Is Cream Cheese Good For You?
According to Codex Alimentarius, cream cheese is a soft, spreadable, unripe and crust-free cheese. The texture is spreadable and smooth to slightly flaky and without holes, and the cheese spreads and mixes easily with other foods. However, it is not part of the healthiest diets due to its high fat content. But is cream cheese good for you?
In fact, fat in milk may have some under-communicated benefits that we will talk about later. Cream cheese and its types, such as whipped, flavored and more, are also used to add a unique flavor to many sweet and savory dishes.
Many people eat this food because of its taste, versatility and texture. But do you know what each serving contains? Do you know how it is made? Continue reading this article to find the answers to these questions and more.
How cream cheese is made
As published in the Journal of Dairy Science, the raw material for making this food is cream or a mixture of cream and milk. The cream is pasteurized and transformed into very small drops of fat. Lactic acid bacteria are then added. Producers then ferment the cheese and make it more acidic.
After that, they add salt and certain additives such as gelatin, starch and other thickeners and emulsifiers, approved by Codex Alimentarius . Finally, they add a coagulant. The magazine Foods says that this is an enzyme of vegetable or animal origin that breaks down milk protein to coagulate it.
Once solid, manufacturers mix everything before packing cold or hot. According to Codex Alimentarius , it contains 25 grams per 100 grams of milk fat in dry matter and 67% water. Other fat values vary according to the recipe.
Is cream cheese nutritious?
According to FoodData Central in the US Department of Agriculture and PAHO / WHO, 100 grams of cream cheese contains the following macro- and micronutrients:
- Water: 54%
- Fat: 32%
- Saturated fat: 21.43%
- Protein: 7.1%
- Carbohydrates: 7.14%
- Calories: 321 calories
- Vitamin A: 300 micrograms retinol
- Riboflavin: 0.20 milligrams
- Calcium: 71 milligrams
- Phosphorus: 104 milligrams
This dairy product contains a lot of fat, of which 67% is saturated. It contains less protein, calcium and phosphorus than other cheeses. It is rich in vitamin A.
Light cream cheese contains 67% water, 7.8% protein, 8% carbohydrates and 15% fat. It contains less vitamin A values than traditional cream cheese, at 160 micrograms.
In addition, it contains 9% saturated fat and 148 milligrams of calcium. Cream cheese contains 40% fewer calories than standard cheese.
Fatty acids
A good portion of the fatty acids in whipped cream are very small, which favors their intestinal absorption. Professor Gaspar Ros comments that they can be used as fast energy sources.
One of them is butyric acid, which according to the journal Hospital Nutrition is beneficial for the colon cells and improves intestinal health.
Types of protein
Cream contains casein and whey protein. A group of experts agreed that these have a high biological value since they contain many essential amino acids, such as lysine.
However, the protein content is not enough to be recommended in diets high in protein.
Carbohydrates
The lactic acid bacteria added during production break down most of the carbohydrates in this product. According to the journal Agricultural Matters, these microorganisms convert lactose into lactic acid, which conditions the gut to prevent the growth of disease-causing bacteria.
Vitamins
The main vitamin in cream cheese is vitamin A. This is important for vision development, bone growth and the immune system.
One serving provides 84 micrograms of retinol, which represents 10% of the recommended amount, according to ALAN magazine.
Minerals
As in other cheeses , calcium and phosphorus are the most common minerals. However, they are found in smaller amounts, as they contain less protein. A serving of 30 grams a day covers barely 2% of the recommended calcium intake.
Calories
Traditional cream cheese has many calories. Spreading 30 grams on a slice of bread or a biscuit represents a calorie intake of 90 calories.
Thus, you need to be careful with the energy intake of this product in your diet.
How to use cream cheese in the kitchen
The texture and taste of cream cheese are the biggest culinary strengths of this delicious dairy product. You can use it to make both sweet and savory dishes.
The most common way to use it is to spread it on biscuits, toast and slices of bread, as an ingredient in fillings, baked potatoes or sandwiches.
You can also make some delicious creamy dressings and serve them with pasta, fish, chicken or vegetables. If you combine it with spices, the taste will be explosive.
In baking, it is perfect for fillings and icing, for example for carrot cake. Ice creams also use cream cheese as a base combined with various fruits. Brownies and cheesecakes taste great when cooked with this product.
As Brighenti and other researchers point out, the properties of cream cheese make it an ideal product for improving texture. Adding two tablespoons of puff pastry and focaccia makes them softer and richer.
You can dare to experiment in the kitchen with this food. For example, a fruit or vegetable smoothie with cream cheese will make it more creamy. Just let your imagination run wild!
What’s good about cream cheese
In addition to the nutritional content, this product has some benefits that we will discuss below.
Cream cheese can be a potential probiotic
According to the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO), probiotics are microorganisms that can improve intestinal health and improve the immune system.
According to the Journal of Biological and Health Sciences , this cheese is fermented with specific Lactobacillus that may have a probiotic function and be considered safe. Some studies show the results of using Lactobacillus casei as a probiotic in this product to make it of optimal quality.
Cream cheese contains little lactose
Many people do not tolerate lactose in milk, as they lack the enzyme that breaks it down in the intestine. This causes bloating, gas and diarrhea. Nevertheless, the journal Nutrients emphasizes that some intolerant people can only tolerate 12 grams of lactose a day.
30 grams of cream cheese contains up to two grams of lactose. As long as those suffering from lactose intolerance use it in moderation, it should not give them any problems.
However, there are still no studies on the effect of this type of patient.
Cream cheese is rich in antioxidants, which is good for you
Astiasarán and Martínez stated in their book that the fat in milk contains carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Young and Loug comment on its antioxidant activity, as they block the effect of free radicals and their possible cell damage. Some carotenes have a direct effect on eye health.
Reasons why cream cheese is not good for you
Does this food have any contraindications? Yes, including the following:
This is a low protein dairy product
A normal portion of this cheese contains only two grams of protein. Thus, unlike other cheeses, such as goat cheese or cheddar, which contain seven grams per serving, it is not recommended for diets high in protein.
Saturated fat in cream cheese is not good for you
Cream cheese is rich in saturated fat. A 30 gram serving covers 30% of the recommended amount of saturated fat for a 2000 calorie intake.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing saturated fat to less than 10% of total energy intake to prevent chronic diseases.
Cream cheese is a high-calorie food
This food is very high in calories, which means that it is not included in diets. If you follow one, you should avoid dishes where it is the main ingredient. Experts recommend replacing it with light or low-fat cream cheese.
It has a very short shelf life
Despite the fact that cream cheese is pasteurized and destroys pathogenic microorganisms, Choi and other authors state that the high water content can increase the risk of contamination and shorten its shelf life.
According to some evidence, it has a shelf life of two weeks and must be kept refrigerated when opened.
Is cream cheese good for you?
The culinary properties and use of this food that evokes flavors in different dishes is undeniable. But is cream cheese nutritious?
In moderation, it is a good low lactose source for energy and vitamin A. You can replace traditional cream cheese that is high in saturated fat and calories with other light versions to make it part of a healthy diet.
Although the addition of probiotic bacteria in it may also make it more competitive in the market for health-promoting dairy products, experts still need to conduct more studies in this regard.
