Heavy Cream vs. 2% Milk- Am I doing something wrong?
 

Hi everyone.

I'm hoping to get some feedback. I have been using heavy whipping cream (Shamrock Farms brand) in many LC recipes as called for. However, when I do math, I'm a bit confused. I have always heard/read that heavy cream is the lowest in carbs vs., for instance, regular milks and the lower you go in fat content the higher you get in carbs.... but here is what I found cruching the numbers.

My heavy whipping cream is 1 carb per tablesppon, 16 T per cup= 16 carbs for one cup. Versus the 2% milk (also SF brand), which the label says 12 carbs per serving and the serving size is listed as 1 cup. That would make the milk lower in carbs. Is that right? Should I be looking for a different brand of cream? Or just use the milk unless a recipe needs the thickness the cream provides? In other words, is there a lower carb heavy cream out there that others are using and, if so, what brand(s)? Or I am going about this all the wrong way?

Thank you for your time.

Jill in Sunny Phoenix, AZ

Heavy cream
 

Hi Jill,

Check the label - some heavy creams have additives in them such as guar gum, sugar, etc. One of our local brands - Dairyland - has additives in it. Who knew? However, there are brands out there that are just heavy cream, which should have (according to fitday) 6.64 g carb per cup.

HTH,

Quote:

I have been using heavy whipping cream (Shamrock Farms brand) in many LC recipes as called for. However, when I do math, I'm a bit confused. I have always heard/read that heavy cream is the lowest in carbs vs., for instance, regular milks and the lower you go in fat content the higher you get in carbs

Hiya! TLawson is right, there should be only 6.4-6.6g carbs in 16 tablespoons/8 fluid ounces/1 Cup of heavy or whipping cream. There may be additives (always check the Ingredients List for additives like sugars, maltodextrin, glucose, whatever -- learn to recognize the sugars. Then again, US labels are allowed to "round" up or down the carbs, so that tablespoon serving MAY be 0.66g rounded to 1g or it MAY be the additives. You need to know about reading labels and using a good carb counter -- there are excellent paperbacks and the TIPS section on the menu bar above, and even an online carb counter available on the TOOLS section of the menu bar above.

Another thing you might want to consider... experienced low carbers make a mix of cream and water to subsitute for milk in recipes, they do not substitute 1 for 1 equivalent measures. For example, if 1 Cup of milk (12g carbs) is called for, 1/3 Cup cream (2.2g carbs) and 2/3 Cup water (0 carbs) is used in place of the milk, for a total carb value of -- ta da! -- 2.2g. Lots more useful recipes and subsitutions and other valuable cooking info is available in the LowCarb Kitchen forum.

--- finally, I'm going to send this thread on over to the Newbies' Questions forum, where you will find a ton of helpful information on your journey, I'm sure!

Hope this helps!

sig: Products Forum Moderator

I'm from your area, Vancouver, tlawson and islandgirl, and would like to know what brand of cream you buy, instead of Dairyland, and where you buy it from??? Thanks :)

Hi Nikkil,

I use Avalon brand - very good! It's a tad on the expensive side, but no additives. They also have organic or not in most of their dairy products. I get mine from a little market in N. Vancouver, but I believe you can get this brand at Safeway stores as well.

HTH,

I think the U.S. labeling laws break it down this way: If it's less than 1/2 g., it can be counted as zero. Between a full 1/2 g. and slightly less than 1 g., it will be stated as < 1 g. And so on.
Also, a lot of the recipes I've seen for 'making milk' by mixing cream and water usually also call for the addition of a little bit artificial sweetener, to replace the real sugar that is in the milk.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!

UH OH
 

I am using Dairyland cream and I thought the carb count was a little high. I better find a new brand ASAP!!!!

Great post, I may have never figured this out on my own.

Thank you
 

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I have searched just about every store in my area and can't find any heavy cream under 1 carb per Tablespoon. I am still going to look in the organic section at the speciality markets... but no luck otherwise. What I did discover on my "quest" was that the half and half I have been buying is 1 carb per 2 Tablespoons, which means it is only 8 per cup, which is the same as if I took 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and added 1/2 cup of water. And with the half and half, I am getting cream and milk, so it is probably thicker than adding the water to the heavy cream....

Again, thank you for your comments. And if anyone who lives in the Phoenix metro area stumbles across a brand of heavy cream with less carbs per cup than 16, please let me know.

Thanks! Jill in beautiful (75 degrees today!) Phoenix, AZ

This thread made me wonder (and worry)about the heavy cream I have been using.
The nutrition label says:
0g. total carbohydrates
0g. dietary fiber
0g. sugars
The ingredients listed are:
cream
carrageena
cellulose gum
gelatin
polysorbate 80
guar gum.
The brand name is Haggen (bought at Safeway). Is this an OK brand? :confused:

Trader Joes
 

Hi everyone.

FYI re: my initial question and subsequent search.

If anyone has Trader Joes in their area both their half-n-half and heavy cream are listed with 0 carbs. They really don't have any additives. So I thought I would share.

Have a great day.

Jill

Trader Joes half n' half
 

Funny you should mention Trader Joes. I've been on low carbs for a very long time... at least two whole days, ;) and one of the first things I did was go to T.J's and purchase everything I possibly could that was low carbs.

One of the things I got was their half n' half. And of course, fro Trader Joe's, that means it comes from cows that were never given hormones, which is very cool.

After reading this thread, I looked at the label more closely. The 0g of carbs is for only 2 tablespoons (30 ml).

Mixed with the wonderful protien powder I got from T.J.'s, I drink about a cup of half n' half and a cup of water. I'm not sure when it is that I will ever only drink 2 tablespoons.

On the bottom of the nutrition facts it says "calories per gram: Fat 9, Carbs 4, protein 4 ". What does that mean? Does that mean there are 4 carbs per gram? So, if there are about 229 grams per cup, that means I am drinking how many carbs?

Chris in Mesa, AZ

Jill in Sunny Phoenix, AZ
.....
I get mine at Trader Joes in Tucson

Re: Trader Joes half n' half
 

That's just general nutrition information that's included on many food products. It means that fat has 9 calories for each gram, carbs have 4 calories per gram and protein has 4 calories per gram.

I have since gone to Wild Oats and bought an organic brand called Horizon. Their heavy cream lists 0 carbs per serving (1 T). Now we know that probably doesn't necessarily mean 0, but according to FDA standards, it should mean anywhere from 0 to .49 per serving (e.g. at the most 7.84g per cup).

Plus one benefit of the Wild Oats (Horizon) cream over the Trader Joes is that the Horizon had a little bit further out expiration date, which is nice for me at least. I don't like having to run out every few days for groceries. It's kind of nice IMO to purchase LC stuff and have it last a few weeks in the fridge.

Have a nice weekend.

Jill (original poster) :wave: