Why Is Mayonnaise Harmful?
Author: Joe Fowler
Time for reading: ~2
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
One tablespoon of mayonnaise has about 100 kcal, but trans fats are more dangerous.
Eggs, vinegar and oil, or other vegetable fat - this is the main composition of mayonnaise , whether home-made or bought. What, then, could make it a harmful food ? The danger in this case comes not from the ingredients, but from the ratio between them.
It is estimated that at least 80% of the mayonnaise content is due to the fat in its composition. Even if the purest and harmless vegetable fat is used, this is too high a ratio compared to how much mayonnaise we usually eat. 80% of it is pure fat, most of which is saturated with both trans fat and cholesterol . Moreover - the calculation shows that 100 g of mayonnaise contain roughly 700 kcal, coming only from fat . This means that one tablespoon of mayonnaise carries almost 100 kcal. It's hard to imagine another such high-calorie sauce or flavoring.
Thus, even the smallest amounts of mayonnaise consumed can become a source not only of excess calories and fat, but also of other potentially dangerous substances. The fact is that the industrial production of mayonnaise often includes preservatives, dyes or thickeners, which could also pose a health risk.
The main risk that excessive consumption of mayonnaise hides is associated with damage to the cardiovascular system . The high amount of cholesterol, saturated and trans fats is a serious predisposing factor for the development of atherosclerosis and the subsequent consequences - high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack and others. It is estimated that regular consumption of products rich in this type of fat may increase the long-term risk to the heart and blood vessels.by about 20%. Even a small amount of regularly consumed mayonnaise can be dangerous to health. We remind you that the danger with it comes not from the content, but from the ratio of ingredients. With a small amount of mayonnaise we can eat a lot more dangerous fats than with the same amount of other lipid-rich foods.
However, the fact is that mayonnaise also contains healthy substances . Although a small amount of the general background, the composition of mayonnaise contains vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
These nutrients come mainly from eggs, which must be fresh. However, in order to obtain a sufficient amount of these indisputably useful products, a large amount of mayonnaise must be consumed, so that the harm from it would be much more pronounced than the benefits. Against the background of the analysis of its composition, healthy eating experts define mayonnaise more as harmful than as tasty or useful food.