Heavy Cream Nutrition: Good or Bad for Your Health
Healthful Vitality | 01/13/2023 | Heavy Cream Nutrition: Good or Bad for Your Health
No one has not consumed heavy cream. It is a magical product. You can whip it, and it becomes tighter or more solid to hold peaks on your favorite dish. We discuss heavy cream nutrition in this article and whether heavy cream nutrition is good or bad for your health.
What is heavy cream?
Heavy cream is a popular dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk. Actually, it is a natural cream high in fat.
It can be used for icing a cake, as a topping, or consumed with strawberries. Also, you can add it to soup or a sauce and give it a delicate flavor. Most people have a way of consuming heavy cream. So, even though it’s packed with fats, it undoubtedly makes our food delicious.
According to the FDA, heavy cream is a cream that contains not less than 36 % milk fat. It can be pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized, as well as it can be homogenized. Usually, grocery stores sell heavy cream that is 36 % fat, but restaurants get cream with a higher fat content (40 %).
Heavy cream and whipping cream. Is there a difference?
Sometimes people confuse two products – heavy cream and whipping cream. Is there a difference?
They are more or less the same as both products are made by mixing with milk fat. But the only difference is in fat content. Whipping cream has a slightly lower milk fat content. It varies between 30 % and 36 %. The FDA titles it as light whipping cream. It suits best as a topping or filling for many dishes like fruit salad, chocolate mousse, or banana split.
Some people add half and a half to coffee or use it to make ice cream. Is it the same as heavy cream? Actually not. Half and half is a mixture of equal parts of whole milk and cream. So, the percentage of fat in half and half is between 10 % and 18 %. Half and half cannot substitute heavy cream or whipping cream when you are cooking. It cannot be used for topping as it does not have enough fat to whip and construct hills. But cooks know the product as a good ingredient for strawberry cobbler, classic casserole, custard, and mashed potatoes.
Heavy cream nutrition facts
Indeed, heavy cream is an energy-packed food item. It is one-third made of fats. It means that 100 g of this product contains about 30-40% of fats. That is a massive amount. And, yes, it provides a huge number of calories since one gram of fats contains twice more calories as carbs or proteins or 9 kcal per gram.
Quite simply, one tablespoon, a more likely portion, contains approximately 50 calories. A cup of heavy cream may weigh about 250-300 g and contain a whooping 800-1000 calories. Yes, that is a lot.
As a milk product, it contains some sodium, sugars, proteins, calcium, phosphorus, choline, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, potassium, and a good amount of vitamins A, D, and C. Also, it has some folate, vitamin E, K, B1, riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), B6, and B12.
Despite the fact that heavy cream provides a low or relatively moderate amount of vitamins and minerals, it is an excellent source of retinol or vitamin A due to its excellent bioavailability.
Even in tiny amounts, all these minerals and vitamins play vital roles in your health. For example, vitamin A is necessary for your immunity and regaining energy, and calcium and phosphorus are essential for healthy bones.
At the same time, most fats in heavy cream are saturated fats (more than 70%), and the rest are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. In addition, some findings show that saturated fats, the main component of heavy cream, do not badly affect your heart health as was previously believed.
Therefore, considering the number of calories heavy cream contains, it is not among the healthiest food sources of these vitamins and minerals.
Health effects of heavy cream nutrition
One just needs to know that heavy cream contains massive amounts of fats and, thus, calories. However, this does not mean it cannot be consumed with an appetite.
Dietary recommendations say that one should not get more than 10% of calories from saturated fats. It means that heavy cream must be consumed sparingly or in smaller amounts. Else, one would be consuming too much saturated fat.
Of course, if a person is not obese, or has a balanced diet, enjoying real heavy cream now and then is good. Moreover, it is better than ultra-processed foods or trans-fats. Additionally, it has some vitamins and minerals.
It means that only a tiny amount of heavy cream may considerably contribute to daily calorie intake. You should have no more than 20 g of saturated fat in your daily 2000-calorie diet.
Therefore, it may be suitable for those on a keto diet, a diet in which one avoids carbs and try to live on a high-fat diet. Heavy cream is a keto-diet-safe food product. However, remember that one would only benefit from a keto diet by keeping total calorie intake in check. It means that even when on a keto diet, one should consume heavy cream sparingly.
The usage of heavy cream improves overall health. Fats and minerals help maintain the skin, hair, and nails if you add them to your diet. Some cosmetologists suggest applying heavy cream on the face or body. It moisturizes your skin, brightens it, improves skin tone, and increases elasticity. In addition, heavy cream is a good home option to treat sunburn. It especially helps as heavy cream is stored in the fridge and provides a pleasant cooling effect for your affected skin.
Heavy cream and body weight
Of course, heavy creams are good for weight gain. Additionally, it is highly satiating, and one cannot eat it in large amounts, which is good. However, unlike common belief, people are not much likely to gain body weight by eating heavy cream in small amounts now and then because its satiating effect may help maintain body weight in most instances.
There could be many reasons for weight gain. Many are living with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, recovering from ailments, or bulking for other reasons.
