3 ms·

Mayo is processed garbage?? Please explain. It’s whipped egg with lemon and oil, maybe some salt.

nonethewiser 3y ago
Helmans also uses Calcium Disodium EDTA for shelf life. Im not saying its bad, or being processed is bad, but its manufactured at scale with additional ingredients to make it shelf stable. Its not the same thing you make at home. Frankly I think thats fine.
- hedora 3y ago
  Being processed is definitely bad on average, if only due to foods having lower fiber content and higher salt content.
- rootusrootus 3y ago
  > Helmans also uses Calcium Disodium EDTA for shelf life. Maybe it has helped remove built up lead from long term exposure before unleaded gasoline was mandated.
hedora 3y ago
For a while it was loaded with trans fat and artificial flavors. These days, it’s actually listed as compatible with heart healthy diets (the oil is typically a “good fat”, and the eggs raise cholesterol levels data is weak at best)
vladvasiliu 3y ago
It may depend on the brands, but one big brand of mayo here in France (Amora) has all kinds of weird crap, apart from "whipped egg with lemon and oil". It has rapeseed oil, which to me seems dubious since it requires special processing to make it non-toxic. It only has 5.1% eggs (according to the label). It also has "flavorings", thickeners and coloring agents. So yeah, it's nothing like the homemade mayo I make, which only has olive oil, a bunch of eggs, mustard, and indeed some salt. Mine doesn't need any sort of coloring and is thick enough.
- ahoka 3y ago
  Source on rapeseed on being toxic, please.
  - vladvasiliu 3y ago
    The rapeseed oil isn't considered toxic anymore, since they take steps to remove the erucic acid from it, by growing canola bred to contain very little of it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed_oil#Erucic_acid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed_oil#Erucic_acid While it says it's "generally considered safe", I prefer not to take any chances, just like I prefer to avoid plastic containers for my food, especially if hot (even though some plastics are "microwave safe"). --- I realize wikipedia isn't the greates of sources. Here are two more NIH https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9962393/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9962393/ Says it doesn't seem to be toxic in low quantities, but should be investigated more. To me, that means "rather avoid if possible". -- European Food Safety Authority says roughly the same: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4593 https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4593
hnfong 3y ago
Mayo is mostly oil. Usually the cheapest oil the manufacturer can source. That oil is highly refined, which usually involves dissolving ground up seeds in some solvent like hexane, then some high heat process to extract and de-odor the oil. Given that seed oils usually comprises polyunsaturated oils which due to their multiple double bonds are more reactive, the chemical processes probably tend to create more undesirable by products. I mean, unless you prefer to drink the cheapest cooking oil you can find in your supermarket, you might want to avoid the mayo as well. (disclaimer: I occasionally drink EVOO directly)

Helmans also uses Calcium Disodium EDTA for shelf life. Im not saying its bad, or being processed is bad, but its manufactured at scale with additional ingredients to make it shelf stable. Its not the same thing you make at home. Frankly I think thats fine.

hedora 3y ago
Being processed is definitely bad on average, if only due to foods having lower fiber content and higher salt content.
rootusrootus 3y ago
> Helmans also uses Calcium Disodium EDTA for shelf life. Maybe it has helped remove built up lead from long term exposure before unleaded gasoline was mandated.

hedora 3y ago

For a while it was loaded with trans fat and artificial flavors. These days, it’s actually listed as compatible with heart healthy diets (the oil is typically a “good fat”, and the eggs raise cholesterol levels data is weak at best)

vladvasiliu 3y ago

It may depend on the brands, but one big brand of mayo here in France (Amora) has all kinds of weird crap, apart from "whipped egg with lemon and oil". It has rapeseed oil, which to me seems dubious since it requires special processing to make it non-toxic. It only has 5.1% eggs (according to the label). It also has "flavorings", thickeners and coloring agents. So yeah, it's nothing like the homemade mayo I make, which only has olive oil, a bunch of eggs, mustard, and indeed some salt. Mine doesn't need any sort of coloring and is thick enough.

ahoka 3y ago
Source on rapeseed on being toxic, please.
- vladvasiliu 3y ago
  The rapeseed oil isn't considered toxic anymore, since they take steps to remove the erucic acid from it, by growing canola bred to contain very little of it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed_oil#Erucic_acid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed_oil#Erucic_acid While it says it's "generally considered safe", I prefer not to take any chances, just like I prefer to avoid plastic containers for my food, especially if hot (even though some plastics are "microwave safe"). --- I realize wikipedia isn't the greates of sources. Here are two more NIH https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9962393/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9962393/ Says it doesn't seem to be toxic in low quantities, but should be investigated more. To me, that means "rather avoid if possible". -- European Food Safety Authority says roughly the same: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4593 https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4593

hnfong 3y ago

Mayo is mostly oil. Usually the cheapest oil the manufacturer can source. That oil is highly refined, which usually involves dissolving ground up seeds in some solvent like hexane, then some high heat process to extract and de-odor the oil. Given that seed oils usually comprises polyunsaturated oils which due to their multiple double bonds are more reactive, the chemical processes probably tend to create more undesirable by products. I mean, unless you prefer to drink the cheapest cooking oil you can find in your supermarket, you might want to avoid the mayo as well. (disclaimer: I occasionally drink EVOO directly)