Jun 8, 2026 · 13 min · 10 segments
The inventor of Corn Flakes believed cinnamon was morally suspicious and flavour was a threat to virtue. This episode explores the strange story of John Harvey Kellogg, his wellness empire, his…
[instrumental music] John Harvey Kellogg, doctor and cereal inventor, deliberately created Corn Flakes to be tasteless and underwhelming.
In his 1887 book, Plain Facts for Old and Young, he stressed that, "The diet should be made abstemious.
They are wholesome and unstimulating." Kellogg shunned flavorful foods for a rather unusual reason.
"A man that lives on pork, fine flour bread, rich pies and cakes and condiments, drinks tea and coffee and uses tobacco, might as well try to fly as to be chaste in thought." I'm neurologist Dr.
Sarah Holper, and this is Unhealthy Curiosity, where I explore the body's features and flaws.
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[instrumental music] John Harvey Kellogg, doctor and cereal inventor, deliberately created Corn Flakes to be tasteless and underwhelming.
In his 1887 book, Plain Facts for Old and Young, he stressed that, "The diet should be made abstemious.
They are wholesome and unstimulating." Kellogg shunned flavorful foods for a rather unusual reason.
"A man that lives on pork, fine flour bread, rich pies and cakes and condiments, drinks tea and coffee and uses tobacco, might as well try to fly as to be chaste in thought." I'm neurologist Dr.
Sarah Holper, and this is Unhealthy Curiosity, where I explore the body's features and flaws.