1904-1911
In the early twentieth century, there was a growing awareness that physical fitness and diet played an important role in achieving good health. The new movement was aligned with vegetarianism which was then reemerging in the United States, as shown below by the vegetarian menu from the first annual banquet of the Brooklyn Physical Culture Society in 1904. There is a revealing list of toasts on this menu, including one to “The Religion of Health” given by Bernarr Macfadden, an early advocate of vigorous exercise, vegetarian diets, and fasting.1 Macfadden promoted his ideas in the popular magazine Physical Culture which became the cornerstone of his publishing business and other enterprises. Marking an early point in his long career, two menus reflect the loose connection between vegetarianism and the cult of physical fitness.
