Adventists saw themselves as called by God to share with the world a message of wholeness for the mind, body and spirit. They sought to model the healing ministry of Christ, who went about doing good and healing all (Acts 10:38). This vision included a conviction that the health message should be shared far and wide, and thus they set out to bring healing to the communities they served both globally and locally. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the first medical director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, researched new and better ways to help his patients stay healthy, and in the process created a more nutritious breakfast option, known today as Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®.

Dr. Kellogg was always searching for better and more nutritious foods to give his patients in replacement of the high-fat diet that was common back then. He and his brother, Will Keith Kellog, had accidentally left cooked grain sitting while attending to some important business. When they came back, they realized the grain had gone stale, which struck the brothers’ curiosity.

Although they were on a tight budget, they still decided to experiment with the grains, with a goal to flatten out the pieces into long sheets through rollers. The unexpected result turned out to be flakes, which they would finally toast to create what was a very popular breakfast. Nowadays, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes® are sold to millions of people yearly, standing as one of the most popular breakfasts available.

C. W. Barron, founder of The Wall Street Journal, told a reporter that he didn’t understand Dr. Kellogg. “He should have been one of the richest men in the world, but he lets money slip through his fingers so easily.” In reply, Kellogg stated, “What is money for, except to make the world better, to help people have a better life?”

The Adventists interest in health was well known. In 1904, Kellogg exhibited health literature and ran a cooking school at the St. Louis World Fair. September 29 was officially proclaimed by the fair as Battle Creek Sanitarium Day.