Gaining

Alternatives to heavy cream?

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7th_element   United Kingdom
Joined 5 years
I've not been able to find any long-life/UHT-treated heavy cream that's a reasonable price, but my current living situation makes it awkward to keep anything that requires refrigeration (e.g. standard heavy cream). If I could tolerate lactose better, I'd just buy long-life whole milk. I really want to focus on gaining more subcutaneous fat, so I'm wondering if there's anything more convenient that could fit the criteria.

I've done some searching for other sources of palmitic and stearic acids, and it seems that animal fats (such as lard and tallow) might be a reasonable alternative with similar effects to heavy cream, with the added bonus of a long shelf life when unrefrigerated. If this is the best alternative, does anyone have any advice on consuming lard? I've heard that it's not bad when used as a spread on bread or toast. Of course, I have the assumption that there may be an issue with cholesterol (or maybe effects from the other common fatty acids in lard), so any information in that respect is also appreciated.
3 years

Alternatives to heavy cream?

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7th_element   United Kingdom
Joined 5 years
becomingoverweight:
I know the linoleic acid content of lard can vary from place to place. For instance, it's higher in America due to them being fed lots of it in their diets and for some genetic reasons. It might be different in the UK though, IDK. Tallow is low in linoleic acid.

A plant source of stearic and palmitic acid is cocoa/cacao butter. It doesn't need to be refrigerated either. The stuff marketed as Cacao butter tends to taste more chocolatey.


Thanks for the tip, I'll look into it. I tried shea butter at one point believing it had similar effects, but I can't stand the taste of it
3 years

Alternatives to heavy cream?

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7th_element   United Kingdom
Joined 5 years
becomingoverweight:
... When I finally tasted it though, it tasted terrible. It was like some chemical unfit for consumption.


Couldn't have put it better myself, I even tried using really small quantities in cooking with lots of other flavours on top, but it just felt like I was eating a cheap scented candle.


I wonder if there's a genetic component to the perceived flavor like with cilantro.


I hadn't thought of that, I just assumed that "food grade" must have meant it was pure enough to eat in theory, but it wasn't guaranteed to taste at all palatable.
3 years

Alternatives to heavy cream?

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WorkingOnIt   Canada
Joined 3 years
Yeah Shea butter is not delicious at all, it tastes like skin lotion (surprise), I've found if you use it to make things you would usually use regular oil for, like stir frying, the taste becomes less noticeable.
3 years

Alternatives to heavy cream?

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7th_element   United Kingdom
Joined 5 years
workingOnIt:
I've found if you use it to make things you would usually use regular oil for, like stir frying, the taste becomes less noticeable.


By that point, though, I don't think I'd be using a significant enough amount to make much of a difference (especially considering the flavour would make me want to use it as minimally as possible)
3 years

Alternatives to heavy cream?

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7th_element   United Kingdom
Joined 5 years
Hungryandconfused:
Full fat coconut milk! I think it's like 700 calories a can.


A large proportion of the fatty acids in coconuts is lauric acid, which I'm pretty sure is really bad for cholesterol levels. I think that might have to be something more of an occasional treat lol
3 years