Is Mayonnaise unhealthy?
Is Mayonnaise unhealthy? Mayonnaise is often eaten with chips or baked potatoes. Because mayonnaise is often eaten with unhealthy fries, many people expect mayonnaise to be unhealthy as well. To find out how unhealthy mayonnaise is, you must first look at the composition of the mayonnaise. Real mayonnaise consists of 70% oil. Oils consist almost entirely of fats, both saturated and unsaturated fats. However, vegetable oils consist of unsaturated fats, which reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, oils that consist of saturated fats will increase cholesterol and ensure an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is therefore very important to check which oil the mayonnaise is based on.
Is Mayonnaise unhealthy? French fries sauce and semi-skimmed mayonnaise
For making mayonnaise it is therefore important that the mayonnaise consists of at least 70% oil. Because this can be very unhealthy, many brands and manufacturers have marketed a mayonnaise that contains less than 70% oil. Because these products contain less than 70% oil, this should not be called mayonnaise. These products are called, for example, French fries sauce or semi-skimmed mayonnaise.
So it seems as if these products are healthier than mayonnaise, but a lot of salt and sugar are added to these products. This is because fat gives a lot of flavor to products and this lack of fat must therefore be compensated. The amounts of salt and sugar in the products are not very high, but it is something you have to take into account when selecting mayonnaise.
In addition, you can always choose to make your own mayonnaise. In this way you can determine how much oil, salt or sugar you use in the mayonnaise, making it healthier than a ready-made product from the supermarket.
Calories
An advantage of the products that contain little oil and therefore fat is that they often contain few calories. Real mayonnaise easily contains a lot of calories. Due to the high number of calories and because mayonnaise mainly consists of oil, it is absolutely not a healthy option. In addition to oil, mayonnaise also consists of egg yolks and therefore contains few healthy nutrients.
The low-fat varieties are generally healthier than the mayonnaise because they are lower in fat and have fewer calories. Of course, it is perfectly possible to eat mayonnaise now and then, but it is important not to do this too often. In general, the rule is that white sauces are unhealthier than red sauces. Sauces with red color are often lower in fat and calories and are therefore a healthier option than white sauces such as mayonnaise.