"No Mayo?" Why Americans Are Fat

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.)

Yes, preferably with cheese curds. You sound so surprised!

gravy is nothing without cheese curds. NOTHING!

and besides, americans like ketchup with their fries. like, WTF is that? an abomination i tell you¡

I love how mayonnaise is the example of foods that are bad and make Americans unhealthy. Mayonnaise, a sauce invented in Spain about 300 years ago. A sauce that's used constantly in classical French cuisine. A sauce that's served in Europe with French fries and eggs. A sauce that's the most common sauce in Russia. It's used in Japan on pizza, with seafood, and as a replacement for butter when pan frying.

No one food is unhealthy on it's own.

I think there are two dieting myths out there:

(1) All calories are created equal, so it doesn't matter if it's white bread or wheat, or a piece of fish vs. a Big Mac, or a banana vs. a piece of chocolate cake, so long as you consume under your BMR...

a calorie is a unit of energy. 1 from an apple = 1 from a snickers. saying it isn't is a bit like saying all inches aren't created equal.

Definitely true. However...

TDEE=DIT+EAT+NEAT+EPOC+BMR

right?

and

TDEE-calories consumed=calorie deficit/surplus

But, while one calorie of protein adds 1 to the calories consumed just like 1 calorie of dextrose, DIT is increased more when you eat that calorie of lean protein than when you eat that calorie of dextrose.

Therefore, TDEE-calories consumed is smaller when you eat protein than when you eat the same number of calories in dextrose.

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.

Kinda preaching to the Choir eh?

I love mayo and include it on everything.
Fabulous condiment. :drinker:
Lost 78 lbs and reached all my weight goals.

So, why are Americans fat?
Not mayo
You could be eating tofu wrapped in seaweed dipped in celery juice and still get fat.
It's not so much WHAT we eat but how we eat.
2 words: gluttony - laziness
This is why people get fat.

AGREED!

Also Agree!

My story on Mayo was not intended to be singling out Mayo as the singular culprit in American obesity, but rather to illustrate the poor food choices available to Americans when eating out. Like I said, it's hard to find Mayo and french fries and corn-syrup based sodas in countries that are statistically healthier.

You go out to eat here in the USA: The portions are larger than in most countries, they are generally made with ingredients that are less healthy than elsewhere (food is more processed in the USA), and then: When you ask for them to make something in a way that is more nutritious or lower in calories, it's a big surprise. So that's what the "No Mayo?" story was supposed to illustrate. The system here--poor nutritional choices, sedentary lifestyles--influences obesity.

Gosh, that sure started everyone off on a rant. And of course, I can't help but add my two sense, about whole foods, and about mayo.... :-/

Your point about eating healthy, whole, fresh foods is great. For a lot of people making that switch is HUGE, both in difficulty and in impact. I do find it kind of frustrating for myself how emphasized that is on MFP though. I made it to 240 lbs eating freaking delicious whole foods. I know good food, in taste and in nutrition, but I still didn't know how to eat. Or, really, how much to eat or how to balance my meals.

And on to mayo...I LOVE it, but I know that it's empty calories. Like most of my vices (mostly cheese) I like to treat them with moderation and have made a deal with myself. I can have mayonnaise, but only if I'm willing to make it myself. And I am! But my laziness wins often enough that I have it infrequently. When I do, it's out of this world delicious. Homemade mayonnaise is just about the best thing ever.

I love mayo and include it on everything.
Fabulous condiment. :drinker:
Lost 78 lbs and reached all my weight goals.

So, why are Americans fat?
Not mayo
You could be eating tofu wrapped in seaweed dipped in celery juice and still get fat.
It's not so much WHAT we eat but how we eat.
2 words: gluttony - laziness
This is why people get fat.

AGREED!

Did you drink Cokes, fries, pies, and a bunch of other junk too? If so, hat's off--again, the mayo story is not about may in particular but about poor food choices in the USA + sedentary lifestyle. Here are the stats.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity

The question it raises is: What is it about the American lifestyle and way of eating that make it No. 1 in obesity stats?

Simple, we eat too many calories, and don't move nearly enough. It's not the types of foods, it's the portion size that is the problem.

And for people asking about a good tasting mayo, homemade = the best. Whisk an egg yolk with some vinegar, then stream in the oil of your choice. Play with the vinegars and oils, and add a pinch of different spices, a touch of salt, and you have mayo. Play around with it and make your own flavored mayo. It's literally takes less than 5 minutes to make.

Hmm, I've never seen a difference between the calories in whole wheat bread and white bread. A quick comparasion on here of the same brand shows no difference.

For me, a good mayo adds flavor. I love mayo. i would rather forego cheese over mayo. I guess it boils down to your taste.

I dont really do soda.

PS - not American.

There is a huge difference with white bread and whole wheat.. Yes, calorie wise and such, they are similar, but mfp will not tell you whats good for you and whats not. White bread is produced from refined white flour. It starts as the whole wheat grain, then goes through the refining process which removes traces of the husk, bran, everything. Then, it is BLEACHED with a chemical bleaching agent that contains chlorine . Once it is bleached, gluten, salt & sugar is added depending on the stage of it rising. There is no benefit from eating white bread. Some health issues: It contains carbs which causes rapid release of the bodys own sugar regulating hormone and insulin. This hormone is secreted in the pancreas and is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. Insulin is what people suffering with type 1 diabetes have to inject to regulate their blood sugar levels because their body does not produce sufficient naturally. Type II diabetes is a rapidly spreading disease brought on by too frequent imbalances in blood sugar levels causing insulin production to become overworked, which eventually leads to the problem and all others the negative health aspects. Other things, it stores fat, bad for digestion (which can lead to crohns, IBS, cancer of the colon , the list goes on! I dont want to bore you any longer, but i strongly suggest you look up certain foods you eat.

Why did we have to derail what is otherwise a harmless thread of a guy sharing an anecdotal story?