Last week in the deli near Columbia Presbyterian, I had an interesting conversation with a woman concerned about losing weight. “I eat so well,” she cried out in desperation, addressing me as I finished placing my order (turkey, lettuce, tomato, avocado on whole wheat bread with fat-free Italian dressing). “I don’t know why I just can’t lose this weight around my middle.” Empathetically, I nodded and listened attentively as she rattled off her order: a turkey sandwich, lettuce, tomato, bell peppers… (healthful so far)… with mayonnaise and mustard. Waiting for our orders, we started chatting and I happened to throw in the fact that I have a Master’s Degree in Nutrition. Enthusiastically, she implored my advice. “If I could make one suggestion,” I thought aloud, “I would tell you to lose the mayonnaise!” I went on to explain…

    Mayonnaise adds unnecessary fat to your sandwiches! In just one serving of Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise, one of the most popular brands of mayonnaise in the United States, a serving size of just one tablespoon has 90 calories, all of which come from FAT! In addition, one glob of mayo (or a tablespoon full) adds 10 grams of fat to your meal, with 1.5 grams from saturated fat—the artery-clogging kind.[i] With five milligrams of cholesterol and nearly 100 mg of sodium, a dollop a day starts to add up… and fast![ii]

      That’s because mayonnaise, as defined by the US Food and Drug Administration’s Standard of Identity, contains “at least 65% oil by weight, vinegar, and egg or egg yolks.”[iii] Specifically, in Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise, the ingredients include (in order): soybean oil, whole eggs, vinegar, water, egg yolks, salt, sugar, lemon juice, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality). Basically, by spreading mayonnaise onto your sandwiches or mixing it into your salads, you are adding a creamy mélange of saturated fat from oil, cholesterol from eggs, and unnecessarily high sodium content, putting your body at risk for heart disease and hypertension (or high blood pressure).

      CitySlim’s advice? Replace mayonnaise with one of these heart-healthy alternatives:

• Balsamic vinegar (not vinaigrette)
• Extra virgin olive oil and vinegar
• Fat-free Italian dressing
• Low-sodium mustard

   Or create your own dressing using natural juices, such as lemon, orange, pomegranate (POM), or lime with extra virgin olive oil or ENOVA (Click to see sample recipe with ENOVA and POM). Also, try mixing balsamic vinegar with low-sodium mustard in a 1:1 ratio with a squeeze of lemon and pinch of Jane’s Crazy Mixed-Up Salt (available in most supermarkets).    If you absolutely must have your mayonnaise and eat it, too, be sure to choose reduced fat and/or reduced sodium versions. Beware, though; most delicatessens will use the regular kind! The calories add up… According to the USDA Survey Database, margarine and spreads like mayonnaise are “top contributors of energy, fat, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and trans-fatty acids, to the U.S. diet” with their prevalence as “components of 1090 of the 7352 recipes (about 15%) in the USDA Survey database (USDA, 1998a, b)”:[iv] 

   Final verdict: Eliminate mayonnaise from your diet and the results will speak for themselves. Just look at this testimonial…

“Hi CitySlim,

This is Randy,* the lady from the deli. [You told me] instead of mayo use mustard. By the way, I threw out my mayo [and] I noticed that my stomach did not bloat while eating mustard. Thanks for the tip. I LOVE YOUR WEBSITE!”

[*Name has been changed.]