This mustard confusion comes up from time to time, and since I'd hate to see
someone give up mustard for fear of damaging their lowfat diet, I'll attempt to
set the record straight.
Mustard, at roughly 47% CFF *appears* to be relatively high fat. (Remember it
is made from seeds, and all seeds contain fat.)
HOWEVER, mustard's total calories are very low, and it is consumed in very
small quantities. Let's say a serving size is 1 TABLEspoon (which is more than
most people consume at one time). That 1 tablespoon contains all of 11
calories, and .7 grams of fat. OK, so about half of the calories are from fat,
but with numbers this small, mustard isn't likely to contribute much fat to
one's overall diet.
Also don't forget that mustard is rarely consumed by itself. Let's say you were
to add 1 entire CUPful of mustard to the Spicy Potato Chunks recipe, and you
were to reduce the potatoes from 8 to 3 -- you'd still be under the recommended
10% CFF!
I can't imagine a single recipe or situation in which mustard would be a
significant contributor of fat. (Well, OK, IF you regularly sat down and ate
nothing but a cup of mustard, I'd be concerned about you... but for more
reasons than just your diet... :-) ).
Even sodium (at 63 mg a teaspoon) isn't too much of a concern because mustard
is normally consumed in small quantities. And switch to a stronger flavored
mustard if a teaspoon or two isn't proving to be enough for you.
The mayonnaise and mustard blends ("Dijonnaise") are a totally different story.
Beware of these!
--
Ellen C.
ellen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------