Physical Culture and Nutrition
by Jessica Rucker

Although we don’t use the term that much these days, Physical Culture was a movement that originated in the early 19th century.  It was meant to get people who had become sedentary during the Industrial Revolution healthy again through exercise and nutrition.

Bernarr Macfadden, known as the founder of Physical Culture in the United States, was born in the mid 1800’s.  He was often sick and recovered from illnesses slowly.  During one of his many bouts of illness he overheard a relative say that he will surely die!  This death sentence changed Macfadden.  He was determined to overcome his weaknesses.

When he was 11, he was hired to work on a farm doing various duties like cutting down trees and plowing.  This is when he also noticed when the animals were sick that they did not eat.  This was the catalyst to his health crusade.  He spent many hours reading ways to heal the body by eating whole foods, fasting and drugless treatments.

"The core belief of his philosophy of health was that toxins and low levels of nutrients in the blood caused by poor diet, lack of proper exercise, stale air, lack of sunshine, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc. were the real reason for sickness - that germs could cause illness only in the person whose blood was polluted with toxins or contained insufficient nutrients. He believed that germs simply acted like scavengers. If the blood was unpolluted and nutritional levels were sufficiently high, then the person would have immunity to all germs. Not at all, was he the first to advance this theory of health, but he was the first who was able to successfully present the theory to a nation-wide audience.

He taught that a diet made up mostly of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is vital to good health. This was a revolutionary idea at a time when little was known about nutrition. The common thought at the time was that people should eat a lot of calories. Macfadden contradicted the popular beliefs of the time about diet. Today we know that his teachings about diet were amazingly accurate.

Although Macfadden was not a strict vegetarian, meat was a very minor part of his diet. He preferred carrots to just about any other food. He shunned candies, cakes, pies, and ice cream. He also taught that white bread was one of the worst things a person could eat. He advocated eating in moderation - two meals a day. He said that the 3 meals a day routine killed many people!

He advocated fasting both on a regular basis (He fasted every Monday during his whole life) and when sick. Almost all diseases could be cured by the correct fasting regimen.”  (Jim Bennett website -  Bernarr MacFadden - Health Crusader)

With his lifestyle and beliefs on nutrition and its healing properties, Macfadden lived well into his 80’s even marrying a 44 year old women at the ripe age of 80!  As the founder of Physical Culture in the United States he was definitely ahead of his time in his thinking, but right on!

http://www.bernarrmacfadden.com/