"No Mayo?" Why Americans Are Fat
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2 cents: When I lived in Argentina I unwittingly lost 10 lbs. eating fresh bread and other delicious things that seemed like they should be a bajillion calories each, like alfajores, empanadas, milanesas, dulce de leche, and ice cream. In my host mother's infinite wisdom she explained that it's because in the US we eat food with too many preservatives, therefore preserving the fat on our bodies. I don't put a lot of stock in this statement, but it is a fun little explanation. Yes, I'm overweight, because I chose to eat large portions of foods that contain too many preservatives.
When I was in Peru I lost 10 pounds in two weeks. Lots of chicken, fish, rice, vegetables. There's a lot to be said for eating natural foods versus a bunch of processed junk. Yes, there are singular exceptions to general statements---e.g. I can have this piece of junk in moderation--but when you look at the American diet as a whole, it's not a very good one. Michael Pollan makes this point lucidly in a number of books--Omivore's Dilemma, Food Rules, etc.0 -
It's the fact that beef is subsidized, as is wheat, and corn. Meanwhile only 2% of farms grow fruits and vegetables, because there are no subsidies, and it's ridiculously more expensive to farm fruit and vegetables than it is to farm corn, wheat, or beef.We are fat because a double cheeseburger is $0.99 and a smoothie is almost $8.00. Nine times out of ten the healthy option will cost more dough than junk food.
Or is it simple supply and demand? Americans choose to eat the double cheeseburger and turn their noses up at smoothies and "rabbit food" so the unhealthy food costs less and profit can still be made on volume.
Good point, I stand educated.0 -
i like mayo.... but i eat the kind made with olive oil and i measure how much, but only at home. if we eat out, i don't order mayo on my sandwiches either since i can't measure how much they're putting.
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Cutting CALORIES will result in weight loss. Cutting mayo will only result in weight loss if you don't add an equal amount of calories from another source. If you cut 100 calories of mayo, and replace it with 100 calories of fruit, you won't lose any weight, even though you cut out mayo.
Again, it's calories that matter, not individual food items.
True.
If you want to lose weight simply carve out a certain amount of calories in your diet and manage all of the impending cravings to make sure that you don't fall off the wagon.
If you want to be healthy, watch where your calories come from, eat whole foods and avoid hyper-processed items that have had their fiber and micro nutrients removed.0 -
Exactly what am I supposed to be surprised about in that post? Mayo is relatively high calorie? So is an avocado.
What are the micro nutrients and fiber found in 200 calories of mayo versus 200 calories from an avocado?0 -
I agree that portions in America are out of control. They are HUGE. I grew up in England and moved to America when I was 18. This was over ten years ago, so it could be different now but if you were to have a large mcdonalds fries in America it is huge compared to that I would have received in England. Now, I'm not saying that England is any healthier - I am just saying the proportion size is out of control.0
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Every country has SOME bad eating habits. Don't fool youself. Did you know that many Canadians' condiment of choice for french fries is GRAVY?! They serve that option in most restaurants there that offer french fries. I had never heard such a thing before we started vacationing there once a year (from childhood on.)
Mmm chips and gravy. Very British actually, (in Yorkshire especially) and very delicious. Thank the Canadians for introducing you to this treat! Like so many other things, it's fine, in moderation...0 -
It's the fact that beef is subsidized, as is wheat, and corn. Meanwhile only 2% of farms grow fruits and vegetables, because there are no subsidies, and it's ridiculously more expensive to farm fruit and vegetables than it is to farm corn, wheat, or beef.We are fat because a double cheeseburger is $0.99 and a smoothie is almost $8.00. Nine times out of ten the healthy option will cost more dough than junk food.
Or is it simple supply and demand? Americans choose to eat the double cheeseburger and turn their noses up at smoothies and "rabbit food" so the unhealthy food costs less and profit can still be made on volume.
Good point, I stand educated.
It's only since I joined this site that I have had any insight into the effect of subsidies on the average American diet (I'm a Brit, and I've had to do a lot of googling). I wouldn't claim to be any sort of expert - but it's bizarre to me that the majority of Americans on this site seem not have the faintest idea... Fat is a political issue, especially in the US.0 -
If you type "if you cut out mayonnaise will you loose weight?" on google every response says absolutely. Replace mayo for mustard. Mayo may have benefits as some of you people are saying, but in the long run, if you just dont eat it, it will make a small difference in weight loss.
I have mayo about once every two months, and a small portion of it. I have been on a plateau for a year. So if I just cut that little bit of mayo I eat out, then I'll break my plateau?
AWESOME!0 -
Why would you have cheese with mayo anyhow? You've already got creamy yumminess going on there. Any meat stuff, or especially tuna, I'd understand what mayo adds.
