Is Mayonnaise Really Bad For Your Health?

Is mayonnaise really bad for your health?

Most women do not tolerate this product in their kitchen, considering it a symbol of high-calorie and unhealthy food, while men, on the contrary, actively add mayonnaise to almost any dish, bachelors are especially fond of it. Most health magazines recognize only homemade mayonnaise as beneficial, and sauces that are sold in the store are not recommended for consumption.

The word "mayonnaise" is associated with the name of the city of Mayon on the Spanish island of Menorca, where this sauce is called salsa mahonesa. Initially, it was made from olive oil with egg yolk, with the addition of vinegar, seasonings, salt and sugar, but such a product begins to deteriorate literally a few hours after preparation, so a number of chemicals are added to it in the industry. In Russia, until recently, the word mayonnaise meant only one type of this product - "Provencal". On the European market, the choice is much wider, the whole variety of these sauces is divided into three categories: 80% mayonnaise itself, 60-70% salad mayonnaise and 40-50% low-calorie mayonnaise sauce or "dressing".

The main reason mayonnaise is considered harmful is its high fat content. In order that the number of calories does not frighten off buyers, manufacturers specially make "light mayonnaise" with less fat. Such a product seems to be safer not only for the figure, but also for health. However, in the production of low-calorie sauces, not only harmful animal fats, but also vegetable fats are excluded from the composition, which are replaced with modified starch, emulsifiers, thickeners and gelatin. As a result, instead of a “heavy” but natural combination of ingredients, a “light” product appears, but many times more saturated with industrial chemistry. Of particular concern are trans fats or modified vegetable fats,which are not degraded in the human body and therefore accumulate much faster in the form of subcutaneous fat. The result is diseases of the heart and blood vessels, frequent shortness of breath, fatigue, digestive system disorders, obesity.

However, the greatest concern is caused by the additives contained in mayonnaise, because a person uses it regularly, as an addition to many dishes, which means that these substances enter the body literally every day, accumulating and creating a load on the liver. In mayonnaise, you can find stabilizers E415, E440, thickeners E1414 and E1422, which can lead to diseases of the intestines and stomach, in addition, contribute to the destruction of tooth enamel, E301, E302 (the latter is in the process of approbation and has not yet passed all the necessary tests), sweeteners E951 - 959. Aspartame or E951 is considered one of the most harmful additives, in many countries it is prohibited for use. In fact, it is a sugar substitute (it is almost 200 times sweeter than ordinary refined sugar), and when heated, it decomposes into formaldehyde (which is a carcinogen) and highly toxic methanol.It is strictly forbidden to use mayonnaise with such an additive for baking and frying, as well as adding to hot soups and mashed potatoes. Long-term use of aspartame causes increased fatigue, nausea and headaches, accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the ears, decreased visual acuity. In people who are on a diet, aspartame consumption can lead to the opposite effect - weight gain.

In order to enjoy the dishes seasoned with mayonnaise and at the same time not harm your health, you must carefully choose the sauce in the store. First of all, pay attention to whether the shelf life has been met, whether the packaging is airtight, whether it is damaged. The label must necessarily indicate that the product meets the requirements of GOST Russia. It is necessary to choose mayonnaise with a minimum amount of E, in addition, you should avoid especially dangerous additives, such as E951. The most useful sauce is made on the basis of olive oil; it contains linoleic and linolenic acids valuable for the body and many vitamins. If the packaging says "does not contain GMO" - so much the better, then the manufacturer cares about the quality of his product.

The most important thing when choosing is your own taste. The human body intuitively rejects harmful substances, if mayonnaise contains additives that threaten health or trans fats, its taste and smell will be unpleasant. It is worth avoiding "sour" mayonnaise with a high content of vinegar, it is harmful to the digestive system, any heterogeneous formations, bubbles, solid particles of the substance should cause legitimate doubts among the consumer. It is always worth remembering that it is better to give up a low-quality product than to spend money on medicines and doctors in the future.

Author: Maria Lev (specially for Calorizator.ru)

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