Is Whipped Cream Bad For You?
Short answer
While enjoying whipped cream as a tasty topping for fruit or ice cream every now and then is probably fine, eating too much of the sweet treat too often is bad for you.
Harmful to your health. Very few, if any, benefits are present. Things in this category should be avoided as much as possible.
View Full Grading System
Category 'A'
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Side effects are rare. Things rated an 'A+' are typically necessary for survival (for example, water).
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. A few harmful qualities may be associated, but only under certain circumstances such as an allergic reaction.
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Harmful qualities may be associated, but aren't usually serious.
It is important to note that even the best things in life can become bad in immoderate amounts. So, although something may be rated an 'A+', overconsumption/overdoing can bring unwanted effects.
Category 'B'
Very beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B+' may have a few harmful qualities to pay attention to.
Overall beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B' may have some harmful qualities to pay attention to.
More beneficial to your health than not. However, harmful qualities are most likely associated and shouldn't be overlooked.
The main difference between category 'A' and category 'B' is the harmful qualities typically present in 'B' items. Serious side effects are usually uncommon, but are still possible and should be taken note of.
Category 'C'
Both beneficial and harmful qualities associated. Things rated a 'C+' are typically a bit more on the beneficial side. Still, moderation is important.
A fairly even ratio of beneficial and harmful qualities. Moderation is important. Very general topics that can lean towards both sides of the spectrum will be placed here as well. Rice, for example, can be good or bad depending on the type.
More harmful than beneficial. Side effects are common, especially when consumed/done excessively. Moderation is very important.
Category 'C' usually denotes to both good and bad qualities. When it comes to this category, it is important to keep this word in mind: moderation.
Category 'D'
Harmful to your health. Although benefits may be associated, the bad most likely outweighs the good. Moderation is very important.
Harmful to your health. A few benefits may be associated, but the bad outweighs the good. Moderation is extremely important.
Harmful to your health. Very few, if any, benefits are present. Things in this category should be avoided as much as possible.
Category 'D' is typically for things that are more harmful than beneficial. While consuming/doing something unhealthy once in a blue moon shouldn't hurt, we definitely recommend eliminating 'D' items as a regular part of your routine/diet.
Category 'F'
Category 'F' is for things that fail to bring anything beneficial to the table, and are very harmful to your health. We recommend completely avoiding anything in this category. Long-term side effects of 'F' items are usually very serious.
Category 'N'
'N' stands for neutral. Things placed into this category are generally (a) neither good nor bad for you, or (b) lack the necessary evidence to reach any conclusions.
Long answer
Whipped cream is pretty much exactly as its name suggests—you take a heavy cream and then “whip it” with a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy. It’s also sometimes flavored with sugar and vanilla.
Once whipped cream is made, it’s generally never consumed all on its own. Rather, it’s used as popular topping for fruit, ice cream, cakes, hot chocolate and specialty coffee drinks. Whipped cream is also used as a primary ingredient in several desserts, for example as a filling for layer cakes.
Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned foods are very good for you. They might be delicious—but the bulk of them contain tons of sugar, artificial colors and flavors along with tons of excess calories for very little nutritional value.
Adding whipped cream to the mix does not help. Since whipped cream is made primarily from cream, it’s not good for you. Homemade whipped cream contains around eight calories per tablespoon, plus a gram of fat and nearly half a gram of sugar. Again, this is not terrible all on its own—but when it's used in conjunction with foods that are already heavily laden with excess sugar and calories, it just makes them worse.
Daily recommended calorie intakes vary by age, gender and lifestyle. However, on average, women need to eat approximately 2000 calories per day to maintain their current weight, while the average man needs to eat around 2500 calories. Repeatedly going over your daily recommended calories can lead to obesity, which has been associated with type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even certain types of cancer.
But while homemade whipped cream may not be the best choice... processed, pressurized whipped creams are even worse. Popular ready-made toppings Cool Whip and Reddi Whip may be more convenient than making your own whipped cream, but harmful additives make them even more unsafe.
A container of Cool Whip, for instance, lists high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils as its primary ingredients after water. High-fructose corn syrup can lead to more weight gain than plain old table syrup, reveals a recent Princeton University study. Hydrogenated oils are just as bad: the National Academy of Sciences states that there are no safe, acceptable levels of trans fats. These fats have been consistently linked to heart disease because they increase LDL (bad cholesterol) while lowering HDL (good cholesterol).
Our advice? If you have the willpower, skip whipped cream altogether. But if you do decide to treat yourself, opt for homemade whipped cream over dangerous, ready-made varieties.
Possible long-term side effects
- obesity
-
bodily inflammation
-
heart disease
-
certain types of cancer
Ingredients to be aware of
Benefits
- tastes good
-
versatile topping
Please turn your Ad Blocker off to see this content. Thank you!
Approved by 
