- Where does most cream cheese come from?
- Is cream cheese nutritious?
- What are some favorite plant-based cream cheese and vegan cream cheese brands?
- What are some cream cheese substitutes and cream cheese alternatives?
- Is cream cheese acidic or alkaline?
- Is cream cheese gluten free?
- Is cream cheese a common food allergen?
- Is cream cheese low fodmap?
- Water footprint of cream cheese?
- Carbon footprint of cream cheese?
- Is cream cheese sustainable?
- Is cream cheese vegan?
- Does cream cheese have human rights issues?
What are cream cheese benefits and side effects? Is cream cheese acidic? Gluten free? Vegan? Low fodmap? Good for you? Healthy? Sustainable? Here are cream cheese pros and cons: all the info on cream cheese that every ethical consumer wants to know…
Food is something we consume every day and if you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on cream cheese benefits and side effects.
You are going to learn all about cream cheese side effects. This will include cream cheese benefits for your health and potential risks, cream cheese water footprint and cream cheese carbon footprint, cream cheese sustainability, if cream cheese is vegan or impact animals in other ways, and much more.
After learning if cream cheese is good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be prepared to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about cream cheese benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Cream Cheese Side Effects and Benefits
HEALTH
Cream cheese side effects may include:
- diarrhea
- nausea
- antibiotic resistance
- hormone ingestion
- high cholesterol
- weight gain
- bloating
- gas
- skin irritation
Additionally, cream cheese is…
- Acidic 4.0 pH level once digested
- Gluten Free
- Common Food Allergen: MILK
- High Fodmap
- Super Easy Vegan Cheese Cookbook: 70 Delicious Plant-Based Cheeses
- This Cheese is Nuts!: Delicious Vegan Cheese at Home
- Vegan Cheese: Simple, Delicious Plant-Based Recipes
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We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
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We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
ENVIRONMENT
Water footprint: moderate, 5,060 liters of water used to produce 1 kilogram of cheese / 606 gallons of water used to produce 1 pound of cheese
Carbon footprint: high, 13.5 CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of cheese, a car driving equivalent of 31 miles or 50 kilometers
Destruction: high, cream cheese production is relatively destructive, land usage for pasture, grain and forage, solid waste (excrement/manure) runoff into soil and freshwater, deforestation for feed crops, animal agriculture leading cause of: species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution and habitat destruction, responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction
Cream cheese is…
- Unsustainable
ANIMALS
Kills: male calves, in most cases and unless stated otherwise cheese production involves rennet, the dairy industry sells “unwanted” male calves to be slaughtered for veal, as pregnancy must occur for female cows to lactate and produce milk
Harms: cows, calves mother cow and calf distressed due to separation within 24 hours after birth, male calves slaughtered for veal, female calves fed artificially, locked in tiny cages, cows genetically modified to grow so obese that many become lame (unable to walk) shocked with electric prods, shackled with chains and dragged, beaten, prods poked up rectums, live last few months in crowded feedlots with hundreds or thousands of others, without pasture, often without shelter, must stand in mud, ice and their own waste, dairy cows eventually slaughtered for beef once milk production has ended
Indirectly kills or harms: wildlife habitat contamination (water and soil pollution), wildlife habitat destruction (deforestation/land clearing), wolves and coyotes killed to prevent predation on livestock
Cream cheese is…
- Not Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems
LABORERS
Health and safety: varies, overall, agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries, farmworkers may be subject to dehydration, heat stroke, unprotected exposure to harmful, toxic chemicals and pesticides, unsafe machinery and clean drinking water may not always accessible
Living conditions: varies, laborers are often exploited, they may face tough working conditions including long hours in the sun and heat performing physically exhausting tasks, labor laws and rights may or may not be in place, even if worker protection exists, employer violations may go unreported, refugees and migrant workers are especially vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment, fearing consequences of job loss or deportation
Wages: varies, generally farmworkers earn meager wages, there are many cases of underpaid agricultural workers, wage theft and no overtime payment or benefits
Cream cheese has…
- Laborer issues, human rights concerns
Where does most cream cheese come from?
The world’s top cream cheese exporting country is Germany, followed by France, New Zealand, USA, Austria, Ireland, Belgium, UK, Netherlands and Nicaragua.
In the United States Wisconsin has the most dairy plants (199 dairy product plants).
Other leading dairy processing states were New York with 123 plants and California with 114 plants.
Is cream cheese nutritious?
Cream cheese is high in vitamin A and riboflavin but is high in fat and cholesterol and often contains antibiotics and hormones such as rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) which is a genetically engineered synthetic hormone by Monsanto to increase milk production levels, resulting in cow mastitis infections, ultimately requiring more antibiotics.
What are some favorite plant-based cream cheese and vegan cream cheese brands?
Nuttin Ordinary, Kite Hill, Violife, Daiya are brands that all make delicious vegan, plant-based cream cheeses!
What are some cream cheese substitutes and cream cheese alternatives?
