Diet Food Reviews
Hellmann's Low Fat Mayonnaise Dressing
With mayonnaise being made primarily from egg yolks and oil, it's not surprising that even light mayos still have a considerable amount of fat and calories per tablespoon. Because of this, and because I've never really been a big fan, preferring instead to just stick to Miracle Whip Light. However, with myriads of recipes calling for mayo, I thought finding a decent one that wouldn't derail my diet would be worth the effort. Knowing that a fat-free version of mayo would be wrong on some very fundamental levels, I opted instead to try Hellman's Low Fat Mayonnaise.
I opened the green-lidded jar to be greeted with what looked like most other mayo I've tried. There was no odd wobbliness or shiny sheen - just that same creamy texture and slightly yellow color that makes mayo, well ... mayo. I spread a glob onto a slice of sandwich bread and took a bite. It's actually just as bland as any other mayo I've tried, too! There's a slight creaminess, a little bit of something lemony, and that's it. Perhaps I'm immune to mayo's "nuances", but I just wasn't impressed. Where this stuff did shine, however, was in salads. It makes a wonderful creamy base for coleslaw, chicken, tuna, and potato salads, as well as an excellent dip base. It broke when I tried to broil fish coated in it, but remained creamy for regular baking temperatures.
Each serving (1 tbsp) of Hellmann's Low Fat Mayonnaise Dressing provides 15 calories, 1 gram of fat, none of which is saturated, 130 mg sodium (5% of the daily value), and 2 grams of carbohydrates (no fiber or sugar). The ingredient list is a mixture of water, stabilizers, and HFCS, so you end up trading calories for unnatural gobbledygook (more details here).
A 24 ounce jar cost me $3.00, which lasted for quite a while. I had great results with this mayo, and would probably buy it again, though if I wanted to use it for a sandwich, where I'd be using limited amounts anyway, I'd probably stick with one of Hellmann's Light varieties.
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Is the olive oil mayonaise good for you?
It is a great product. I buy the whole fat one as it has fewer additives. Just use less!
I love the taste of real mayo so this is one issue where I will not switch to lower/reduced/light fat versions. If it doesn't taste like the real thing (and I don't mean a close approximation but the exact real mayo taste)I will not eat it. Better to just practice portion control and continue to enjoy the real deal.
I've never seen Hellman's Low Fat. Maybe I just didn't notice. Hubby hates Miracle Whip. He may lock me out the house if I buy it again...so I won't.