Sour Cream
Always incorporate light sour cream as opposed to regular or even fat-free. Fat-free could turn you against sour cream if you are particularily fussy with sour cream. You can replace the sour cream in recipes with light with little or no consequences in flavor or texture. Some recipes may say you should not use any replacements so do not make those. Real sour cream has twice the fat as light, so by using light, you are cutting the fat in half but getting the flavor. That is a reasonable bargain.
Cream Cheese
Always buy fat-free cream cheese for use in all recipes that call for cream cheese. It is amazing how little difference there is in the flavor and texture in comparison to regular. I myself resisted buying the fat-free for many years and opted for the light Neufchatel instead. After discovering how good the non-fat/low-fat Mozzarella cheese is, I decided to give the fat-free cream cheese a chance. It is very good. The only thing I would suggest is to beat it a good five minutes to get it nice and creamy, prior to adding to your recipes.
Additional Bonus of Cream Cheese
As a dairy product, cream cheese is an essential source of necessary nutrients. Everyone will benefit from it. Normally I try not to do this in my work, but I am going to tell you a short story with this one. I have been working with food for over 25 years and have experimented with non-fat foods of every kind. The first time I purchased totally fat-free cream cheese I was extremely skeptical. When I tasted the cheese cake I made, which, by the way, looked like a piece of art, I could not believe how good it was. The proof came when I served a piece to a die-hard dessert lover - he loved it and ate three big pieces, not knowing it was fat free! Therefore, I think you can safely trust that it is unlikely you will be disappointed. The appearance of fat-free cream cheese on the market has helped transform desserts otherwise thought of as "no-no's" into an excellent and delicious choice for low-fat dessert. Adding a fresh fruit topping enhances the cheesecake as well as adding a great nutrition bonus. In addition, it has become an essential ingredient for diabetic cheesecakes that taste out of this world!
