Mayonnaise is considered one the most unhealthy condiments out there. You can drench your french fries with ketchup and drown your mashed potatoes with gravy, but coating a sandwich with mayo is sneered at as slop fit for pigs. Although mayonnaise is a condiment that may compliment your palate, it will not compliment your health.
There are a myriad of sandwich spreads to choose from. Nevertheless, it’s difficult to find a mayonnaise that isn’t tampered by genetically modified seeds, artificial sweeteners or infamous corn-based vinegars. It’s for these reasons that the sauce has been dubbed Satan’s condiment: The sandwich spread bubbles fat and oozes calories. There are healthy substitutes for mayo, fortunately. If you are trying to switch to a more natural, whole foods diet, here are ten mayo brands you must avoid.
1. Hellman’s
Hellman’s is literally hell on man’s body. It consists of a blend of soybean oil, vinegar, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, lemon juice, calcium disodium and EDTA as preservative. In addition, Hellman’s has soybean oil that usually comes from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs are toxic to both the environment and your body. Removing GMOs from your diet is an active step towards a healthier you. When it comes to which mayo contains the most GMO canola oil, Hellman’s holds all the cards. It’s best to quit spreading Hellman’s on cold turkey sandwiches, cold turkey.
2. Miracle Whip
Miracle Whip, a product made by Kraft foods, is a popular substitute for mayonnaise in the U.S., Canada and other parts of the globe. Nevertheless, Miracle Whip isn’t a miracle from the health gods. It contains soybean oil, vinegar, cornstarch, corn syrup and dried eggs. Other ingredients of the mayonnaise are salt, paprika, spice, mustard, flour and natural flavor along with potassium sorbate as a preservative.
The company claims that cornstarch is made from non-genetically modified corn. Regardless, the soybean oil in Miracle Whip is surely made of GMOs. The ingredients are a cocktail of death. What’s a real miracle is that Miracle Whip doesn’t come with a warning label.
3. Duke’s Mayo
Many mayonnaise brands insist that they are made of “real” products. A quick reading of the ingredients on the back of a bottle of Duke’s Mayo reveals this to be anything but the case. Duke’s Mayo contains soybean oil, salt, water, eggs, apple cider vinegar, natural flavors and calcium disodium (EDTA) as preservatives. In addition to GMOs, the preservatives in Duke’s mayonnaise are more than enough to damage your nervous system and alter hormones.
4. Trader Joe’s
Like its predecessors, Trader Joe’s mayonnaise contains soybean oil, mustard, organic egg yolks, whole eggs, salt, white vinegar, spices and an organic lemon juice. Don’t let the organic ingredients deceive you.
Soybean oil is often made from genetically modified organisms. Trader Joe’s claims that their product is free of harmful ingredients and preservatives. The big reason why you have to stay away from these products is that the oil, vinegar and whole eggs they use in their products are probably made with genetically modified organisms.
5. Best Foods Mayonnaise
Contrary to what the name implies, Best Foods Mayonnaise is anything but the best mayo in town. The product touts itself as gluten free, devoid of GMOs, a great source for omega-3 fatty acids and made from pure olive oil. A quick reading of the ingredients, however, reveals that Best Foods Mayonnaise isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
The ingredients of Best Foods Mayonnaise are water, salt, soybean oil, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, whole eggs and yolks, GMO modified corn starch, along with spices and lemon juice. It also contains the preservatives sorbic acid, citric acid, calcium disodium (EDTA), colors like beta carotene and natural flavors. Talk about false advertisement. Best Foods has many products, but its mayonnaise is particularly popular in the U.S. According to Oxford University’s Material Safety Data Sheet, sorbic acid can be damaging to the skin and respiratory system. Best Foods mayo is in no way the best mayo available.
6. Kraft
Kraft food is arguably the most popular food manufacturing corporation in the U.S and Canada. It’s consumed by millions of customers everyday. It’s therefore unfortunate that Kraft Mayo contains GMO oil. The 100 percent sugar used in Kraft products doesn’t compensate the carcinogenic compounds that contaminate the mayo. It’s best to craft your sandwich with other ingredients.
7. Blue Plate
Blue Plate mayonnaise was one of the first commercial mayo products. It’s less popular than other mayonnaise brands, but very popular in Texas. Despite its historical roots, Blue Plate mayo has become tainted by the rise of GMOs. Its ingredients are soybean oil, salt, water with sugar, white vinegar, egg yolks and other spices. It also has calcium disodium (EDTA) which is used as a preservative.
In addition to GMOs, calcium disodium is a harmful preservative used in Blue Plate mayo. A quick Google search reveals calcium disodium to be an agent called chelating. It’s used to remove heavy metals like lead and mercury from the blood. It’s disturbing that the company would add an ingredient to their product that removed mercury. How about leaving the mercury out of the mayonnaise to begin with?
8. Kewpie
This Japanese mayo is popular for its unique taste. It is known for being natural and healthy. Nevertheless, Kewpie contains GMO oils, including soybean and canola. Other ingredients include MSG powder, kosher salt, rice vinegar, hon-dashipowder, malt vinegar, garlic powder, Japanese mustard powder and egg yolks. Kewpie serves as a lesson that “natural” products aren’t always what they claim to be. In short, make sure to read the ingredients prior to purchasing anything that masks itself as healthy.
9. Whole Foods 365
Whole Foods 365 produces canola oil mayo, which has a light and silky texture. Canola oil mayo is made from GMO, and is one of the most dangerous oils available on the market. The ingredients of Whole Foods 365 reveals that it contains GMO fragments and carcinogens used while manufacturing the product. Whole Foods 365 is anything but whole foods.
10. Flavor Fresh
This mayo is anything but fresh. The first ingredient is soybean oil and to keep it sweet it contains high fructose corn syrup. Avoid this cheap mayonnaise at all costs.
Americans love their mayo. Estimates suggest that mayo surpasses ketchup sales in the United States, meaning it is the number one condiment of choice. Nevertheless, it’s time to move on from the sauce and hold the mayo. You can substitute a spoon full of mayo with a variety of spreads, including guacamole, cashew butter, mustard or hummus. For apologists of mayo, you can make your own mayo at home free of GMO oils and noxious preservatives. With these suggestions in mind, it will be easy to find a new spread for your bread.
Sources:
BlackFlyGazette.com
SeriousEats.com
BestFoods.com
DukesMayo.com
Fooducate.com
CookingLight.com
