Junk is still Junk
By: Shauna 8H
Less calorie product is better than original right?
If you have mayo and for instance, you turn into a diet option, is it still junk just with fewer calories or is it very different and is a healthier option? Let's find out!
Most of us including myself thought that if it says less calories, reduced fat etc. means that it is healthier choice, a better option in other words. That statement is true for the most part perhaps, but not always. Although it could have fewer calories than its original it could be packed lots of sugar. In the end, we are supposed to consume a limited amount of calories, so to me, eating something that has 10 calories more is better than something that has less calories but, is for instance, spiking with sugar.
Miracle Whip, Regular and Calorie-Wise
Miracle Whip is a dressing that is factory-made by Kraft Foods and sold all over the United States and Canada. Miracle whip is known for their mayonnaise. Earlier they just had regular mayo but nowadays people are more sensitive about their weight, so if people were on diet and stayed away from junky foods like mayonnaise they would decide to take a dietary option of mayo which, they called it a calorie-wise mayo. People presumed that if it has less calories it has to be healthier which to me could be true or a misconception
Let's Find Out! which is more nutritional?
The regular mayo claims that it has 40 calories per tbsp. while the calorie-wise mayo has only 30 calories per tbsp., which to me is not a drastic difference. Junk is still junk anyways both the mayo options are still unhealthy since only a tbsp. is packed with 30 or 40 calories. Yikes! The regular mayo has 5% of fat or 3.5 g to be exact while the other mayo has 3% or 2.0g of fat that are the bad fats. This is not so bad for the regular mayo because the substantial amount of fat intake is in-between 5% to 10% as it is in the range but for the Calorie-Wise mayo it is a different story, it is lower than the expected amount of the daily intake of mayo in your daily diet. Moreover, with the good fats like the saturated, the regular mayo has 3%, which is not bad on the other hand, for the light mayo it has 2%. Furthermore, for both of the mayo’s they have 2% in cholesterol, have 0% for fibre, and have 0.1 g of protein. However, they both do not have vitamin A and C, calcium and iron. Somethings that struck me was that for the regular mayo is had 115 mg of sodium/salt while the light mayo had 140 mg; this to me gives me mixed feelings whether the light mayo is better than the regular. Also the regular mayo has only 2g of carbohydrates and the Calorie-wise mayo has 3g, and lastly the regular mayo has 1g of sugar the Calorie-wise mayo has 2g of sugar.
Hmmm... Ingredients
Regular Mayo
water, soybean oil, sugar/glucose-fructose,vinegar,modified cornstarch, eggyolks,salt,mustard,spices,potassium sorbate, calcium disodium EDTA and dried garlic.
Not surprised that it is contained with corn:)
Calorie-Wise Mayo
water, soybean oil, glucose-fructose, vinegar,sugar, modified cornstarch, salt, whole eggs, egg yolks, corn dextrin,mustard,micro-crystalline celluse, spices,potassium sorbate,xantum gum, sodium carboxymethyl celluse, calcium disodium EDTA and dried garlic.
Hmmmm, Interesting......
So which is better?
This was very interesting to see how different and alike the two products are to each other, they both had their pros and cons but I have come to a realisation that regular mayo in my perception is a better option than the Calorie-Wise mayo for many reasons. Although the Calorie-Wise mayo has 10 fewer calories than the regular mayo, it is packed with more sugar, sodium and carbohydrates. Moreover, in the ingredient side, both had corn-based ingredients in them but the Calorie-Wise mayo had much more corn-based ingredients and many ingredients that were hard to pronounce. As you can see both are the same type of food but one is the original product while the other is supposed to be a healthier option but in the eyes of anyone who pays attention to detail it seems to be the opposite. To answer the question to whether junk is still junk in this case for mayo I would say yes. I knew this would be the outcome but not many people know that and we need to inform them because then they would still be purchasing dietary products but not realizing that the original product is better. In the end if a product says calorie-wise, reduced fat, light etc. make sure you read the ingredients and nutrition value because the outcome could be different from what you thought. Remember labels changes the way you see a product, don’t be fooled by the label even if it is true, it could have its cons.