Cream cheese; the name itself makes us drool. Fond of this smooth, consistent cheese? Well, who is not? We all love this form of cheese, be it a pastry, a cake, a roll, or just a tablespoon of it. This cheese goes best on bread, bagels, and crackers with its mild tangy taste.
Cream cheese is made from a blend of milk and cream where lactic acid bacteria is infused to add mildly acidic flavour. Additives like carrageenan and carob bean gum thicken the cheese, and a clotting enzyme is finally added to give it the desired firmness.
Contents
The nutritional content of an ounce of cream cheese
Over the counter, you can get double-cream, regular, flavoured, and whipped form. Generally, an ounce of cream cheese can offer you:
- Fat: 10 grams
- Calories: 99
- Carbs: 2 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Vitamin A: 10% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Fibre: 0 grams
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2): 5% of the DV
Let’s look at some incredible nutrition facts about cream cheese
- This soft, moist form of cheese is touted as a healthy alternative to butter. Cream cheese is a good substitute for butter due to its low calorie and low-fat content.
- After all, cream cheese is a dairy product and is free of gluten and thus acts as a good source of nutrition for those who are allergic to gluten.
- Cream cheese contains lactose making it an excellent dietary addition to lactose-intolerant. It offers you calcium which you otherwise might be missing out on because of intolerance towards milk.
- This thick, dense cheese contains vitamin B-12, an essential vitamin required for red blood cell generation and healthy bones.
- Cream cheese is an excellent source of vitamin A, an essential fat-soluble vitamin essential to prevent cancer, protect eyes and improve your immunity.
- Cream cheese contains protein of high quality. In a 100-gm serving of cream cheese, you get around 6-10 gm of protein. The protein content in this smooth cheese is rich in amino acids, which can help grow and develop your body.
- Cream cheese contains minimal carbohydrates and is an excellent addition to the platter for reducing weight and shun carbs. One serving of this form of cheese provides less than 1 gm of carbs and that too in the form of sugar. However, flavoured cream cheese will contain more amount of carbs.
- Cream cheese is high in fat, which is mainly saturated fat. In a single serving, you derive five gms of fat along with some polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat.
- Cream cheese is straightforward to digest since, during its coagulation process, all milk constituents like complex milk proteins, milk lipids, and lactose undergo biochemical transformation. The output becomes easily digestible, making it a health-benefiting product.
Some additional amazing facts
So, what type of cream cheese do you prefer?
- Love mayonnaise but apprehensive of its fat content? Don’t worry; cream cheese can act as a beautiful replacement for mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, cream, and butter.
- Do you want to make a pastry for your birthday but not gulp heavy sugared cream? Make a fresh cheesecake at home for this birthday.
- Enjoy your delicious pasta at home with fresh Cream cheese!
- Season your salad with a mix of cream cheese and yoghurt for lunch!
- Bake warm muffins, cupcakes, doughnuts, cookies, croissants, and croquettes with a soft filling of cream cheese.
- Serve your guests with chicken stuffed with cream cheese with a beautiful dip of cheese.
Summary
Based on your dietary requirements, you can opt for different variants of cream cheese like lite, total fat, flavoured, reduced fat. Over the shelves, you can choose between a bar, whipped, or tinned one. Always look for a smooth, fresh, and uniform cream cheese that is consistent in its look. Also, to ensure that it is freshly made, pick the one which is either white or very light in colour.
Knowing some amazing nutritional facts of cream cheese, you can now head to the store to get your portion of this genuinely delicious product. This is a highly perishable food item, and thus either buy in small batches or prepare only the amount you want to consume in a few days. Do remember to refrigerate it well!