Use this Dairy Foods + Substitutes List to quickly see alternatives.
Is cream cheese acidic or alkaline?
Cream cheese is acidic.
What is the pH level of cream cheese?
Cream cheese has a 4.0 pH level, once digested. Dairy is an acidic food group.
When you eat food, it breaks down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are found in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
Is cream cheese gluten free?
Yes, cream cheese is typically gluten free. Cream cheese does not contain gluten.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include: recurring abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, constipation, tingling, numbness in hands and feet, chronic fatigue, joint pain, unexplained infertility and low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis).
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
Is cream cheese a common food allergen?
Yes, cream cheese is a common food allergen: milk. Many people experience allergic reactions to cream cheese.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods is often referred to as the Big-8 and includes milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
These foods account for about 90% of all food allergies in the United States.
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
Is cream cheese low fodmap?
No. Cream cheese is a high-FODMAP food so you should limit or eliminate it while on a low-FODMAP diet.
A low FODMAP diet may help those with bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).
It’s all about knowing your body. Observe what works and what doesn’t. You body might even react negatively to a low-FODMAP food simply due to intolerance. Everyone is different! Be mindful and patient. Take time to get to know what’s best for your physical health and overall wellbeing.
Water footprint of cream cheese?
Cream cheese has a moderate water footprint compared to other foods.
What is the water footprint of cream cheese?
It takes around 5,060 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of cheese / 606 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of cheese.
Did you know that water is a finite, non-renewable resource?
We must do what we can to conserve fresh water and a major way to reduce needless water consumption is to change the way we eat. That’s not to say we need to reduce our water intake….quite the opposite. It’s important for our health to drink lots of water and eat foods that hydrate. The kind of water conservation we’re talking about here is behind the scenes.
How much water does it take to produce an apple? A serving of rice? A steak dinner?
We need to be aware of something referred to as a “water footprint”. That is, the amount of fresh water utilized in the production or supply of goods we consume. As it turns out it takes significantly more water to yield foods that come from animals than foods that come from plants. Imagine how much water a cow needs to consume to generate a piece of beef. Not only how much water a single cow drinks, rather all the water that went into producing the crops that the cow ate.
Find out how much water your food consumes with this: Water Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
Carbon footprint of cream cheese?
Cream cheese has a high carbon footprint compared to other foods.
What is the carbon footprint of cream cheese?
It takes around 13.5 CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of cheese, a car driving equivalent of 31 miles or 50 kilometers.
Food not only has a water footprint but also a carbon footprint, known as CO2e, which stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. Since carbon measurements are a bit more difficult to comprehend, it is common to equate CO2e to the distance which a car drives in miles or kilometers.
When calculating product emissions, some factors that may be included are… farm equipment, animal feed production, hothouses (greenhouses), food processing, packaging, transport, refrigeration, freezing, package waste, and more.
There are a number of steps that can be taken to reduce energy output. According to Oxford Martin School researchers, if the world went vegan, eliminating animal-derived products, it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds and avoid climate damages of $1.5 trillion.
But that’s not all!
It’s best to keep the following in mind when grocery shopping:
- shopping locally reduces transportation emissions
- food without packaging reduces waste as well as the carbon footprint
- refrigerated and frozen foods increase carbon emissions
- seasonal foods reduce carbon emissions from hothouses (greenhouses)
- growing plant-based foods at home is the most environmentally sustainable method with zero carbon footprint
Find out how much carbon your food emits with this: Carbon Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
Is cream cheese sustainable?
Cream cheese production is relatively unsustainable.
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
A 2010 United Nations report said that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world the worst impacts of climate change.
Is cream cheese vegan?
No, cream cheese is not vegan. Cream cheese is dairy, the byproduct of a cow or goat, therefore making it an animal-derived food. A mother cow or mother goat’s milk must be used in order to produce cream cheese.
According to Sentient Media, “more than 200 million land animals are killed for food around the world every day. Including wild-caught and farmed fishes, we get a total closer to 3 billion animals killed daily.”
Animals of factory farms and the livestock industry are suffering. They live in horrific conditions that often include confinement, physical abuse and unnatural environments…so much so that they need to receive antibiotics to keep from getting ill or spreading disease. They’re also injected with growth hormones to become fatter faster and live short lives, being slaughtered as soon as they finish growing and are killed prematurely, well before their natural lifespan.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non Vegan Foods List
Does cream cheese have human rights issues?
Yes, there are reports of worker mistreatment and exploitation in dairy farming.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
Sadly, many labor concerns exist around the world in both developed and developing countries. We must be vigilant to ensure what we buy is not contributing to industries that are unfair to their valuable workers. Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even be subjected to harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment has been likened to modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
This post was all about cream cheese benefits and side effects.
Sources:
Cheese, cream – FoodData Central – USDA
Cream cheese – CFR – Code of Federal Regulations Title 21
21 CFR Part 133 — Cheeses and Related Cheese Products
