Because cream cheese is a dairy product, a high percentage of its calories come from milk fats. Though cream cheese is fairly high in fats and calories, however, it also contains vitamins and minerals. Check the calorie calculator for cream cheese to determine its calories and nutritional value.
Types of Cream Cheese
When you go shopping for cream cheese you will find yourself faced with a choice of not only different brands, but also different types of cream cheese. The regular variety of cream cheese has about 50 calories per tablespoon with 45 of those calories coming from fat – the rest from protein and carbohydrate. Whipped cream cheese, however, has only 35 calories per tablespoon – 30 of those calories come from fat and the rest from protein and carbs. You also have the option of buying fat-free or reduced-fat cream cheese.
High Fat Content
The fat content of cream cheese varies greatly from one type to another. As you’ve already learned, whipped cream cheese has less fat per tablespoon than regular cream cheese and reduced-fat and fat-free version less fat still. It is important to realize that much of the fat content of cream cheese is saturated fat – the type that can elevate blood cholesterol levels and increase your risk for heart disease. Thus, if you eat cream cheese on a regular basis, you may want to consider switching to a low-fat variety.
Though cream cheese is high in saturated fat, it does provide valuable vitamins and minerals in addition to small amounts of protein and carbohydrates. Check the calorie counter for cream cheese to determine its calories and nutritional value.
Vitamins and Minerals
Because cream cheese is a dairy product made from milk, it contains some of the vitamin and mineral content you would expect from milk. For example, a 100-gram serving of regular cream cheese contains almost 100 mg of calcium. Other nutrients found in cream cheese include vitamin B12, phosphorus, selenium and riboflavin.
Increased Risk for Heart Disease
As you already know, consuming large amounts of saturated fat can have a negative impact on your body and may increase your risk for heart disease. Eating too much saturated fat can increase your blood cholesterol levels and may lead to plaque build-up in your arteries that can affect overall heart health. For these reasons it is recommended that you enjoy cream cheese in moderation.
