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The major health benefits of cheese include relief from hypertension and osteoporosis. It also helps in maintaining bone health, gaining weight and dental care. For ages, it has been part and parcel of daily life in Europe, America, Australia and nearly every country in the world that has a cold climate, except certain countries in the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle Eastern region. That being said, India and some of its neighboring countries have been using a slightly different form of cheese which is commonly known as “cottage cheese” or “paneer” for generations.
Unlike traditional cheese, cottage cheese is not fermented. Over the last 10 years or so, cheese has become widely popular in India and neighboring countries with multinational companies like McDonald’s stepping into these countries with their mouth-watering products like pizza and hamburgers both of which use a lot of cheese. Contrary to the popular belief of fresh edibles being more nutritious, fermented cheese is far more nutritious than its fresher counterpart.
It is prepared from milk or milk products such as curd. There are many varieties and flavors of cheese available all around the world.
Nutritional Value of Cheese
Cheese contains many nutrients, including vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. Other vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin are also found in different types of cheese. Adding it to your diet also provides certain vital minerals such as calcium, sodium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and iron to the human body.
Health Benefits of Cheese
The health benefits of cheese include the following:
Dental Care
Cheese has very high calcium content, the first and foremost thing you need for strong teeth. Moreover, it is very low in lactose content. Older the cheese, lower the lactose content in it. This also is beneficial for the teeth as any form of sugar (glucose, maltose or lactose) in food can harm the teeth.
Improves Bone Health
Apart from having very high calcium content, cheese is also rich in vitamin-B, which is very good for children, women (particularly when pregnant or lactating) and elderly people, for the formation and strengthening of bones and cartilage. The vitamin-B in cheese aids to the proper absorption and distribution of calcium.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is mainly a deficiency disease caused by a deficiency of calcium (non-absorption), resulting in a decrease in bone mineral density. This is particularly seen in women who have undergone menopause, elderly people and children who suffer from malnutrition. This can be treated with protein, calcium and a vitamin-rich diet. Calcium alone will not help much, because the problem is with its absorption and its utilization for bone formation. These three components are found in abundance in cheese. Therefore, it can be an ideal part of the diet for those suffering from osteoporosis.
Prevents Hypertension
Sodium and cholesterol are the two elements mainly considered harmful for hypertension and hypertensive people. In this way, cheese should be viewed critically. The fat content of the cheese depends very much on the quality of the milk, whether it is full fat or full cream, low fat or fat free. In general, high-fat ones are more popular, since they tend to taste better. But, keeping in view the public demand and health concerns, low-fat cheese is also being introduced to the market. This means that you need to be choosy while picking it for your home and diet.
Don’t forget the sodium content! Although the sodium content of cheese varies according to the amount of salt added to the milk prior to cheese formation, it is never low enough to be recommended for hypertensive people, as salt is an inevitable part of the cheese. In general, it is not recommended for people suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure). Although low sodium and low-fat cheese are helpful in reducing homocysteine, an agent that is often related to heart diseases, this fact still does not make it recommendable for hypertensive people. Another thing in it that can help hypertensive people is the vitamin-B content if they do choose to eat it.
Promotes Weight Gain
Cheese is an excellent food for gaining weight. It is full of proteins, fats, calcium, vitamins, and minerals. You need protein for muscle formation and growth, fats for fat-based processes in the body, calcium for heavier and stronger bones and vitamins and minerals for improved metabolic function. You just need to eat a lot of them, do your exercise and sleep an adequate amount.
Other Benefits: Cheese contains conjugated linoleic acid and sphingolipids which may help prevent various diseases. It contains a lot of vitamin-B which develops in it during the fermentation process. Vitamin-B is very good for maintaining many functions in the body and also for protection against diseases like Beriberi. It also enhances blood formation, strengthens the liver, and facilitates the absorption of nutrients in the body.
How to select and store Cheese?
