If you eat your crusts your hair will go curly-- Margrette Turner

Our "motherism" quote for today comes from my dear friend and cycling buddy, Jan Hazard.  This used to be a popular saying amongst mothers in the 50’s when curly hair was considered more desirable than straight hair.  The actual origin of this myth harks back to a time when girls would spend hours trying to change the look of their hair by using curling paper.  (Long live the convenience of today’s curling irons!)  This custom was reserved for people of means who had the luxury of spending time on such demanding personal care. Having financial resources also allowed one to “eat more bread,” thus the connection between curly hair and bread.

Common sense, however, tells us that eating the crust of bread will not make your hair curly. This is totally dependent on your genes. So, even after following her mother’s recommendation diligently, Jan still has straight hair.  But, luckily for her, it is also blond.

Jan’s mother was an educated woman and a teacher which was highly unusual at the time. Of course, she knew that the crust of the bread was infinitely more nutritional for her children than the soft, center part.

Today, we know that the crust contains more antioxidants and fiber, both of which help combat cancer.  According to the German Research Center of Food Chemistry, the crust has eight times the level of antioxidant pronly-lysine compared to bread’s bland center, the part all kids prefer.

So, perhaps Jan’s mother should have actually said, “Just eat the crust, leave the rest and you’ll be healthy.”