Graham bread

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Graham bread was invented by Sylvester Graham in 1829 for his vegetarian diet. The Graham bread was high in fiber, made with non-sifted whole wheat flour and was made into little squares we now know as graham crackers.

Graham invented that bread free from chemical additives that were common in white bread at that time such as alum and chlorine^{[citation needed]}. He argued that chemical additives in bread made it unwholesome, and he was correct: both alum and chlorine are now known to be toxic. The use of additives by bakeries was a common practice during the Industrial Revolution to make bread whiter in color, and more commercially appealing. Darker wheat bread was considered the fare of country rubes. Refined bread was a status symbol of the middle class because of its "purity and refinement" in its color and was purchased, rather than home-made. Graham believed that a firm, crusty bread made of coarsely ground whole-wheat flour was more nutritious and healthy. He also believed eliminating unpure elements from the diet could help to cure excessive lust, an increasing problem in antebellum U.S., as more extra-marital relations and births were reported than ever before.