Pregnant Hilary Duff joins overdue mums queueing to eat magic ‘induction salad’
Hilary Duff is due to birth her baby any day now, and it’s clear she’s keen for it to be sooner rather than later.
“Don’t let me down!”
Hil’s latest Instagram story reveals she’s turned to a magical salad to help bring on labour. And guess what? She’s not the only one!
“This salad is supposed to make you go into labor,” Hilary posted. “Caioti Pizza, don’t let me down.”
California’s Caioti Pizza Cafe’s infamous ‘Maternity Salad’ has been helping budge babies for over 25 years, and apparently, a couple of dozen women flock to the restaurant to eat it EVERY DAY.
A quick skim of Instagram proves that this dish is quite the sensation – and that Hilary’s in brilliant company when it comes to her salad baby longings!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWRidb2FiqL/?tagged=maternitysalad
“My sister ate “the salad” from Caioti which is said to help start labor. Forward 6 hours after eating it & labor started. Baby was born about 17 hours after such salad. She’s a salad baby!” one woman wrote on Instagram.
“I spent the entire day with my lovely mother-in-law,” another mum explained. “We chanted in the morning, and then took me to get this delicious salad @caioti_pizza recommended by my very good friend called the Maternity Salad. It’s FAMOUS for inducing labor. Three hours later after we shopped I was in labor! What an awesome experience!!!”
That said, the salad doesn’t work (immediately) for everyone, despite desperate measures!
“I went and had their salad two days in a row,” a mum admitted. “When that didn’t work I went back and bought a bottle of the dressing … and drank it. Literally drank the dressing.”
Read more about Hilary Duff:
- Pregnant Hilary Duff confronts photographer who’s been ruthlessly stalking her
- Hilary Duff is having complex feelings about her pregnancy and we can relate
- Hilary Duff is pregnant – and has been hiding her baby bump for weeks!
Secret sauce and salad babies
Restaurant owner Carrie LaDou told the LA Weekly there could be a scientific reason the salad – and in particular the dressing – is sparking labour.
“When we asked my doctor what the deal was [with the dressing], why does it work for so many people, he said it’s the enzymes in the balsamic. It’s the chemistry that can cause muscle contractions, so that’s a possible thing.”
What’s actually in this magical maternity salad, you might be wondering? It includes – romaine lettuce, watercress, walnuts, gorgonzola and a house-made balsamic vinaigrette made up of basil, sun-dried tomato, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and a mix of secret spices. #dang
The restaurant now sells their famous dressing, professionally bottled, to fed-up and ready-to-deliver mums (after years of more clandestine passing it across the counter in stealthy plastic containers!)
The salad snowballed
The legend of the induction salad has gathered its own momentum, as pregnant ladies caught wind of its labour sparking properties and prayed it would work for them.
“We did not invent this or come up with this — our customers did,” said Caioti owner Carrie LaDou. “A customer that was past due walked in about 27 years ago, I’m guessing, and she had contractions while she was still there and told all her girlfriends. One of their husbands was a producer on a late-night entertainment news show and it just grew from there.”
Ten years ago Caioti also installed a bunch of journals so that pregnant customers could record their visits – and mums have gone nuts for those too.
“Some people come back after they’ve had their baby and they write in the journal about if it worked. That’s also something — we run out of journals,” Carrie explained. “It’s like we’re kind of working for the salad.”
