Is there such a thing as healthy mayonnaise? Suitable for low carb and keto diets? Yes.

Hunter & Gather was founded by British couple Amy and Jeff, who wanted to create healthy, nutritious products to the highest possible standard. Their products are built primarily around healthy fats such as avocado, coconut, ghee, tallow and butter from free-range cattle. Their product range is relatively small, but carefully refined. It includes coconut MCT oil, avocado oil, collagen from grass-fed cattle, food supplements for organ nutrition and, above all, their excellent avocado mayonnaises, which are the focus of this article.

WHAT MAKES HUNTER & GATHER MAYONNAISE DIFFERENT?

The first difference is, of course, the main ingredient – avocado oil. Conventional mayonnaise is usually made with sunflower or rapeseed oil. We will look shortly at what makes avocado oil so distinctive and why it may be better to avoid the other two. Alongside avocado oil, Hunter & Gather mayonnaise contains only a handful of quality ingredients, with no artificial preservatives, emulsifiers or thickeners. It is naturally free from sugar, gluten and lactose.

Conventional mayonnaise – including many products presented as healthier alternatives – often contains highly processed vegetable oils and powdered egg of unclear origin, together with various anti-caking additives such as silicon dioxide. Added sugars and ordinary spirit vinegar, which can act as an allergen, are also common. Most conventional mayonnaise also contains various additives and other unnecessary chemicals.

A perfectly minimal ingredient list for avocado mayonnaise

The classic mayonnaise from Hunter & Gather contains just 4 ingredients:

avocado oil – at least 8 ripe, hand-picked avocados are needed to make even the smallest jar of mayonnaise

pasteurised egg yolks – from free-range hens in the UK

filtered apple cider vinegar – gives the mayonnaise a pleasantly tangy flavour and is associated with a range of health benefits, including helping to reduce cholesterol levels, support digestion and the gut microbiome, among others.

pink Himalayan salt – contains 84 naturally occurring elements and minerals considered essential for the body. Unlike ordinary refined table salt, it helps the body maintain a healthy water balance without causing water retention or raising blood pressure.

The flavoured mayonnaises still contain only whole ingredients, such as garlic, chillies, lime or lemon. There are no artificial flavourings behind their taste. If you are vegan or avoid animal products for any reason, Hunter & Gather also offers an egg-free avocado mayonnaise.

Their distinctive character, strong nutritional profile and exceptional flavour are reflected not only in customer feedback and record sales, but also in the many awards these mayonnaises have received in food competitions, including GREAT TASTE awards in 2018 and 2019.

Why avoid mayonnaise made with rapeseed or sunflower oil?

In recent years, a growing number of theories have questioned the use of industrially processed oils in food production. Rapeseed and sunflower oils are among the most widely used. So why are these oils considered problematic?

• Highly processed seed and vegetable oils are often extracted using strong chemical solvents or hexane to obtain a higher oil yield. Some oils are also treated with deodorising chemicals or colourings, which may leave residues behind.

• Industrially processed oils contain an imbalanced ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 unsaturated fatty acids. They are high in omega 6, which over the long term is claimed to promote chronic inflammation in the body and may contribute to chronic disease. Conventional foods are full of industrially processed oils because they are inexpensive and therefore commonly used as cheap fillers.

• These oils also oxidise more quickly and are less stable, particularly when heated.

• Mayonnaise is usually made up of 50%, and sometimes as much as 80 %, oil, so the type and quality of oil are worth checking carefully. Using lower-quality oil can affect not only flavour and nutritional quality but also the number of additives required. When industrially processed oils are used, mayonnaise often also contains chemical preservatives to help slow oxidation and more sugar to mask the unpleasant flavour of lower-quality oil. 

Make sure you read the ingredients carefully even when a product is labelled as avocado oil or olive oil mayonnaise. Some less transparent manufacturers use these descriptions even when the declared oil makes up only a very small proportion of the product, with the remainder made up of cheaper rapeseed or sunflower oil.

6 reasons to use avocado oil – not just in mayonnaise

1. excellent for cooking – avocado oil is highly heat-stable and one of the better oils for high-temperature frying. It has a high smoke point of around 260 °C, which means it does not burn easily.

2. delicate buttery flavour – good-quality avocado oil has a deep emerald colour and a mild, buttery flavour. It does not have the bitter finish sometimes associated with olive oil. This makes it suitable for both sweet and savoury cooking. Its flavour is so reminiscent of butter that some vegan cooks use it in place of butter and milk in recipes.

3. high in vitamin E – acts as an antioxidant that helps slow processes that damage cells. It supports immunity and is essential for healthy-looking skin and normal vision.

4. contains monounsaturated fats – these fats are found particularly in avocado and certain types of nuts. They are associated with a range of health benefits, including helping to reduce the risk of heart disease, supporting weight loss, reducing the risk of some types of cancer and helping to reduce markers of inflammation in the body.

5. supports joint health – avocado contains oleic acid, the carotenoid lutein and vitamin E. These nutrients also have beneficial effects on the joints. According to the Arthritis Foundation, regular avocado consumption may significantly ease symptoms of osteoarthritis.

6. helps reduce high cholesterol – the balance of fatty acids and plant sterols in avocado oil helps increase HDL cholesterol while reducing LDL cholesterol.

We could say much more about the benefits of avocado oil. It probably deserves an article of its own, don't you think :)?