Can mayonnaise, traditionally made from egg yolks, oil, and vinegar or lemon juice, be a part of a healthy diet? We explore the facts, our local supermerket shelf and provide some options.
Get your spoons ready.
The primary ingredients in mayonnaise, particularly egg yolks and oil, can provide a source of healthy fats. When made with heart-healthy oils like olive or avocado oil, mayonnaise can offer monounsaturated fats that are beneficial for heart health.
Without a doubt, real mayonnaise is highly caloric, so if you are watching your weight... beware. That being said, a spoonful or 2 to make a potato, pasta, coleslaw or tuna salad, can transform simple ingredients into a sumptuous delight.
A typical Serving is usually 15ml, a single tablespoon. This is about 100 calories, equivalent energy to a 1 mile (1.6km) run. One of the reasons that 'you cannot outrun a bad diet'.
Store-bought mayonnaise often contains added sugars, and preservatives, which can detract from its nutritional value. Ideally the simpler and shorter the ingredient list the better.
To save you the trouble, we went to 3 Singapore supermarkets - Cold Storage, Little Farms, NTUC Finest - to check on product lines and their ingredients. Here is what we found:
# | Brand | # Ingredients | Fat per 100g |
1 | Birch & Waite, Whole Egg Mayonnaise | 4 | 74.3 |
2 | Waitrose, Duchy Organic Mayonnaise | 6 | 77 |
3 | Heinz, Seriously Good Mayo | 8 | 70 |
4 | Naked Byron Food, Vegan Mayonnaise | 8 | 75.1 |
5 | Kewpie, Japanese Style Mayonnaise | 10 | 75 |
6 | The Food Company, Whole Egg Mayonnaise | 10 | 71 |
7 | Hellman's Real Mayonnaise | 10 | 79 |
8 | Maille, Mayonnaise Fine | 11 | 78 |
9 | Lady's Choice, Mayonis Sebenar | 15 | 65 |
10 | Best Foods, Real Mayonnaise | 15 | 55 |
11 | Hellman's Light Mayonnaise | 18 | 26 |
12 | Fair Price, Mayo | 20 | 35 |
For a healthier option, homemade mayonnaise allows control over the ingredients. Using fresh eggs and high-quality oils can create a mayonnaise that’s not only tastier but also healthier.
Note: as with any recipe that uses raw egg, there is a risk of food poisoning from salmonella. Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with a weak immune systems should avoid raw eggs.
Click on the videos below for inspiration...
Add longevity and health promoting garlic and make an aioli, or, for fish soup a rouille with saffron, sweet paprika or cayenne.
And a vegan option if you like...
If you don't have time or the inclination to make your own, the Heinz mayo (in the supermarket list above) is widely available and tasty.
So is mayonnaise healthy? The answer is compared to what? Or, it depends. Whats are you trying to achieve from your diet and eating practices, what are your personal health circumstances. Calorific mayonnaise can be part of a healthy diet as an occasional treat; moderation and mindful ingredient choices are key to enjoying this popular condiment without compromising health goals.
Live Well,
Alastair
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Related Studies
Flamminii F, Di Mattia CD, Sacchetti G, Neri L, Mastrocola D, Pittia P. Physical and Sensory Properties of Mayonnaise Enriched with Encapsulated Olive Leaf Phenolic Extracts. Foods. 2020 Jul 24;9(8):997. doi: 10.3390/foods9080997. PMID: 32722352; PMCID: PMC7466192.
Mirzanajafi-Zanjani M, Yousefi M, Ehsani A. Challenges and approaches for production of a healthy and functional mayonnaise sauce. Food Sci Nutr. 2019 Jul 18;7(8):2471-2484. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.1132. PMID: 31428335; PMCID: PMC6694423.
Fernandes SS, Mellado MLMS. Development of Mayonnaise with Substitution of Oil or Egg Yolk by the Addition of Chia (Salvia Hispânica L.) Mucilage. J Food Sci. 2018 Jan;83(1):74-83. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.13984. Epub 2017 Nov 22. PMID: 29165817.
Giacintucci V, Di Mattia C, Sacchetti G, Neri L, Pittia P. Role of olive oil phenolics in physical properties and stability of mayonnaise-like emulsions. Food Chem. 2016 Dec 15;213:369-377. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.06.095. Epub 2016 Jun 27. PMID: 27451193.
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