Eating bread crusts makes your hair curl – FACT or FICTION?

Posted by: beahealthieryou on: June 24, 2013

• In: Food Myths | General interest | Nutrition
• 2 Comments

How many of us girls (maybe even boys) were coerced into eating every bite of our sandwiches as children, on the premise that it would give us beautifully bouncing ringlets?

We were picturing something more like Annie…

Today I thought I would start the week off with something a little more fun! This is one of my favourite food myths, one that makes me giggle and smile at the memories.

At eight years old I didn’t even want curly hair, but you can bet your last dime I would eat my body weight in crusts now if I thought it would magically transform my hair into this:

Myth: Bread crusts = curly hair.

History of the myth: It has been suggested that historically both curly hair, and the consumption of bread were strongly associated with prosperity and wealth. Thus it would seem that the two ideas have morphed into the belief that crusts = curls!

Fact or Fiction: Fiction.

The science: Disappointingly sparse, although Michael Slater, a reporter for nine msn, did conduct his own experiment: eating as many bread crusts as possible over two weeks. The outcome: no curls!

Of course, this doesn’t discount that fact that we should still eat our crusts. Not only would it be wasteful, but we would also be missing out on the lovely fibre and antioxidant goodness found in those lovely golden edges!!

And remember, the more seeds there are the more nutritious it will be. Opt for wholegrain, pumpernickel or rye, and avoid heavily processed white breads where possible.

I hope you enjoyed this lighthearted break from my usual nutrition talk.

NEXT TIME IN FACT or FICTION: Carbs make you fat, don’t eat carbs!

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