12 Facts About Mayonnaise That May Surprise You

8. Even if you say you don’t like mayonnaise, it’s possible that it’s in some of your favorite foods.

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As a Hellman’s representative told Today last year, “[Mayo] haters can be won over by realizing that they’ve probably eaten it and enjoyed it.” You may not have noticed the mayo in your Spicy Tuna roll, Subway Tuna sandwich or McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Deluxe, but it was in there.

9. Mayonnaise is not as bad for your health as you might think — if you control the portion size.

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One tablespoon of mayonnaise has 90 calories, and if that’s all you’re using, you’re making a relatively healthy choice. “It’s high in fat but not saturated fat,” says Keri Gans, dietician, nutritionist and author of The Small Change Diet. “The problem with regular mayonnaise is people cannot stick to one tablespoon and therefore they end up adding a lot of calories to a meal.”

Mayonnaise at restaurants, Gans says, can get tricky, though. “If you’re going to order out something like a tuna fish salad or an egg salad or a chicken salad, chances are, you’re getting a lot of calories and a lot of fat.”

Still though, it’s a lesser of evils, says Jayne Hurley of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “It’s good for your heart and is absolutely, head and shoulders above all the other kinds of fats that the restaurant industry is adding to foods like cheese and sour cream and cream cheese.”

10. Unlike many other foods marketed to dieters, low-fat mayo is actually a healthier choice.

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While you can’t depend on a restaurant to use a low-fat version, you can choose that option in your own home. Although many low-fat foods make up for lost flavor with sugar, low-fat mayo is an exception. “Low-fat mayonnaise is actually a healthier alternative,” says Gans, nothing that Hellman’s low-fat version has less than 1 gram of sugar per serving.

11. Egg-free mayonnaise not only exists, it actually tastes good.

Courtesy of Hampton Creek Foods

Hampton Creek’s Just Mayo, for example, is made with canola oil, water, lemon juice, white vinegar, and spices. “It’s delicious,” says Gans, who, by the way, is not a vegan. A Serious Eats taste test in February found that Just Mayo was even tastier than real mayonnaise.
Gans warns, though, that egg-free mayo is still high in calories: “Don’t be fooled because now all of a sudden it’s vegan. It’s still 90 calories per tablespoon.” Other brands like Earth Balance, Spectrum Naturals, and Vegenaise also make egg-free mayonnaise alternatives. And don’t forget about the natural creaminess of an avocado, hummus, or non-fat Greek yogurt if you want to cut calories.

12. The most delicious and healthiest mayonnaise might be one that you make for yourself from scratch at home

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The origins of mayo are still fiercely debated — was it invented by a French chef or a Spanish one? But either way, you can still make it at home in just a few minutes with lemon juice, an egg yolk, salt, dry mustard, and oil, and it will taste SO GOOD. If you want to know more about the eggs you’re making it from, buy them at a local farmers market where you can ask the person selling them about the chickens they came from.

SOURCE: Buzz Feed