If you love mayonnaise but try to avoid it, thinking it’s on the list of forbidden foods, you’ll be happy to know that it’s actually not nearly as bad as its reputation may seem.
With plant-based oil, eggs and vinegar as the primary ingredients of most types of regular mayo, it’s actually low in saturated fat and sodium. Regular mayo has just 1 to 2 grams per tablespoon — about the same of what you get in a tablespoon of olive oil. And with just 5 to 10 milligrams ofcholesterol per serving, it’s far below the recommended upper limit of 200 to 300 milligrams of cholesterol.
But remember not to lay on your love for mayonnaise too thick! It packs 100 calories into every tablespoon, so if you’re watching your waistline, just use a thin spread of the real thing, or try one of our “Love it” options suggested below in a recent "Love It, Like It, Hate It"article.
What's the difference in types of mayo?
- Most light mayo is made with oil, eggs and vinegar (like regular mayo) as well ascorn starch or modified food starch
- Most “olive oil” mayo has soybean/canola oil, which isoften listed before olive oil on thelabel
- Vegan mayo uses binders like xanthan gum and soy protein isolate in place of eggs
LOVE IT!
Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo
- 100 calories, 12 grams fat, 125 milligrams sodium, 0 carbohydrate
- Avocado oil, eggs, egg yolks, vinegar
Spectrum Canola Mayo
- 100 calories – 11 grams fat – 95 mg sodium – 0 carbohydrate
- Canola oil, eggs, vinegar
Chosen Foods Vegan Mayo
- 90 calories – 10 grams fat – 1 gram carbohydrate
- Avocado oil, chickpea broth, vinegar, sugar, fava bean protein powder
LIKE IT!
- Most light mayonnaise: Light mayo hashalf the calories of regular mayo, but most contain modified food starch, sugar, gums and other additives not found in regular mayo.
- Options includeHellmann’s Light,Blue Plate Light,Kraft Reduced Fat Mayo with Olive Oil,Spectrum Light Canola Mayo,Kraft Flavored Mayo (e.g. Chipotle), and The Ojai Cook Lemonaise Light
HATE IT!
Walden Farm’s Amazin’ Mayo
- Zero calories, sugar or fat, but made with the artificial sweetener sucralose (Splenda)
Kraft Fat Free Mayo
- Only 10 calories per tablespoon, but has more sugar and high fructose corn syrup than soybean oil. Furthermore, itcontains theartificial colors Yellow 6 and Blue 1.
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