With the hullabaloo around mayonnaise, it’s time to make your own healthy table spreads at home
In most urban households, the typical table spreads for bread, toast and sandwiches comprise butter, mayonnaise, margarine, cheese, ketchup and jam. Though these spreads are flavour-enhancing and readily available in markets or can be prepared at home, they also come with certain health challenges.
Following a series of food poisoning cases, the Tamil Nadu government imposed a one-year ban from April on mayonnaise made from raw eggs. Prior to that the Telangana government has also temporarily banned manufacture, storage and sale of mayonnaise citing public health concerns. However, the ban is not applicable to mayonnaise made from pasteurized eggs or vegetarian alternatives. The other common spreads such as cheese, butter and jam are not suitable for heart patients, obese people and also diabetics.
Safe Bites
Speaking about the risks from common table spreads, Dr B Haritha Shyam, chief clinical dietician, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, avers, “The main source of infection in mayonnaise, those made with raw eggs, comes from bacteria like salmonella and E.coli. The bacteria can cause food poisoning leading to gastrointestinal problems, which may even require hospitalisation in severe cases. Moreover, mayonnaise containing raw ingredients like eggs need to be maintained consistently in low temperatures throughout the supply chain — from manufacturing to sale and consumption to prevent spoilage and contamination. But this cold chain aspect for food products is sometimes overlooked in India.”
“Also, daily or regular use of butter, cheese, readymade jam etc are not healthy for people having certain health issues such as obesity, high cholesterol, cardiac problems and diabetes as most of these are high in saturated fats while jam has high sugar content,” she adds.
Homemade Alternatives
Dr Haritha also suggested healthy homemade alternative ingredients to use on sandwiches and toasts such as vegetable-based pesto (sort of chutneys) made of various leaves and herbs, hummus spread (chickpea as the main ingredient), cottage-cheese or paneer blended with capsicum and cashew, salt and pepper, which tastes somewhat like mayonnaise. “For those who want a sweet spread, instead of jam, they can use a mix of almond butter and dates. However, one should avoid almond butter and peanut butter if they are allergic to nuts,” cautions the dietician.
Creamy Avocado Spread
Preparation Time: 15 minutes / Serves:4
Ingredients
Two ripe, large avocados.
• Home-prepared hung curd — 4 tablespoon
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil — 2 tbsp
• Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed — 2 tbsp
• Garlic Cloves — 2
• Black Pepper Powder — 1/4th teaspoon
• Salt-1/4th tsp. to taste
Method
1. Cut the avocados into half.
2. Remove the pit and scoop the flesh.
3. Transfer the fleshy part along with the ingredients mentioned above into a food processor.
4. Blend it until it is smooth.
5. If not consumed immediately,
transfer into an airtight glass jar.
6. Refrigerate and consume within four days.
Cottage Cheese (Paneer) and Dill Herbs Spread
Preparation Time: 30 mins / Serves: 4
Ingredients
• Cottage Cheese, home-prepared and moisture removed — 200 g
• Garlic cloves, minced —
