Your favorite crackers, cookies, and sodas may seem harmless, but a century or two ago, they were marketed as cures for nerves, stomach aches, and even “sinful” urges. These 9 foods started as medicine, before taste and marketing turned them into the classics we love today.
9. Graham Crackers
These iconic crackers, aka base for s’mores, actually began as a 19th-century health food. Reverend Sylvester Graham believed that a bland and vegetarian diet could cure illness and tame “sinful” cravings, and so his followers baked plain, unsweetened wheat biscuits. However, the crackers only took off when companies like Nabisco added sugar to them in the late 1800s.
8. Peanut Butter
That protein-packed spread in your pantry also began as a health food. In 1985, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg prepared a boiled nut paste for patients at his sanitarium. They needed an easy-to-digest, meat-free protein. Later on, Dr. Ambrose Straub and Joseph Lambert were credited for refining the product and bringing it outside the hospitals. By 1921, peanut butter became mainstream, thanks to hydrogenation that stabilized its texture.
7. Gingersnap Cookies
Behind the cozy holiday cookie is a spice that’s been used as a medicine for 5,000 years. Ancient Greek, Indian, and Chinese physicians prescribed ginger for stomach complaints and nausea. Meanwhile, in medieval Europe, gingerbread cookies were sold as remedies (if not as love charms). Even modern research supports ginger’s benefits for nausea and digestion, making gingersnaps a sweet treat linked to enduring ancient healing traditions.
6. Ketchup
In the 1830s, Ohio doctor John Cook Bennett claimed tomatoes were helpful in curing ailments from indigestion to jaundice. This gave him the idea to turn ketchup into “tomato pills,” marketed as cure-alls. Copycats soon filled pills with laxatives and false promises, destroying public trust. When Henry Heinz launched his sweetened recipe in 1876, ketchup has been established as the condiment we know today.
5. Fig Newtons
In the late 1800s, doctors believed fruit and biscuits supported gut health, and fig rolls were the perfect combo. Baker Charles Roser’s 1891 machine made mass production possible. while the Kennedy Biscuit Company named them after Newton, Massachusetts. Today, Fig Newtons are a nostalgic snack, and figs still carry their fiber-filled benefit that helps with digestion.
4. Onions and Garlic
Onions and garlic have always been both food and medicine for over 7,000 years. Egyptians prescribed garlic for many ailments and fed it to pyramid builders for strength. Later on, Louis Pasteur confirmed garlic’s antibacterial power. Today, studies continue to explore the use of garlic and onion compounds for boosting immune and hearth health.
3. Corn Flakes
Now, here’s another popular invention from Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. He invented corn flakes at his sanitarium as part of a bland diet for patients. His brother, Will, saw their commercial potential and wanted to add sugar. Will eventually took control, added sweetness, and founded the Kellogg Company.
2. 7-Up
Introduced as “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda” in 1929, 7-Up actually contained lithium citrate, a mood stabilizer used in psychiatry. It was marketed as a drink that could boost mood and ease nervousness. Lithium stayed in the formula until the 1940s, when health regulations have caught up. Today, though, 7-Up is just soda.
1. Coca-Cola
In 1886, Coca-Cola started as a patent medicine or “brain tonic” created by pharmacist John Pemberton. The claim was that it could relieve headaches, fatigue, and other common complaints. Over time, it shifted away from medicine and into the beverage world. By the early 20th century, the company focused on flavor, branding, and consistency, transforming Coca-Cola from a niche remedy into a world-famous drink.