Is there anyone who believes mayo doesn’t make a sandwich better? Who doesn’t like a tuna and mayo or an egg and mayo sandwich? And talk about a diverse condiment; if you haven’t tried it, chips or fries dipped in mayo are fantastic. Oh, and let’s not forget how spectacular potato salad, burgers, and grilled chicken sandwiches are when using mayo. However, as good as it tastes, most commercial varieties of mayonnaise are extremely unhealthy. Homemade mayonnaise is so much more flavorful and healthy than its proinflammatory, faux food, commercial relative that it amazes me that people still buy the store-bought garbage.
Mayonnaise is one of the easiest condiments to make, and the beauty is that you control the ingredients and the taste. Moreover, many articles will tell you homemade mayonnaise will last two weeks in the refrigerator.
Let’s look at the popular Helman’s REAL Mayonnaise ingredients list:
Soy oil, water, whole eggs, egg yolks, distilled vinegar, salt
lemon juice concentrate, calcium disodium EDTA (Used to protect quality), natural flavors
So, the first ingredient is this so-called REAL mayonnaise is soy oil one of the worst foods one can consume. Soy isoflavones, contained in soy oil, are phyto-endocrine disrupters. Consumed on a regular basis they can prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating small amounts of soy per day can result in hypothyroidism causing symptoms of fatigue, depression, constipation, and weight gain. To make matters worse, most soybeans grown in the US are genetically modified to allow the use large amounts of herbicides (glyphosate). And this is just a sample of the deleterious effects of soy.
Now let’s look at the ingredients for homemade mayonnaise.
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice (you can add more)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Sherpa Pink Himalayan Salt
1 ½ cups oil (coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil)
The eggs should be from true cage-free chickens that are foraging for insects, worms, seeds, and grubs. The oil should be extra virgin.
INSTRUCTIONS
In a mixing bowl add all ingredients including a ¼ cup of oil
Turn your blender on low for two minutes.
Turn the blender off and scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Then, turn the blender on and very slowly add the remainder of the oil.
Blend until the consistency of mayonnaise, which could take several minutes.
Refrigerate in glass or stainless steel. NO plastic.
For the basics on the different types of fats and oils and why to use some and not others go here Weston Price Foundation.
Although olive oil tastes great when used in other recipes, I am not a big fan of it when making mayonnaise because the flavor is a little too strong. I do use coconut oil, but cut it with avocado oil. When using coconut oil, you must melt it before adding it to the other ingredients. I recommend using a quarter to a third cup of coconut oil; it will firm up in the fridge and give it a little more body. I also love using fresh garlic, chipotle, Sriracha, or curry powder, which all add a great variety of flavors.
Michael Furci is a Family Nurse Practitioner at Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center. To schedule a free consultation or make an appointment call (440)239-3438.