So it probably seems fairly random to have a blog article about mayonnaise on our site, however, being in third trimester of baby # 2 I have found that I am obsessed with having mayonnaise on my sandwiches. Normally I HATE mayonnaise and even if I didn’t hate it, I would probably avoid it because of the perception that I have that it is chocked with fat and zero nutrition. However, one day my BK Veggie at Burger King came with mayonnaise rather than without as requested and since that time I can’t have it without the mayonnaise. With that in mind, I set out to determine if there were any redeeming qualities of mayonnaise that I could point to as justification for growing my unborn child on the stuff.
So first—the PROS! When I started looking online, I was actually really surprised about the differing opinions of mayonnaise. According to the Association for Dressings and Sauces (yes, this is actually a legit Association—www.dressing-sauces.org) “Mayonnaise and creamy salad dressings may protect postmenopausal women against strokes, according to research published in the August 2000 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.” Further, “A 1996 study published by The New England Journal of Medicine found a significant reduction in risk of heart disease among women who ate the most vitamin E-rich foods, such as mayonnaise and creamy salad dressings.”
However, it appears that this association may be self-serving. Web MD says “While many foods — such as walnuts, flaxseed oil, and some mayonnaise brands — claim the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, Somer cautions that only the DHA or EPA forms of omega-3 can be directly used by the body.” That means, mayonnaise fat not necessarily the best for you.
According to a diet and health blog (http://dietandhealthblog.net/diet-and-health/mayonnaise-good-or-bad), mayonnaise is a great source of vitamin E, but then goes on to say that the drawbacks of mayonnaise include:
- High in fat and calories
- May trigger an allergic reaction in people sensitive to eggs and molds
- May contain gluten, which should be avoided by those with celiac disease
- Raw eggs used in mayonnaise may pose a risk of samonella
- Anyone allergic to eggs should avoid mayonnaise all together
And there was more, but I just couldn’t read any more.
So why is the moral of this tale of mayonnaise? Well, there are lots of things that are not so great for you—for the last four weeks of this pregnancy, however, I am going to keep the mayonnaise on my sandwichJ
