What are carbohydrates?
Let’s understand the carb in sour cream carbs.
‘’Carbohydrates’’ are organic compounds containing Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. The functional group present in carbohydrates are aldehyde, ketone, and hydroxyl groups. These are macronutrients found in living tissues and food in the form of sugars, cellulose, and starch—they break down in the body into glucose to give energy. Glucose is the primary source of energy. The body stores the extra glucose in muscle to use later.
Classification:
Carbohydrates are classified into three main types.
- The first one is sugars. These are the simplest form of carbohydrates that are added to food, like in desserts. These are also present in natural vegetables, fruits, etc.
- The second one is Starches which are a complex form of carbohydrates. These are found in cereals, pasta, bread, etc. The combination of simple sugars forms this form of carbohydrates.
- The third type of carbohydrates is Fibers which is also a complex form of carbohydrates. However, It is not easy for the body to break most of the fibers. These are very useful for the body. These carbohydrates help lower cholesterol, constipation, and problems related to the stomach and intestine, etc.
Foods containing carbohydrates:
Common foods containing carbohydrates are cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta, noodles, etc. Fruits containing carbohydrates are mangoes, barriers, oranges, bananas, melons, etc.
Sour cream carbs:
Sour cream also contains carbohydrates. But the quantity of carbohydrates is more diminutive than fats. Sour creams are prepared by fermenting the milk with certain bacteria. These bacteria increase the volume of cream and make it thick. These bacteria also make the cream acidic, which is a source of preserving it naturally. Bacterial culture could be natural or synthetic.
Sour cream carbs are prepared by adding lemon to cream or by adding vinegar. Sour cream carbs are made up of milk and other additives. These additives include starch, sodium phosphate, gum, sodium citrate, potassium sorbate, calcium citrate, etc. Milk is the main component of sour cream which is the primary source of protein. These proteins are whey proteins, casein, etc. In milk, casein is 80 percent, and whey protein is 20 percent.
Steps of manufacturing:
- In the first step of manufacturing, the quantity of fat is ensured, which should not be less than 18 percent.
- Then other additives are added. After those stabilizers are added, which could be gelatins or polysaccharides, these stabilizers smoothen the sour cream, which causes less water to leave behind. It plays a vital role in its preservation.
- The next step in the preparation of sour cream is acidification. It is done by the addition of citric acid or other suitable acids.
- Then it is homogenized at high temperature and high pressure. Homogenization makes the sour cream more uniform, and cream will not separate from the milk because of gaining the same consistency by homogenization.
- Then this process leads to pasteurization. After pasteurization, the cream is cooled down for inoculation. It is fermented by bacterial culture to produce sour cream, then packed in a container.
- The last step is sending it to market for sale. An expiration date is mentioned on sour cream, usually 7 to 10 days after opening.
Ingredients of sour cream:
Sour cream contains many nutrients, including fats, carbohydrates, proteins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, choline, etc.
- In a tablespoon which is about 30 gram, the total calories in sour creams are about 59.
The amount of carbohydrates is 1.3 grams in one tablespoon. These carbohydrates are significantly less than fats. Sour cream carbs contain about 5.8 grams of fats in a tablespoon. In 100 grams’ sour cream, the number of carbohydrates is 2.9 grams. Due to low carbs and high fats, sour cream cabs could be keto-friendly.
Intake of carbohydrates:
There is no specific amount of carbohydrates intake daily. It varies with age, sex, size, and health. It also depends on your need; either you want to take it for weight gain or weight loss. There is an estimation that people get their 40 to 45 percent calories from carbohydrates.
According to nutritional value, this amount is 275 grams in a day. Calories demand changes according to your health. Some people take a low carbohydrate diet, which is around 150g, and it is also safe for your health. It is essential to take the correct type of carbohydrates which is needed.
Types of sour cream carbs:
There are many types of sour cream carbs:
- Popular types of sour creams are ‘’sour cream’’ which contains 0.61 grams’ carbohydrates in a tablespoon.
- ”Reduced-fat sour cream” contains 1.12 grams of carbohydrates.
- ”Light sour cream” contains 1.14 grams of carbohydrates.