Anyway, a 30g serving of cheddar (which is very modest, most sandwiches would have far more) has 125 calories whereas a 15g tablespoonful of real, delicious mayo has 108 calories. Plus in most cases white bread has fewer calories per slice than wholemeal, if that's what floats your boat.
Losing weight is all about the calories, eating healthy is making good, balanced choices 80% of the time. And as far as I'm concerned, a little oil mixed with eggs is pretty darn healthy. Like an omelette in dressing form. Unlike these ingredients in low-fat mayo:
WATER, MODIFIED CORN STARCH*, SOYBEAN OIL, VINEGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP*, EGG WHITES, SALT, SUGAR, XANTHAM GUM*, LEMON AND LIME PEEL FIBERS*, COLORS ADDED*, LACTIC ACID*, (SODIUM BENZOATE*, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA) USED TO PROTECT QUALITY, PHOSPHORIC ACID*, NATURAL FLAVOURS.
*INGREDIENTS NOT IN MAYONNAISE.0 -
:huh: I love post topics with sweeping generalizations.0
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I like mayo, but I don't eat it in excess. I only use a little at a time. This comes across like you think we all eat a jar of mayo a week and I find this post to be somewhat condescending and rude for all us on this site trying to be healthier and change. In fact, it is insulting to classify us all as fat just because we do not eat like other countries. Portion sizes are TOO big in restaurants and many people do not make healthy choices because that's how they're used to eating. I guess I just don't understand why'd you'd post something like this on a fitness and health site where others are making an effort to better themselves.0
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Whenever I order a sandwich at a deli, I give the precise description of what I want: whole-wheat bread, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mustard. Nine times of 10, the counter person replies: "No Mayo?"
Nope, don't want the empty calories and fat that come with Mayo or white bread.
Mayo is not very flavorful in any case and white bread tastes no better than wheat.
Add up all those mayo and white bread calories, not to mention high-fructose corn syrup in sodas, the propensity of Americans to eat fast food or packaged food products, and a generally sedentary lifestyle, there's little wonder why Americans are so chunky. I recall several "aha" moments even in Italy where I saw thin people drinking wine, eating pasta. They tend to walk a lot more, eat fresher food, their pizzas are ultra-thin crust, and it's nearly impossible to find mayo, Cokes and fries. Dessert and snacks there are usually fruit, sometimes a small scoop of gelat, unless it's a special occassion.
I recall at my heaviest my meals consisted of McMuffins, burritos and chips, Domino's pizza. For what it's worth. One can make allot of progress just by eating more fresh stuff and cutting the junk.
I hate mayo, never have liked it and never eat it and I gained weight :P. But I agree with you, food is very accessible plus we don't need to put in the physical labor as we use to and its creating unhealthy environment for most people.0 -
i got fat even though i didnt really drink soda or eat white bread or eat mayo. maybe those are to blame for a lot of people, but not in my case i guess. i hate mayo. i only ate white bread if it was the only option. i had maybe one soda a month. i just had too much food in general.0
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i got fat even though i didnt really drink soda or eat white bread or eat mayo. maybe those are to blame for a lot of people, but not in my case i guess. i hate mayo. i only ate white bread if it was the only option. i had maybe one soda a month. i just had too much food in general.
My mother has always had the healthiest diet of anyone I know. She doesn't like pretty much any junk food and eats tons of fruits and veggies.
She just eats more than she needs to and doesn't exercise. She's been overweight most of her life.0 -
I try to replace the bad fats with good ones. For instance, when an Avocado is available, it makes a very yummy replacement for mayo and it's a good fat.0
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Mayo isn't too bad. But there are much healthier options of mayo out there. I get horseradish dijon stuff by mayo and it's only like 50 calories a tbsp or so.0
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Mayonnaise is the nastiest crap ever! I have always hated it. I can only eat it when it's chicken salad or potato salad ... isn't that weird?0
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If you were to hypothetically consume only mayonnaise and consumed over 6000 calories you wouldn't gain any fat at all. Mayo by itself doesnt make you fat carbohydrates do. Why? because of insulin. Mayo is pure fat and does not spike insulin at all. you are blaming something that does not make you fat carbs do. The problem with carbohydrates though is that they taste amazing.
This is 90s thinking. In the 80s it was, "Only fat makes you fat." If you only consumed mayo at 6k/day, you would not only be deprived of nutrients, you would be as big as a house. Both fat and carbs should be in your diet, just in small amounts.0 -
I like mayo, but I don't eat it in excess. I only use a little at a time. This comes across like you think we all eat a jar of mayo a week and I find this post to be somewhat condescending and rude for all us on this site trying to be healthier and change. In fact, it is insulting to classify us all as fat just because we do not eat like other countries. Portion sizes are TOO big in restaurants and many people do not make healthy choices because that's how they're used to eating. I guess I just don't understand why'd you'd post something like this on a fitness and health site where others are making an effort to better themselves.