Different types of cheese are available in markets all over the world. Some varieties such as fresh cheese with no preservatives are to be used within a few days of purchase as they easily spoil. Store it in cool places or refrigerate them. Before eating or using cheese keep it at room temperatures for better flavor and texture.
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What is the healthiest cheese to eat? The healthiest type of cheese is debatable, but there are certainly cheeses that are clearly healthier than others.
There are also specific qualities — such as certified USDA organic and raw — that can make a cheese more health-promoting in our bodies.
Is cheese bad for you? Like so many other food staples, such as meat, it’s not about demonizing an entire genre of foods — it’s about making the right choices. In this instance, you want to opt for the healthiest cheese options around, making sure your cheese of choice comes from a responsible source and from grass-fed animals, whether we’re talking cheese from cows, goat cheese or some other source.
After reading this article, you should hopefully feel better equipped to make healthy selections in the cheese department.
Healthiest Cheese Options
These are some of my favorite cheeses because they are also some of the healthiest cheeses. Just make sure to buy them in their optimal state, which means unprocessed, raw, certified organic and ideally from grass-fed animals.
Raw is really important since pasteurization has been shown to reduce vitamin, protein and enzyme levels in milk. This has even been shown in studies where human breast milk went through a pasteurization process.
Feta Cheese
Feta cheese is without a doubt one of the healthiest cheeses around. What is feta cheese exactly? It’s a cheese that can be created using sheep milk, goat milk or a combination of the two. Since feta is made from sheep/goat milk rather than cow milk, it’s known for being easier on the digestive system and much less inflammatory than cheeses from cow milk.
Many people who can’t tolerate cow’s milk cheeses are OK with feta cheese. Look for feta cheese that is raw rather than pasteurized versions. Just remember that feta cheese is naturally high in sodium and saturated fat so it’s best used sparingly and not on a daily basis.
Goat Cheese
Goat cheese is made entirely from nutritionally impressive goat milk. This milk is also praise-worthy in some other ways. It does not contain the A1 casein found in most cow’s milk that so many people have trouble digesting, and it only contains A2 casein so in terms of protein it’s the closest milk to human breast milk. Research suggests that when goat milk is used as the first protein after breastfeeding, it is less allergenic for babies compared to cow milk. Look for raw, unpasteurized and organic goat cheeses.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a mild, soft, creamy white cheese. Unlike a lot of other cheese, cottage cheese does not go through an aging process. Many people love to eat it as a satisfying high protein snack. Cottage cheese is available at most grocery stores in non-fat, low-fat and full-fat versions. As usual, I recommend a full fat cottage cheese.
Pecorino Romano Cheese
You’ll often see this healthy cheese in many of my recipes. Pecorino Romano is a hard cheese made from sheep milk. The milk and cheese from sheep aren’t very popular in the United States yet, but they definitely are in other areas around the world, especially the Mediterranean region. Eaten since ancient Roman Times, it’s one of Italy’s oldest cheeses and still made today using the original recipe.
Ricotta Cheese
Healthiest Cheese Benefits
Buying these cheeses in their best possible form — made from raw milk, certified organic and ideally from grass-fed animals — means all of these healthy cheeses will provide beneficial protein, key minerals like calcium, enzymes and even probiotics. Plus, full-fat cheese (again, ideally raw and organic) are ketogenic diet-friendly food options.
Here are some of the more specific benefits of each of these healthy cheeses:
Feta Cheese
Feta cheese is naturally high in key nutrients like calcium and riboflavin (vitamin B2). Per serving (about 28 grams), feta also contains significant amounts of phosphorus, vitamin B12 and selenium. So when you eat feta cheese, you’re reaping the benefits of all of these many important vitamins and minerals.
Calcium, for example, is key to heart, nerve and general muscle function. It’s also a mineral that is a must if you want strong teeth and bones. Riboflavin, also impressively high in feta cheese, helps the body to maintain its energy levels. It also acts like an antioxidant so it fights off free radicals that can cause cellular damage. Why is this important? Damage to cells and DNA is known to speed up aging, and more concerning, it’s known to contribute to many serious health concerns including heart disease and cancer.
