This Popular Cookie Was Once Sold As A Medicinal Digestive Aid

Take a look at a store shelf or at some of your favorite food items in your pantry; there's a decent chance some of those items would have fascinating backstories. The myth surrounding the invention of Kellogg's breakfast cereal teaches us that even the most benign and everyday foods can have some really interesting history behind them. An example of this exact idea is in yet another humble and commonplace snack: Fig Newtons. These square, jammy biscuits are likely just another snack to you nowadays, but back in the 1800s, these treats were sold in no small part due to their perceived aid in digestion. 

It should be noted that the Newtons of today ("Fig" was dropped from the name in 2012) are a far cry from what was being sold back then: It was more common to see a "fig roll" with a much different composition compared to the square, cookie-like food we have now. In fact, versions of the snack made since the 1980s contain little — if any — fig at all, with raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry products comprising most of the filling. Even if modern Newtons are strictly in the "snack" category, you can still trace their lineage back to when they were also believed to have a utilitarian medicinal purpose as well.

Around the world, there's a lot of focus on foods and drinks that can aid the digestive process. Cooking with ginger is a common way to help one's digestion, and there's even a whole subset of alcoholic beverages — after-dinner drinks — devoted to helping you digest a hearty meal. So is there any credence to the idea that Fig Newtons could also help in this way? 

As it turns out, figs high fiber content does indeed allow for easier digestion. They also contain prebiotics, which help improve your gut health, and several key vitamins and minerals. Not to be completely outdone, biscuits can also help you digest, but only if they contain the right fibrous ingredients such as whole wheat flour and wheat bran. But does this mean that the original Fig Newtons were an effective treatment for digestive troubles? That's where things get murky. It's hard to know just how much fig was in the jam, and the presence of other ingredients (plus the small serving size) makes it hard to get a confident answer. Whether it helped or not, the idea behind the helpful Fig Newton is certainly grounded in truth.