I LOVE the portion sizes in American resturants. I don't have to make myself a lunch the next day and maybe the next 2 days. Just don't eat it all at once!!0 -
I used to go to subway and get tuna salad on white with extra mayo, now I can't stand the taste of full fat mayo, if I want mayo like to make tuna salad I have to use the lite fat free or whatever. Now when I go to subway I replace the mayo with mustard, and don't get tuna salad. It makes me gag, the amount of mayo they put on peoples subs :-|0
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I actually base my choices around being able to fit mayo calories in. I can't stand mustard, and don't like "dry" sandwiches. I also like mayo.
People seem to fall either into the "I love mayo" or "I hate mayo" camp with no in-betweens.
Ha!! Ya found one! I like mayo sometimes, on some things, but sometimes I get tired of it. Sometimes I even mix the mustard in with my mayo!
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\What is it about the American lifestyle and way of eating that make it No. 1 in obesity stats?
two words for ya: industrial revolution.
Uhh... Yeah, because the U.S. is the only country to have gone through an industrial revolution, huh? Besides, the obesity problem really came after the U.S. de-industrialized, not during its industrialization. I have no idea where you were going with that point.
pretty clear, isn't it? as the country became more industrialized -- meaning less physical labor required to complete jobs -- it also became more sedentary. and, obviously, the U.S. isn't the only industrialized nation. look at the most obese countries. they are those that are most reliant on technology. that's why there is an increase in obesity in the developing countries. they are now seeing the effects of an inactive lifestyle combined with calorie-dense diets.
the U.S. used to be something like 90 percent farmers. it's down to, what, 2 percent now? where did those 88 percent go? desk jobs. how do they get to those desk jobs? cars. what do they do when they get home from those desk jobs? watch TV.
(and those farmers and ranchers -- the group that used to be the majority -- they have to eat way more than any of us do in order to simply maintain weight. 3,000 calories plus a day. because they are actively burning that off. so the problem comes in when we all eat like we're still farmers or ranchers instead of sedentary office workers.)
the biggest reason for obesity isn't what people are eating. it is how little they are moving. we used to have to move in order to survive. that isn't the case now.
:huh: are you kidding? Where is the smiley banging its head into the wall when you need it? ... I actually stopped following the thread after that
......... Somebody missed a couple of history classes. People did not take on desk jobs during the IR in mass numbers. They went into factories (hard, dangerous, manual labor). Most of the population would have been small and malnourished because they didn't earn enough money to eat properly and worked long hours. Desk jobs did not start showing up in mass effect until way AFTER the IR. And that would also imply that the farmers did the labor themselves before the IR …. They didn’t because, you know, a little thing called slavery and indentured servants (who were not considered citizens and would not be called “Americans”). There were always fat people who had sedentary lifestyles because they could afford to have others do their work
I see where you are going with this but really just not quite right. Even IF this was right and desk jobs made Americans fat, what about all the other industrialized nations who progressed into the tertiary form of employment (desk jobs)? America is not the only country who has an office based style of work force.
Just soooooo much in this thread is just .... SMH0 -
I personally think the word "processed" is thrown around way too much. Processed simply means prepared. The chicken you're eating...do you actually feed, kill, clean, and cut the chicken yourself? Probably not, therefore it is processed. Same thing with just about everything you eat. Just because something is "processed" does not make it void of nutrition.
I don't think anyone would argue that a chicken is "processed" because they haven't hunted it themselves, but essentially other than being cleaned and gutted it hasn't essentially been meddled with. Nothing added and nothing taken away. That is not processed in my eyes.
Unlike low quality sausages that contain only 40% meat with the rest being grissle and god knows what else.
Cleaning and gutting an animal *IS* actually a process.
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I try to replace the bad fats with good ones. For instance, when an Avocado is available, it makes a very yummy replacement for mayo and it's a good fat.
Most mayo is a good fat, too. It's usually made with a healthy oil rich in omega-3s.0 -
What are the micronutrients and fiber found in 200 calories of grass fed beef compared to an avocado? Why are you comparing 2 completely different types of food? How much fiber do eggs have? You're obsessed with fiber. Fiber is only one of many nutrients, and not all healthy foods are supposed to have fiber in it. You're not making any sense.Exactly what am I supposed to be surprised about in that post? Mayo is relatively high calorie? So is an avocado.
What are the micro nutrients and fiber found in 200 calories of mayo versus 200 calories from an avocado?0 -
What are the micronutrients and fiber found in 200 calories of grass fed beef compared to an avocado? Why are you comparing 2 completely different types of food? How much fiber do eggs have? You're obsessed with fiber. Fiber is only one of many nutrients, and not all healthy foods are supposed to have fiber in it. You're not making any sense.Exactly what am I supposed to be surprised about in that post? Mayo is relatively high calorie? So is an avocado.