- Fat-free sour cream contains 2.50 grams of carbohydrates, and a half and half sour cream contain 0.64 grams of carbohydrates.
- Other types of sour creams are imitation-type sour cream which contains 0.95 grams of carbohydrates.
- ‘’Sour cream dip’’ contains 1.12 grams of carbohydrates.
- ‘’Reduced calorie sour cream dip’’ contains 1.17 grams.
- ‘’Creamy dressing made with sour cream’’ containing 0.70 grams.
- ‘’reduced-calorie creamy dressing sour cream’’ made with sour cream 1.05 grams’ carbohydrates.
- Besides this ‘’one packet sour cream sauce’’ and ‘’one tbsp. Sour cream spinach dip’’ are also available.
It is used in soups to make them thick. It is used as a condiment in foods; it is used in baking as in sour cream cakes. It is used in savory dishes. It is used in sandwiches in place of mayonnaise. It is used in salad as a creamy salad dressing. IT is used in ice creams and smoothies, for example, strawberry sour ice cream.
Advantages of sour cream:
Sour cream is not a rich source of calories in small amounts, but if taken in large amounts. It has many advantages.
It enhances the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamin A, K, D, and E. These vitamins are present in many vegetables and fruits. So for the absorption of these vitamins, a fat-rich diet is necessary as sour cream.
Sour creams are also a source of probiotics which are living microbes beneficial for health. These advantages Include digestion, the function of the immune system, etc. Sour cream is added to the keto diet due to low carbs.
Disadvantages of sour cream:
Some drawbacks are also associated with sour cream:
- The main side effect is that It is very high in saturated fats. Saturated fat contributes to half of the calories of sour cream. So, the Risk of Diseases associated with fats increases. For example, heart diseases and saturated fats should be replaced with unsaturated fat to overcome this problem.
- According to the research, American heart association, the daily intake of fats should not be more than 6% healthy. Most of the sour creams are made from cow milk, so it is not appropriate for all diets.
- Sour cream containing a high amount of fat can increase your weight, which is the primary concern of many people. But if it is taken in small amounts, it can help in weight loss. It is because fats present in sour cream make your stomach feel complete. That’s why you eat less food. It will lead to weight loss.
Precautions:
- Some people are allergic to creams. So, be careful about it before eating. Children are more allergic to dairy products than adults. Allergy can be due to milk because some people are allergic to milk. It can be due to lactose present in milk. People who cannot tolerate lactose cannot get energy from lactose because they don’t have enzyme lactase. Vegetarian people do not prefer milk products. Some people do not take milk products due to some health problems like problems associated with skin etc. People who are weight conscious do not take sour cream due to its high-fat contents.
- Moreover, many dairy products replace sour creams, including Greek yogurt, which contains low content of fats and a rich protein source. Buttermilk is used in place of sour cream in baking and dressings. Cottage cheese is also a rich source of protein and a small number of fats, etc. Coconut milk is a dairy product and can also be used in place of sour cream carbs. Coconut milk does not have lactose and can be used to make the best sour cream. Cashews are another alternative to sour cream, which is high in fats. There is some soy-containing sour cream available, which are very high in calories.
- There are some controversial opinions that dairy products are not natural to take. These are not necessary for health. But it is an exceptional case.
- The most critical carbohydrates in sour cream are lactose. Lactose is a combination of glucose and galactose. In our body, there is an enzyme called galactose responsible for the breakdown of lactose into glucose. Glucose is then used for energy. People who are intolerant to lactose are not able to break lactose due to deficiency of enzyme lactase. Almost 75 percent of people are not tolerant to lactose globally, including South America, Africa, and Asia. But it is less common in Australia, Europe, North America, etc. indication of lactose intolerance is when these people take dairy products, they feel nausea, diarrhea-type symptoms.
Conclusion:
Sour cream containing a moderate amount of carbohydrates is a healthy diet, which you can add to make it more delicious. But its quantity should be moderate as you can use it for topping etc. No doubt it contains many nutrients, but we cannot take all nutrients in a one-time meal.
Also Read: Cream Cheese Nutrition- Variants, Incredible Facts : Pros and Cons