Cheese

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fionaface
fionaface Posts: 42 Member
One of my definite food weaknesses is cheese, and in multiple different forms (slices, sticks, shredded, dip, etc...). I was just wanting to know if there are any possible ways to eat cheese in a healthy way. While I certainly don't pig out on cheese 24-7, I am also unwilling to cut it out completely. Help please!
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  • nitrospop
    nitrospop Posts: 122 Member
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    HFLC diet...cheese becomes your friend!
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    Healthy is in the context of your whole diet, not individual foods. Cheese is a great source of protein and fat. I don't see why there'd be any concern over eating it, assuming your getting enough of other nutrients :P I like shredded cheese on salads, slices of all kinds on sandwiches, Mac and cheese!
  • Pinkgoldturquoise
    Pinkgoldturquoise Posts: 24 Member
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    Low fat philadelphia!!!
  • ThePinkPanda
    ThePinkPanda Posts: 208 Member
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    i eat cheese with most everything. it's about portions :) i see no reason to cut it out either, so just weigh it out and go from there. a typical serving is about an ounce. sometimes i use more, sometimes less.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I love cheese and make room for it in my calories. It's pretty much the only dairy I eat, so I rely on it for calcium. I love cheddar, but it is high cals so I only eat a small amount but I also eat string cheese (80 cals a stick), feta cheese, cherve, and blue - all very flavourful cheeses where a little bit goes a long way flavour-wise.

    I also grate my own parmesan, as it grates very fine and 5 grams is an extraordinary amount! Grating cheddar also makes it go much further, even if you're just eating it out of a bowl :)
  • Eoghann
    Eoghann Posts: 130 Member
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    As others have said, there's nothing wrong with eating cheese as part of your regular diet.

    Just learn the portion sizes so you can fit it into your calorie goals.

    I eat some cheese most days.
  • btanton27
    btanton27 Posts: 186 Member
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    I :heart: cheese!!! eat it every day. just have to learn not to eat a whole brick at a time lol. Instead of using sliced cheese, I found that using 2% shredded cheese, I can sprinkle on to get that cheesy taste but its got a little bit less fat and I don't need as much. I also like using the laughing cow cheese spread or lowfat flavored cream cheese on crackers if im really craving it. hope that helps!
  • fionaface
    fionaface Posts: 42 Member
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    I am sure that my diet is not balanced properly, but I am at least committed to trying to make it better. I guess I am looking for ways to incorporate cheese into healthy meals, like salads. I know I have an issue with eating too much of it when I do eat it, but I think it is like teasing myself to taste just a little. The portion sizes for many forms of cheese just feel too small to me.
  • fionaface
    fionaface Posts: 42 Member
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    I am already getting some great ideas from all of you. Thank you for your suggestions!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Cheese and dairy in general was a big thing for me. I just learned to eat and enjoy less of it (consume in moderation). As far as cheese goes, these days I only by really high quality stuff that is packed with flavor...only having a small amount of it, so might as well enjoy. I like really stinky cheeses the best.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I eat cheese on salads from time to time, and often eat it in omelets that are otherwise stuffed full of vegetables--that's a pretty standard breakfast for me. I usually like feta for this purpose, since it has a strong taste, but plenty of other kinds would work.

    I also like to just eat a bit of cheese with some fruit as a dessert.
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
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    Cheese is necessary for me to live happily. I eat as much as possible within my calorie goals. I eat fewer starchy carbs so I can have more. Like, I'd rather have an omelet stuffed with ample cheese, ham and vegetables than have a skimpy omelet with a slice of toast.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    I LOVE cheese!!! Always weigh my portion on a scale. You can often use less of stronger flavored cheeses than a more mild flavored cheese.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    I'm with you. I even had a bumper sticker that said, "What a friend we have in cheeses."

    Get a grater/zester from Microplane and buy really good hard grating cheeses. You'd be amazed how much an ounce of a good parmesan or peccorino results in. Seriously, the grater is your friend for all kinds of cheese. Get fine (for hard cheeses) and course (for medium cheeses like cheddar) Microplanes to make pillowy piles from just 1 ounce of cheese.

    The scale and a cheese grater are your friend. Load a big pile of steamed veggies on your plate and top with one or two ounces of grated cheese. Nuke in the microwave for a few seconds if the hot veggies don't melt the cheese on their own.

    Buy STRONGLY flavored cheeses: aged or extra sharp cheddars, smoked gouda, etc. More cheesy flavor from less cheese. Yes, a good Parmigiano-Reggiano might cost up to $20/lb. but it is so dense it goes much further than the cheaper grocery store parms.

    Grate a little parmesan or similar hard cheese in little piles on a silpat or piece of parchment paper. Bake or nuke for cheesy crisps with much less cheese in each one than a cube of cheese.

    My local supermarket's low-fat string cheese has a pretty good flavor for 60g a stick -- a stronger flavor than the name brands -- so you might want to see if that's true for you. I get the Southern Home (Bi-Lo) light string cheese.
  • balanceandnirvana
    balanceandnirvana Posts: 51 Member
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    I dunno I think dairy is disgusting because it comes from a different species and we are not meant to consume it, it's full of hormones, and they put all kinds of unhealthy things like salt, processed sugar, and pus in it! I'd go with vegan cheese if anything o.o
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    I dunno I think dairy is disgusting because it comes from a different species and we are not meant to consume it, it's full of hormones, and they put all kinds of unhealthy things like salt, processed sugar, and pus in it! I'd go with vegan cheese if anything o.o

    That must be what makes it so darn delicious :wink:

    So, do you suggest we start producing human cheese? Since, animals are icky?
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    I dunno I think dairy is disgusting because it comes from a different species and we are not meant to consume it, it's full of hormones, and they put all kinds of unhealthy things like salt, processed sugar, and pus in it! I'd go with vegan cheese if anything o.o

    Wow, it takes talent to write so many wrong things in such a short blurb.

    By that reasoning, you would have to call every single food on the planet disgusting unless it was made in a lab from non biological substances since everything comes from a different species (cows, pigs, cabbage, walnuts, etc). Plants contain hormones as do animals. Salt is not unhealthy. You would die without it. There's nothing wrong with processed sugar if you don't suffer from any metabolic malfunctions. Pus is nothing but dead white blood cells and it's a bogey man, anti dairy myth anyway.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I dunno I think dairy is disgusting because it comes from a different species and we are not meant to consume it, it's full of hormones, and they put all kinds of unhealthy things like salt, processed sugar, and pus in it! I'd go with vegan cheese if anything o.o

    so, if you don't eat anything that comes from a different species, are you a breathatarian, or a cannibal?
  • navygrrl
    navygrrl Posts: 517 Member
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    I love cheese, but I've learned to be happy with proper portion sizes with it. Or fit the larger portions into my calories for the day. You should be able to still incorporate into your diet with a little planning.
  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
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    I dunno I think dairy is disgusting because it comes from a different species and we are not meant to consume it, it's full of hormones, and they put all kinds of unhealthy things like salt, processed sugar, and pus in it! I'd go with vegan cheese if anything o.o

    So, we should only eat our own species? You do realize that is limited to other humans.

    Besides being opposed to cannibalism for several reasons, I also don't think that it alone would be a very balanced diet.