What are the micro nutrients and fiber found in 200 calories of mayo versus 200 calories from an avocado?
I'm asking because you immediately threw them together as a refute. Why would you make that initial comparison?
I also 'micro nutrients and fiber' but thanks.
Are you even following this thread?0 -
Some of you are taking what im saying too literally. Im just trying to say, since we are all trying to loose weight, i thought it would be wise to say... if you make a 200 calorie sandwich and you put 50 calories of mayo on it, mayo isnt really a food that fills you up. You could have some kind of fruit or veggie that is 50 calories instead of the mayo and it will fill you up because it is food. That way you you can eat more of something that keeps you full. Yes there are low calorie mayo's etc, but i was responding to the MAIN ASKER of this post...at a deli, there usually isnt a low calorie mayo, they just slab it on. So no, i dont think getting mayo at a deli is a good choice just because you dont know what kind or how many calories, etc. THAT IS ALL. If you cut mayo from DELI sandwiches, its a good choice because of the fact that you dont really know how much it is. Sure you can say lite mayo or ask for only a little bit, thats fine. Obviously mayo can be high in calories "like an avocado". Just saying, i would rather have an avocado than mayo. I found this article that explains what im trying to say. You can have mayo, but if you dont eat it, it may have slight affects on your weight loss goal, JUST LIKE IF YOU CUT OUT ANY FOOD, FATTY OR NOT. Way to serious on here, stop thinking people are attacking what your saying or eating and blowing what i say out of proportion.
While you may have heard that not all fats are bad for you, there are particular ones that are. Mayonnaise is bad for you if you consume too much of the high fat kind.
Many of the ingredients found in mayonnaise are not necessarily bad for you, like eggs, water, lemon juice and even salt. However, when you pile it on sandwiches or dips, mayonnaise can increase your cholesterol and add excessive calories to an otherwise healthy meal.
Mayonnaise is typically made of egg yolks. The eggs act as an emulsifier that binds the ingredients together. There are a variety of other ingredients contained in store-bought mayonnaise that allows it to sit safely on the shelves for months. In fact, most mayonnaises found in the grocery store have a shelf life of up to six months. Not all of the ingredients are healthy or natural, which is why many doctors and heart specialists indicate that mayonnaise is bad for you.
Mayonnaise is high in fat and cholesterol. A healthy diet should not consist of large supplies of any foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol, otherwise your heart and waistline suffer. If mayonnaise is not something you want to get rid of, look for healthy alternatives, such as mayonnaise made with olive oil or lighter variations of the condiment.
So yes, there are good mayo options, so no not all mayo is bad. But to the original poster, i wouldnt get mayo at a deli just because i wouldnt feel in control of the portion or type of mayo. THATS ALL. 0 -
I was speaking from a calorie perspective, not from a nutrient perspective. A food being high calorie doesn't automatically make it bad, hence using an example of a high calorie fruit.
What are the micronutrients and fiber found in 200 calories of grass fed beef compared to an avocado? Why are you comparing 2 completely different types of food? How much fiber do eggs have? You're obsessed with fiber. Fiber is only one of many nutrients, and not all healthy foods are supposed to have fiber in it. You're not making any sense.Exactly what am I supposed to be surprised about in that post? Mayo is relatively high calorie? So is an avocado.
What are the micro nutrients and fiber found in 200 calories of mayo versus 200 calories from an avocado?
I'm asking because you immediately threw them together as a refute. Why would you make that initial comparison?
I also 'micro nutrients and fiber' but thanks.
Are you even following this thread?
If I'm going to compare foods based on micronutrients and fiber, I would be comparing fruits and vegetables with other fruits and vegetables, or grains with other grains. Comparing a fat with a fruit and asking about fiber is silly. Olive oil has much less sugar in it than an apple, so which is healthier? It's an irrelevant comparison.0 -
I was speaking from a calorie perspective, not from a nutrient perspective. A food being high calorie doesn't automatically make it bad, hence using an example of a high calorie fruit.
If I'm going to compare foods based on micronutrients and fiber, I would be comparing fruits and vegetables with other fruits and vegetables, or grains with other grains. Comparing a fat with a fruit and asking about fiber is silly. Olive oil has much less sugar in it than an apple, so which is healthier? It's an irrelevant comparison.
You simply made the comparison and nutrients are an integral part of food choices. Look, you made a bad comparison in an attempt to sound dismissive and glib, we all do it, best just to own up to it.
I asked you for a more complete comparison and you lost it with a rant about meat and eggs etc.
Its why the whole 'calorie deficit trumps all' argument is a bad one, is shamefully incomplete.
Yes, you can go into a calorie deficit parsing in any foods that you want, a pop-tart here some french fries there, but you will likely sacrifice nutrition.
Hence why mayo shouldn't be arbitrarily compared with avocado.0
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