Symbol of French cuisine, crème fraîche is often debated. Too high in fat, it could promote cholesterol and poor cardiovascular health. But does it really deserve its bad reputation? What do the specialists say? Sophie Janvier, dietician-nutritionistgives us his answer.
“It is important to know that there are no good or bad foods: what matters is balance over the day, or even the week. In the case of crème fraîche, what will make the difference is the frequency of consumption”, begins the dietician-nutritionist straight away. Here’s why, according to her, crème fraîche should not be banned.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of crème fraîche?
Crème fraîche is a product rich in fat, so consume in moderation.Fresh creams with 30% fat are quite high in calories and are actually not the most favorable to our health since they are rich in saturated fatty acids.”, recognizes Sophie Janvier, while specifying that there are crème fraîches with 15% or 5% fat that you can choose as an alternative, “provided they do not contain problematic additives instead”.
But, crème fraîche also has nutritional benefits:
- it is a very little processed product, apart from so-called “low-fat” creams which sometimes contain carrageenans (used as thickeners and gelling agents by the food industry), emulsifiers or other ingredients which you should be wary of;
- it is rich in protein;
- it is a good source of calcium.
Crème fraîche: how much to consume?
It all depends on your diet, according to the specialist. “Eating 30g of crème fraîche is really no problem, she indicates. What matters is to avoid regularly consuming a lot of products rich in saturated fats (cheese, butter, Red meat…) So, yes to crème fraîche, but not necessarily every day and as part of a varied and balanced diet”she summarizes.
To avoid putting too large doses of cream in your dishes, the specialist recommends using liquid cream in a carton, which also has the advantage of keeping longer.
Good to know, cream is not necessarily the most interesting source of fat: as an alternative, the dietitian-nutritionist recommends alternating with virgin sauces rather than creamy sauces, based on olive oil or of rapeseed oil, which are more nutritionally interesting.
When should you avoid crème fraîche?
“The only real problem with crème fraîche is more for people lactose intolerantwho will have difficulty digesting it”, indicates Sophie Janvier.
In the case of cardiovascular pathology (cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, etc.), crème fraîche is also not the preferred fat. However, as part of a balanced and varied diet, the nutritionist does not recommend against fresh cream at all, as long as it makes you happy.
Thanks to Sophie Janvier, dietician-nutritionist in Paris and author of The gentle method to eat better (Leduc editions).