Science in the Kitchen: Kellogg, Meat & Morality

In 1893, Ella Kellogg wrote Science in the Kitchen, to help guide housewives in choosing and cooking “morally correct” and nutritionally sound foods. As a researcher at The Battle Creek Sanitarium, she was tasked with testing and creating new and healthier foods. The Sanitarium (The San) was created based on the Seventh-day Adventist belief that one should not consume any flesh, alcohol, and caffeinated drinks. To this end, Ella’s husband, John H. Kellogg, invented meat replacement and advocated for nuts and nut butters in the American diet for their protein and fat content. The sanitarium's approach to health and morality intertwined, advocating for a "pure" way of life to combat illness and perceived moral decline, and emphasized Victorian gender roles. Science in the Kitchen reveals the turning point of the vegetarian movement and the connections between morals, diet and gender identity.   

Religious Influence on The Sanitarium

Categories of food were used as a determining factor as to what was considered to be right or wrong to eat. Kellogg’s idea of morality and its association with food stem from the association with the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Ellen and James White funded the creation of The San, where Ellen and her husband, John Harvey Kellogg, worked. In 1863, Ellen had a divine vision where she was told that she should follow a diet that did not contain any meat, tobacco, or alcohol. Two years later she had another vision to open a health reform to help heal people with nature-based medicines instead of pharmaceuticals, which became The San. Health reform and religious reform became fused with a strong emphasis. For example, they believed that if food was prepared by someone who was uneducated in the scientific production of food, they could make the food “evil” and thus it would be much less digestible. Moreover, women were considered to be the “moral guardians” of the household and thus their morality was of social concern.  

Female Expectations in the Kitchen

The expectations of women in the kitchen are tacit throughout the cookbook. Kellogg references that food can become “evil” by improper handling, cooking, and eating.  This came in different forms, one being the idea of “good breeding”. Breeding at the time was meant as something akin to manners and thus, it was the female’s duty to ensure that their children were well bred, or socially acceptable. One way this is shown is that supposedly discussing unsavory topics would lead to a less effective digestion which was implied to impair a child’s growth, something that no mother would want. Another way that Kellogg does this is through imagery. There are multiple depictions of women cooking in a kitchen. Cooking, as part of nurturing, was thus considered feminine.  Even when there are men in the picture, the women are the ones seen to be cooking, whereas the men are conversing with each other.

Influence on Contemporary Vegetarianism

 While many of Kellogg’s ideas are obsolete today, the impact on a vegetarian diet as morally superior has continued. Both grains and nuts are promoted with being an almost flawless food, and Kellogg promoted these attitudes through his invention of corn flakes, granola, and peanut butter. John Harvey invented meat alternatives with support from the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, Charles Dabney (Kellogg). Out of this pursuit came Nuttose and Granose, two meat substitutes that were built to have similar nutritional value, cost, and flavor. Eventually these products became so popular and viable that they were used by every class of America, since the item could be dressed up for the upper class and economically viable for the working class. Although it may seem a bit surprising since it seems so far gone from how food is now, Ella Kellogg’s writing gives us a very specific insight into how diet and religious attitudes shaped larger social expectations.

For Further Research

Kellogg, Ella. Science in the Kitchen . Chicago: Modern Medicine Publishing Company , 1893. Print.

Crawford, Scott Bruce and Bill. Cerearlizing America: The Unsweetened Story of American Cereal. Faber and Faber, 1995.

Inness, Sherrie A. Dinner Roles: American Women and Culinary Culture. University of Iowa Press , 2001.

Shprintzen, Adam. The Vegetarian Crusade: The Rise of an American Reform Movement 1817-1921. UNC Press Books, 2013. Print .