whole-wheat flour used to make his namesake snack, the graham cracker. However, the graham cracker bears no resemblance to the bread he advocated.

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