Goat Cheese
Goat cheese is made from goat milk. Animal research has shown that compared to cow milk, goat milk increases iron absorption while boosting bone formation and the bioavailability of key minerals like calcium.
Goat cheese is loved by many not only for its taste, but for its easy digestibility. According to Walter Vetter, professor of food chemistry at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, who has studied the flavor compounds in goat cheese, “In many instances goat cheese can be consumed by people allergic to cow’s milk.”
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese can be a healthy choice if you’re trying to reach ketosis. I don’t recommend overdoing it (since cottage cheese is still a dairy product), but a full-fat cottage cheese can be a helpful choice when you’re following a ketogenic diet.
It’s a high-protein, high-fat food that can keep you satisfied and may even help you reach your weight loss goals. Research has shown that a high-protein diet can increase satiety, thermogenesis, sleeping metabolic rate, protein balance and, last but certainly not least, fat oxidation.
Cottage cheese is also a staple of the Budwig Diet protocol for cancer.
Pecorino Romano Cheese
Sheep milk is richer in protein and fat than either cow or goat milk. It is also higher in lactose. Just one ounce of Pecorino Romano can contain seven grams of protein or more so it’s an excellent source of this key nutrient.
Including a high-protein cheese like this in your diet can help you to avoid a protein deficiency. This is a state of being you definitely want to avoid since it can lead to a sluggish metabolism, trouble losing weight, low energy levels, moodiness and other unwanted symptoms. Sheep’s milk Pecorino Romano is also a rich source of calcium and vitamin A.
Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta made from sheep milk or goat milk is rich and creamy, and with its slightly sweet flavor, it can satisfy a taste for sweets without going overboard. A quarter cup of a sheep milk ricotta cheese contains 100 calories, seven grams of protein and only three grams of sugar. It also contains notable amounts of healthy fatty acids, vitamin A and calcium. Compared to many other cheese options, ricotta cheese is lower in sodium and saturated fat.
Unhealthiest Cheese Options
In general, the unhealthiest cheeses are processed, pasteurized, low-fat, fat-free, sweetened and/or loaded with hormones. As you know, I encourage eating whole foods so taking the fat (some or all) out of cheeses is a big no-no. Not only does this make a cheese less tasty and satisfying, but it also denies the body of that natural fat that helps give us energy and keep our blood sugar balanced.
Sweetening cheese? Yes, it is a thing. Cottage cheese, which can be a really healthy choice, is now often adulterated with “fruit” additions, which are mainly just refined sugar. Adding real whole fruit to cottage cheese isn’t a bad idea, but adding refined sugar to a cheese makes it a completely unhealthy choice. Overconsumption of sugar destroys the body in a number of ways, including an increased risk from dying from heart disease. It’s also a huge contributor to diabetes and the obesity epidemic we’re currently facing around the world (yes, it’s now a global epidemic!).
Cheese that isn’t certified USDA organic can come from animals that have been given hormones. Animals used for organic dairy production must only consume grain and forages that are certified organic.
According to the USDA, the following is not allowed for dairy livestock used for organic cheese production:
- • Use of animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth
- • Plastic pellets for roughage
- • Urea or manure added to feed or in feed formulas
- • Direct fed mammalian or poultry by-products, such as animal fats and rendered products (not including fishmeal)
- • Providing feed supplements or additives in amounts over what is needed by the livestock for nutrition and health
So if you don’t go organic with your cheese, all of these unwanted things are likely a part of the creation of the cheese you’re eating. Yuck! Instead, opt for the healthiest cheese options that avoid this practices and come from healthy sources.
Risks and Side Effects
If you have an allergy to cow milk, goat milk, sheep milk or any animal milk from which a cheese is derived then unfortunately you must avoid that cheese.
