"No Mayo?" Why Americans Are Fat

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.

My smoothies are not $8. I make them at home. And even the ones I buy out are not $8.

It doesn't matter, though. In all honesty, most smoothies you buy at a smoothie place have more calories than the double cheeseburger.

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.

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.

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 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.

To mayo or not to mayo? Is this really the question?

While I agree that way too many people don't put a lot of thought into what they are eating, I don't think any one food is the culprit. It's the portion sizes. A tablespoon of mayo in tuna salad won't kill your diet - it's the gigantic sub filled with tuna salad that can feed three people that will.

Europeans, including Italians, eat a lot of high fat foods. In fact, they dip their french fries in mayo (which is delicious, BTW). The difference is that they don't eat as much of it, they take time out of their day to savor a meal and they walk everywhere.

The portion control has been a FAR, FAR, FAR bigger struggle for me than simply eating healthier foods. I'm sitting here literally starving, and more or less have felt hungry to some degree or another since 2010. It hasn't gotten better for me.

That is awfully insightful for 1 month and only 5 lbs lost. Just sayin'.

^^ And that is sarcasm if you don't get it.

I like mayo!! And that's all I really wanted to say

+1

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. But why waste calories on a little mayo when you could have a fruit cup and feel better about your self. Personally, when i eat heavy foods i feel like i had a bad day. Whatever works for you, works for you. Im just saying, for me, id rather not feel like im eating pure lard when i could eat fresh fruit and feel better about my weight loss.

But why waste calories on a little mayo when you could have a fruit cup and feel better about your self.

well, if you like a little mayo, it isn't a waste. and there's no reason you should feel badly about yourself when it comes to eating various foods.

JUST PUTTING THIS OUT THERE. If you do your research, you would be surprised. Just like this statement says, there are other options. Not all mayo is completely bad, make your own, fat free or sugar free...it just depends.

Mayonnaise can contain many calories, much more than other condiments, because it is high in sugar and fat. Mayonnaise is one of those ingredients you should leave off of your sandwich if you are trying to cut back on your calorie intake and lose weight.

In one tablespoon of mayonnaise there can be as much as 75 calories. Most people do not use only one tablespoon of mayonnaise on their sandwich, but rather use two or three tablespoons. This is also true of salads and pastas. Many recipes call for one cup of mayonnaise, or as much as six tablespoons in a macaroni salad. This means that you may consume an additional 200 calories just in mayonnaise alone.

Real mayonnaise found on the grocery store shelves offers nearly 100 calories per serving size of one tablespoon. If you use mayonnaise on a sandwich, you may consume 200-300 calories if you use a lot of the creamy condiment. Mayonnaise is considered to be one of the highest calorie condiments because of its oil and fat ingredients. Mustard is a much better choice when it comes to reducing calories in sandwich spreads.

Sugar free and fat free alternatives are available among mayonnaise varieties. It is important to read the labels on the back of the jar if you are trying to reduce your calorie content. Cutting serving sizes can also help.

Exactly what am I supposed to be surprised about in that post? Mayo is relatively high calorie? So is an avocado.

I generally don't listen to "most people." I listen to actual science.

And portion control is a whole different argument than "mayo is bad." Eating too much of anything is bad.

Really...Just go eat what you want. These forums are for opinions, not arguments. If you miss the point, you miss the point thats fine. Good luck, that's all.

I ask for extra mayo when I order at the deli. I like mayo. How often do I order at the deli...not often enough to care, but what I can't stand is a dry sandwich. And mustard is not an appropriate taste substitute for someone who likes the taste of mayo. There are worse things in life.

The mayo I use at home has 40 cals per Tbsp, 4g fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol and a negligible amount of sugar (<1%). And 1 Tbsp is plenty for me when I'm making a sandwich.

I'm a southern girl and I'm insulted if someone puts mustard in my potato salad instead of mayo.

Twinkies, cupcakes, Krispy Kreme, too much eating out to excess and lack of exercise and sleep are why I'm fat. Not mayo.