Mascarpone Cheese Nutrition
Mascarpone cheese's creamy texture is perfect for stuffed crepes, baked desserts and even pasta filling. Your palate may crave mascarpone cheese's rich flavor, although it isn't something you want to eat too often. Mascarpone is packed with an excessive amount of calories and bad fats, a dangerous combination for maintaining your waistline and managing your heart health.
A dessert layered with mascarpone cheese, a slice of kiwi, raspberry sauce and a dot of chocolate. (Image: Mizina/iStock/Getty Images)Calorie Counts
Just 2 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese contain 120 total calories. You'll get a few calories from protein and minimal calories from the trace amount of carbohydrates. Thus, almost all the calories in mascarpone are from fat. About 90 percent of the calories, or nearly 110 of them, come from fat.
Saturated Fat
Two-thirds of the fat in mascarpone is saturated. When you have a lot of it in your diet, saturated fat elevates your blood cholesterol, leads to atherosclerosis and increases your odds of having heart disease later in life. Because saturated fat can be so dangerous, ensure that less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake comes from saturated fat, as stated in the publication, "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010." That's a maximum of 200 calories from saturated fat -- 22 grams -- based on 2,000 calories each day. Two tablespoons of mascarpone cheese have 8 grams, or more than 35 percent of your daily allowance for 2,000 calories.
Dietary Cholesterol
Mascarpone is full of dietary cholesterol, as well. You do need some cholesterol for hormone and cell functions, although your body makes everything you need. The cholesterol you consume from food is extra. When combined with lots of saturated fat, dietary cholesterol has an even greater chance of elevating your low-density lipoprotein levels, further damaging your heart and arteries. Limit yourself to 300 milligrams of cholesterol daily. That 2-tablespoon portion of mascarpone cheese contains 40 milligrams, which is more than 13 percent of your daily allotment.
Other Nutrition Details
Because cream, a dairy product, is a staple ingredient in mascarpone, you will get some calcium. Two tablespoons give you around 4 percent of your calcium requirement for the day. You'll also get about 8 percent of your vitamin A requirement. Vitamin A is responsible for eye health, and protects you from cataracts. Last, you'll get a moderate dose of sodium from mascarpone, which is roughly 10 milligrams from 2 tablespoons. Having a little sodium is necessary, since it conducts electricity for heart and muscle processes. Keep your intake to less than 2,300 milligrams a day. Too much can spike your blood pressure.