Typically, people who are trying to gain weight should add about 500 calories to their daily diet. Adding just one cup of heavy cream to the meals could result in weight gain.
Of course, this method seems very simple – just take more heavy cream. But 1 cup of this product is a giant calorie bomb, and it is better to consult a doctor beforehand to prevent things from going wrong.
According to recent findings, adding calories through liquids may be easier than solid food. So, if you want to gain weight, it is better to drink high-calorie liquids. They don’t significantly affect appetite hormones, and you will be able to consume them before feeling too full. Try to drink such liquids between meals for increased effect.
One can make gaining weight tasty. For example, try banana and strawberry weight gainer shake. Bananas are rich in healthy carbs. When they are combined with high-calorie foods like heavy cream, they help gain bulk by increasing the calorie intake. The shake can be served for breakfast with buttered toast or as an evening snack.
Are you thinking of losing weight on a keto diet?
Heavy cream is often associated with weight loss as well due to a keto diet. People who follow this diet consume a lot of fat but take carbohydrates in very small quantities. If you are thinking of losing weight on a keto diet, simple combining coffee and heavy cream may help. All you need to do is just to add two teaspoons of heavy cream to your coffee. Never put sugar as it brings you unnecessary carbs. If you cannot bear the black coffee taste, the cream will help you to benefit from this fat-burning drink.
Make other keto diet dishes with heavy creams, like egg and cheese casserole or low-carb cinnamon muffins for breakfast, Italian sausage soup for lunch, and creamy mushroom chicken for dinner.
To make proper cream for baking or cooking at home, take one cup of heavy cream from a grocery store, add ¼ cup of melted butter, and ¾ cup of milk. Whisk this slowly. Mix heavy cream with granulated or powdered sugar if you need firm peaks on your waffles or pavlova. Let your mixer run at the lowest setting until the cream thickens. Then you may slowly increase the speed to medium. Whip until it turns stiff.
Heavy cream and heart health
Cardiovascular diseases remain a major cause of death in the world. And diet plays a very important role, especially for those people who struggle to prevent heart health disorders.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition investigated the relationship between dairy fat intake and the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The findings showed that fatty dairy products, including heavy creams, do not worsen heart health.
Heavy cream is not an optimal type of fat on your plate but replacing other types of animal fat, such as red meat, slightly decreases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
You can enjoy moderate amounts of heavy cream. Feel free to add some to your fruit salad or strawberry dessert.
The following numbers will help you to balance your diet. Thus, the American Heart Association recommends that people with heart problems consume only 5 % of total calories as saturated fat. In addition, people without cardiovascular disorders should take no more than 10 % of calories from saturated fat.
Fat diary, including heavy cream, has been recently associated with high cholesterol levels affecting heart health. However, today we can talk about the benefits of full-fat dairy consumption for the maintenance of heart health. This idea is based on the higher bioavailability of diary fat and its anti-inflammatory properties.
In general, milk has a neutral effect on cardiovascular outcomes, but fermented dairy products, such as yogurt, cheese, and a moderate amount of heavy cream, may have a positive or neutral effect.
Heavy cream vs. cream replacement
Also, heavy cream appears to be healthier than cream replacements such as coffee creamers and whipped toppings. These ready-to-consume products contain low-cost ingredients that we rarely use in our kitchen and have longer shelf life due to preservatives and additives, including high-fructose corn syrup, unesterified oils, flavors and flavor enhancers, colors, emulsifiers, sweeteners, thickeners.
In addition, due to its low-carb content, heavy cream can be taken by people with diabetes.
Since heavy cream contains a large amount of fat, obese people must avoid it. Instead, they must use heavy cream substitutes that are lighter and low in calories.
Heavy cream: some nutrition problems
Many people do not take dairy products because of nutrition problems or allergies. It is estimated that 65 % of people may not be able to tolerate milk-related products, including heavy cream.
People with an allergy to dairy products should not consume heavy cream. It may cause allergic reactions like vomiting or other digestive problems. In rare cases, it may lead to wheezing, itching, swelling of the lips and tongue, coughing, or even shortness of breath.
Lactose intolerance is one more problem connected with dairy products. It is a common digestive disorder when the body cannot digest lactose, a type of sugar found in milk and milk-related products. If you have lactose intolerance, you should avoid heavy cream as you may suffer from bloating, abdominal pain, gas, and diarrhea.
Heavy cream storage
Besides, heavy cream is known for its reasonably long shelf life. But, of course, one should store the product in a refrigerator, or it will spoil.
Anyway, the cream is well preserved for a week or even longer in a cold place if stored properly. And obviously, it’s a very good idea to have some at hand as the cream performs well in many dishes.
Follow easy tips to store your food safely. First, place your heavy cream on the lower shelf toward the back of the fridge. Also, avoiding storing the product in the fridge door is recommended as the temperature fluctuates there more.
If the cream spoils, it has an unpleasant sour smell. Sometimes it changes its texture and gets lumpy. If this happens, the product becomes unfit for consumption. To sum up, heavy cream is a natural food product containing massive amounts of saturated fats and some micronutrients like calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin A. Since it has many calories, consume it sparingly.
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