If you have a lactose intolerance, some cheeses will not agree with you, while other low-lactose cheeses may not be problematic. In general, cheeses that have been aged longer, such as cheddar, Parmesan and Swiss, are known to have low levels of lactose.
Always speak to your health care provider if you are feeling unsure about what cheeses are safe for you and your particular health concerns.
Final Thoughts
Cheese isn’t bad for you as long as you don’t have an allergy or intolerance and you make healthy choices.
The healthiest cheese options include feta cheese, goat cheese, cottage cheese, sheep milk cheese like Pecorino Romano and ricotta cheese.
To get the healthiest cheese versions, opt for varieties that are unprocessed, raw and certified organic.
Many people love cheese. The good news is that if you choose wisely, there are a lot of delicious cheeses that in moderation can be a part of a healthy, whole food-based diet.
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A diet high in sodium and saturated fat is likely to increase the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Saturated fat: The 2015 Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) recommend limiting fat intake to 20 to 35 percent of daily calories, and saturated fat to less than 10 percent of total calories. This means that someone following an 1800-calorie diet should consume less than 18 grams per day of saturated fat.
One ounce of cheddar cheese contains around 120 calories and 6 g of saturated fat.
A high intake of saturated fat can increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular problems.
Some studies suggest, however, that saturated fat from dairy foods may be less harmful than saturated fat from other sources.
Sodium: Along with fat, sodium can be high in some cheeses, especially processed cheeses and “cheese flavored” products.
Hormones: Concerns have been raised about the presence of estrogen and other steroid hormones in dairy produce. These could disrupt the endocrine system and potentially increase the risk of some types of cancer.
Allergies, intolerances, sensitivity, and interactions
Lactose intolerance: A person with a lactose intolerance lacks the enzyme needed to break down and digest the sugar found in milk. Consuming milk and dairy products may result in bloating, flatulence, or diarrhea.
Tolerance levels depend on the individual. One person may be able to tolerate aged dairy with low levels of lactose, such as yogurt and hard cheeses, while others experience a reaction to even a small amount of dairy produce.
Soft, fresh cheeses, such as mozzarella, may trigger a reaction in a person with a lactose intolerance. However, harder cheeses, such as cheddar and parmesan, have lower levels of lactose. People with a lactose intolerance may find that a small amount of these cheeses can be safely consumed.
An allergy occurs because of an abnormal immunologic reaction to certain triggers, such as milk protein, whether casein or whey. The body’s immune system produces an allergic antibody, immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody, when exposed to the trigger.
Allergy symptoms include post-nasal drip, wheezing, diarrhea, and vomiting. In more severe cases, a person may develop asthma, eczema, bleeding, pneumonia, and anaphylaxis, or shock. This can be serious, and even life-threatening.
Anyone with a milk allergy must avoid all dairy products, including cheese.
A sensitivity to casein, a protein found in milk, can trigger inflammation throughout the body, producing symptoms such as sinus congestion, acne flares, skin rash, and migraines.
Anyone experiencing this type of symptom can ask a dietitian to guide them through an elimination diet or conduct a food sensitivity test, to find out whether a dairy-free diet may help.
Phosphorus is present in high quantities in some cheeses. This may be harmful to those with a kidney disorder. If the kidneys cannot remove excess phosphorus from the blood, this can be fatal.
A high calcium intake has been linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer in some studies, but other investigations have found no associations between the two.
Constipation is frequently seen in young children who consume a lot of dairy products while eating a low-fiber, processed diet.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are drugs used to treat depression and Parkinson’s disease. People using these drugs may need to avoid foods with high levels of the amino acid tyramine, found naturally in aged cheeses, cured meats, pickled foods, beer, and wine. The longer the food is aged, the higher the tyramine content.
Migraines and headaches have also been associated with tyramine-containing foods. A food diary may help identify if tyramine-containing foods are triggering symptoms. *