History’s First Fad Diet — The Dr. Salisbury’s Healthy Steak During the 1990&rsquo

History’s First Fad Diet — The Dr. Salisbury’s Healthy Steak During the 1990’s and early 2,000’s, the Atkins Diet was all the rage, a diet which emphasized the consumption of meat and a limiting of carbohydrates.  While such a diet may seem like a modern invention, in truth the low carb diet has its origins in the 19th century.  One of the early supporters of a low carb diet was a physician and chemist named Dr. James Henry Salisbury.  Dr. Salisbury’s philosophy of healthy eating was that people should consume as much meat in their diet as possible, not only limiting carbohydrates, but all fresh fruits and vegetables. According to Salisbury, digestion of fruits and vegetables produced toxic substances which could cause heart disease, cancer, tuberculosis, and mental illness. While low carb diets might make sense today in moderation, Dr. Salisbury’s approach was extreme to say the least.Dr. Salisbury first tested his theories during the American Civil War, where he served as an army physician.  During the Civil War it was not uncommon for soldiers to become ill and drop dead, what with the quality of healthcare and field medicine at the time.  In fact, during the Civil War, far more soldiers were killed by disease rather than combat.  One pervasive problem among the Union Army was chronic diarrhea.  Dr. Salisbury theorized that such problems were a result of army rations chalk with carbohydrates.  To treat the problem, Dr. Salisbury created a special patty made from chopped up meat, which he called, “muscle pulp of beef”.  Dr. Salisbury recommended that Union soldiers eat nothing but “muscle pulp of beef”, and indeed the diet did work.  However, one would imagine the trials and tribulation of those poor Union soldiers as their diarrhea transformed into constipation.  In addition, it would be fair to say that they suffered other ailments, such as scurvy and other diseases caused by vitamin deficiencies.In 1888, Dr. Salisbury published a health book called The Relation of Alimentation and Disease.  In the book, Salisbury extolled the virtues of a meat heavy diet, recommending that fruit and vegetable make up less than 1/3rd of the diet, while the rest should consist of his “muscle pulp of beef”, mutton, and coffee. His diet became a hit when an Englishwoman named Elma Stuart took up the diet, publishing her result in a book where she praised Dr. Salisbury’s ideas.  To further popularize the diet, Stuart renamed the dish, “muscle pulp of beef” to the more appetizing sounding, “Salisbury Steak”.  With a new name and high praise, Dr. Salisbury’s diet took the late 19th century by storm, becoming the first fad diet in history.  For the next two decades, the Salisbury Diet was the most popular weight loss and health regimens for the wealthy and upper middle class.Today Salisbury Steak is a common item among institutional cafeterias and TV dinners, although its original purpose has been mostly forgotten. -- source link

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